North Carolina STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING, Inc.

1. Prevent human trafficking.
2. Victims are recognized and receive the services they need and deserve.
3. Communities are working together to address human trafficking.
4. Human traffickers are arrested and incarcerated for significant sentences. Victims are not criminalized; instead, they receive services.

1. Prevent Human Trafficking

A. Make prevention curriculum available to middle schools and high schools. (Includes lessons on healthy relationships, online safety, and how traffickers recruit and groom victims.)
B. Teach parents about online safety precautions for their children, how to prevent/recognize child sexual abuse and other safety tips.
C. Encourage attendance of Stewards of Children training. (This is a 2-hour training about the prevention and early detection of child sexual abuse. Because the vast majority of adults in the commercial sex industry were victims of child sexual abuse, this is a link we can’t ignore.)
D. Encourage conscious consumerism, especially the purchase of Fair Trade Certified products.

2. Victims are recognized and receive the services they need and deserve.

We increase human trafficking awareness of the general population:
a. Conduct free Human Trafficking 101 classes monthly
b. Speak to civic, church and other community groups as invited.
c. Staff tables at health fairs and other community events.
d. Create and disseminate a weekly newsletter with information about preventing and identifying human trafficking.
e. Utilize social media to inform people about the prevalence of Human Trafficking.
f. Encourage citizens to call the Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-3737-888) if they believe they’ve encountered a trafficking situation.


We train professionals who are likely to encounter potentials in the course of their job.
a. Attend meetings and conferences where we can meet these professionals and introduce the topic.
b. Contact managers of agencies and businesses and ask if we can conduct trainings. (Law enforcement, social services, healthcare providers, mental healthcare providers, hotels, schools.)
c. Develop relationships with state-wide associations, so that we can conduct trainings at their state-wide conferences, contribute articles to their newsletters, and have links on their websites.
d. Train these professionals to be trauma-informed as they interact with victims.
e. Provide information about resources these professionals can access to better serve victims.

3. Communities are working together to address human trafficking.
Human trafficking is a huge issue that no one individual or entity can stop.

a. Participate in already-existing collaborative efforts, like the NC Coalition Against Human Trafficking.
b. Create and facilitate the Pitt County Coalition Against Human Trafficking.
c. Assist other communities in creating their own coalitions.

4. Human traffickers are arrested and incarcerated for significant sentences. Victim are not criminalized; instead, they receive services.

a. Stay up-to-date on current human trafficking statutes.
b. Develop relationships with state and federal legislators and/or their staff.
c. Create a Legislative Agenda
d. Educate legislators about the flaws in current statutes and make suggestions for improvement

We have a staff of two incredibly passionate women with strong work ethics.
Our Founder first learned about human trafficking in 2006 when she heard Gary Haugen, Founder of International Justice Mission, speak at a Missions Conference in Winston Salem. He showed video of a rescue his group conducted in a brothel in Asia. She was stunned. The sight of those little girls huddled in a corner together, terrified, stays with her still. She felt called to learn more and DO SOMETHING. She read books, and learned online, and attended conferences. Eventually, in 2010, she started a nonprofit, determined to educate her community about this issue, so we could work together to stop it.

I’ve attended countless conferences and workshops and training sessions since then. I continue to attend conferences and webinars, as the movement is always changing and growing.

I stay active with the NC Coalition Against Human Trafficking and attend the meetings of the NC Human Trafficking Commission. I stay current with human trafficking legislative proposals.

I make it my business to stay informed about the human trafficking movement in the United States, but to be an expert about the human trafficking movement in North Carolina.

I have a business degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and helped my father manage our family business from 1990 until we closed it last year.

This business perspective is very useful in managing a nonprofit day-to-day, but it’s my passion for the issue that keeps me going.

Melinda Sampson is our Community Outreach Coordinator. She has a background in journalism, having served as a reporter and editor of several small newspapers in eastern NC. Her communication and graphic design skills are immensely valuable.
She oversees our social media presence and the creation of our weekly newsletters, and updates our web page. She conducts presentations about Human Trafficking 101, Online Safety, and Human Trafficking Prevention. She represents us at community meetings and educates the attendees about anti-human trafficking efforts in the community.
But her most valuable characteristic is her passion. She has a passion for helping the vulnerable and for making things right. In addition to working full-time for us, and being a wife and mother, she also volunteers at a soup kitchen and mentors at-risk girls.

1. Prevent Human Trafficking
How many schools are using prevention curriculum?
How many parents have attended class/webinar about preventing sex trafficking?
What amount of Fair Trade Products have we sold? In 2019, we sold over $17,000 of Fair Trade Products.
2. Victims are recognized and receive the services they need and deserve.
How many Human Trafficking 101 sessions were conducted? How many people attended? According to their evaluations, did they learn helpful information?
How many civic/church/community groups have we talked to? 28 How many people attended?
How many tables at health fairs and other community events did we staff? 48
How many newsletters do we send? 52 per year Over 6,000 subscribers. How many people open them? Over 1000 every week.
How many social media followers do we have? 4,500
3. Communities are working together to address human trafficking.
Are individuals actively engaged in the Pitt County Coalition Against Human Trafficking? Yes. 26 Attendees at February meeting.
Are we assisting other communities in creating their own coalitions? How many? We are working with Greene, Lenior and Wayne Counties and Bertie, Gates, Hertford, and Northampton Counties.

4. Human traffickers are arrested and incarcerated for significant sentences. Victims are not criminalized; instead, they receive services.
Are we increasing the number of state and federal legislators and/or their staff that we have relationships with? Yes, although that is on hold due to Covid 19.
Do we have a comprehensive Legislative Agenda? Yes.
Are we educating legislators about the flaws in current statutes and making suggestions for improvement? Yes, although that is on hold due to Covid 19.
Are legislators willing to introduce legislation that we recommend? They have in the past. Hopefully, they will do so in the next long session.