Sen. Marsha Blackburn talks human trafficking, child ID program with NFL, state officials

Middle Tennessee parents could soon see a blue and white business envelop in their children's backpacks, at community events or churches.

"Over 1,000 children go missing every day," the outside of the envelope says. "A gift of safety from our family to yours."

The contents of that envelope — a form identification card and fingerprint applicator — could save law enforcement hours of investigative work, crucial minutes when a child goes missing.

The NFL Alumni's Caring for Kids Campaign announced a partnership with local and state officials, and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, that will provide more than 85,000 envelopes to Tennessee families amid a discussion Wednesday with Sen. Marsha Blackburn on human trafficking.

"We know that women and girls are disproportionately affected, and that nearly 1 in 4, 25% of human trafficking victims are children," Blackburn said during a news conference at Nissan Stadium. "It is a devastating stat."

Five to 600 children under the age of 18 go missing every single month in Tennessee, Blackburn said, a statistic the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations said is largely attributed to parental abductions or runaways. Nearly 60% of those children are minorities.

"You have to have that collaboration between your local, state and federal agencies in order to protect children and to make certain that they are growing up in a safe environment," Blackburn said.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline identified 152 cases in Tennessee in 2021, the most recent year data is available. More than 10,350 cases were identified across the country.

Of the Tennessee cases, at least 48 children were identified as victims, though that number is likely under reported as the hotline only collected demographic information "when appropriate."

More than 2,300 children were reported victims across the country.

Tennessee ranked 17th out of all states, U.S. territories and Washington D.C. for the most human trafficking cases identified in 2021, according to the hotline.

"In Tennessee, we certainly have a large issue with human trafficking," TBI Director David Rausch said Wednesday. "We consistently, over the past several years, have been graded at the top of all states in terms of how we address human trafficking. We have the policies, the procedures, the collaborations in place to do the work that we have to do."

Al Smith, president of the NFL Alumni Tennessee chapter and All-Pro linebacker for the Tennessee Titans' predecessor the Houston Oilers, summed up his support of the child identification program with a football metaphor.

"As players, we go out there with pads on. We have helmets, shoulder pads," he said. "Do we want to get hurt? No. But if we, for some reason, we happen to get hurt, it won't be as bad. It's the same thing with these kits. We don't want your kid, or anyone, to be abducted. But for some reason, if something bad happens, we have some padding."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee officials, NFL promote child IDs amid human trafficking talk