Mississippi Attorney General Launches Next Phase of Campaign Against Human Trafficking | Local

TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) — Mississippi's attorney general has launched the third phase of his “Be the Solution” campaign.

Republican Attorney General Lynn Fitch hosted an event Monday in Tupelo.

This is a statewide education and awareness campaign aimed at helping Mississippians identify, report and stop human trafficking.

The third phase focuses on medicine, mental health and child advocacy.

“Mental health is an essential element,” she explained. “Again, when you've been victimized like this, you've suffered emotional trauma. Your mental health has really been destroyed. We need to help them in a positive way, to a safe haven, and mental health certainly plays a role important in this regard.

The campaign partnered with mental health professionals like the Mississippi Department of Mental Health (MDMH).

MDMH Executive Director Wendy Bailey said, “We are embarking on the third phase of this campaign to ensure mental health providers or 988 [suicide and crisis lifeline] Call centers, community mental health centers, and Department of Mental Health programs have training to recognize the warning signs of human trafficking and how to treat these individuals.

Open this link to learn more about the campaign.

Fitch said his office has made 86 human trafficking arrests and rescued more than 330 people, including 21 children, in Mississippi in recent years.