Attorney General Alan Wilson fights for victims of human trafficking

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – Attorney General Alan Wilson announced today that he has joined a 12-state friend-of-the-court brief to ask the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to allow human traffickers to be held liable for conduct that takes place beyond the United States’ borders under the TVPA (Trafficking Victims Protection Act).

The TVPA authorizes states to bring civil suits to protect their residents who have been victimized by human trafficking. This act includes protecting against the sex trafficking of children or sex trafficking through the use of force, fraud, or coercion.

“If you traffic South Carolinians, we will find you, we will prosecute you, and we will put you behind bars,” Attorney General Wilson stated. “As our states’ chief prosecutors, it is our job to fight against this vile act and bring justice for victims, regardless of where the act takes place.”

As Attorney General, General Wilson established the Human Trafficking Task Force and worked with groups across the state to make historic strides in the fight against modern-day slavery. In 2025 alone, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigated 315 tips across the state.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the number of federal human-trafficking prosecutions rose 73% from 2013 to 2023. The number of federal human-trafficking convictions rose by 64% during that same period.

Attorney General Alan Wilson and the other attorneys general are asking the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse the lower courts’ ruling and allow human traffickers to be held liable regardless of where the crimes originate or take place.

Attorney General Wilson was joined by attorneys general from Iowa, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.

You can read the brief here.