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Metro Council recognizes Human Trafficking Awareness Month and Athena’s Court milestone
Summary
The Metropolitan Council on Jan. 2026 went on record recognizing January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month and highlighted Athena’s Court, a treatment court formed in January 2016 to serve survivors of trafficking with trauma and substance-use challenges.
The Metropolitan Council went on record recognizing January 2026 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month and noted the tenth anniversary of Athena’s Court, a Davidson County treatment court for survivors of human trafficking.
The resolution, introduced during the council’s announcements-and-recognition period, cites local efforts by state and local government and nonprofits to prevent trafficking and support survivors. The resolution text names the Davidson County General Sessions Court and highlights Athena’s Court’s role, noting the treatment court was formed in January 2016 as a specialized, trauma-informed program for justice-involved survivors with co-occurring substance use or mental health disorders.
The council invited representatives from Thistle Farms and Judge Anna l Escobar to speak briefly. Amanda Clellan of Thistle Farms thanked the council and said the organization and partners work ‘‘around the clock 24/7 to ensure our participants feel supported, seen, and never alone,’’ adding that ‘‘survivors matter, and they deserve a real pathway to safety and independence.’’ The resolution also notes that assistant district attorneys Tammy Mead and Deb Smith were credited in the court’s founding.
Advocates at the dais stressed that human trafficking is frequently driven by exploitation within intimate or family relationships and by poverty and housing instability. The Thistle Farms speaker invoked founder Becca Stevens’s framing — ‘‘if you think prostitution was a choice, what do you think were the options?’’ — to emphasize that many people are coerced or exploited through circumstances rather than making free choices.
The resolution states it ‘‘shall take effect from and after its adoption,’’ and the council gathered for a photo with honorees after the presentation. The transcript does not record a roll-call vote or a recorded tally for the measure in the meeting text provided.
Next steps: the recognition is ceremonial; Thistle Farms and court representatives continue local outreach and partnership work to link survivors with services that the resolution highlights.
