MEMPHIS, Tenn. – With the stroke of midnight, Tennessee became the first state in the U.S. to add tattoo artists to the list of allies in the fight against human trafficking.

A new law went into effect with the turn of the year, making tattoo artists into mandatory reporters; it’s called the “Ink of Hope Act.”

One tattoo artist who spoke with FOX13 said he’s more than proud to join in the fight against human trafficking.

“I personally have two daughters and, you know, the idea of one of my kids getting snatched up and taken away is… it’s horrifying,” said John Mihelic, a tattoo artist at Inked Memphis.

Mihelic has been a tattoo artist for years. He said a client who worked as an agent in the fight against human traffickers first opened his eyes to just how real the problem is in this country.

“He had actually found three containers full of people and stopped them from getting, you know, taken out of the country,” Mihelic said.

Tattoo artists like Mihelic are among the first in the country to join the ranks of professionals mandated to be on the lookout for victims or perpetrators of human trafficking. A 2022 survey found that 47% of survivors reported being branded or tagged with a tattoo by their trafficker.

“You’re going to be looking for is things like, especially with sexual trafficking and stuff like that, you’re going to have pimps that come in wanting… wanting the same name on, you know, five different ladies,” said Inked Memphis owner Jeremy Walls. “If you do that to us, you’re not leaving. You’re going to talk to the cops first.”

The two key points in the Ink of Hope law are the training requirement mandating tattoo artists complete an hour of free online training to spot the signs of trafficking and the avenues to report it, as well as liability protections to the artist when they choose to report.

From Walls’ perspective, however, he believes everyone has a role to play to stop human trafficking. “It’s not just mine and my people’s jobs to do that. It’s yours too,” he said. “It’s everybody’s; from the grandma out there and the wife coming home that sees something in the store, you know… if you see it, say something.”

Registered tattoo artists could lose their license if they fail to take the mandated training.

If you suspect someone may be a victim of human trafficking, you can contact the Tennessee Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-800-55-TN-HTH or 1-800-558-6484.