Throughout United States history, people have had their basic rights abused. From slavery, to Jim-Crow, to Share Cropping, and now Human Trafficking, which is defined by the United Nations as “the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them.” This issue, however, is not one that many know about. It is not something that is taught about in school, and it is often looked over. The state of Georgia and city of Atlanta are one of the biggest hubs in the country for this horror. For every 100,000 people in the state, about four of them will be victims of human trafficking. This is the 7th highest rate in the country according to the World Population Review. The total number of reports drastically increased in the last few years, increasing from about 98 in 2012 to approximately 417 in 2019 (Biz Journals) (Human Trafficking Hotline).
YOUTH ENTRY:
Human Trafficking is a huge threat to our population, and starts at a young age. The average age a victim enters the human trafficking market in Georgia is from 12-14 years old. These are the same ages females are taken to be sexually exploited. These children typically have faced some form of childhood trauma, whether that be domestic abuse, substance abuse, or the death of a loved one (GSU Study). An average of 200-375 girls are sold and/or exploited monthly, and about 100 girls are taken advantage of per night in the state of Georgia. These individuals are exploited by the over 12,000 men who pay to abuse these adolescent girls (Georgia Human Trafficking Fact Sheet).
WHY ATLANTA?
Atlanta has the busiest airport on the planet averaging 260,000 travelers a day, making it an accessible place for traffickers to smuggle people across state and country borders without drawing much attention to themselves. These traffickers are also able to quickly maneuver around the city and its suburbs through the use of interstates like I-85, I-75, I-20, and I-285. About 65% of the men that buy sex with young girls do so in the areas inside of and in the neighboring suburbs of the I-285 circle. In addition, the many different music, sporting, and business events that happen in Atlanta cause it to become a global hub for travelers and people chasing the American dream. People are offered jobs and then taken advantage of as they are placed in the trafficking market (Biz Journal).
CHANGES:
In 2018, the International Human Trafficking Institute set into motion a three-year plan called the “Metro Atlanta Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition”. In preparation for the upcoming Super Bowl that would be held in the city, the Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee, the Atlanta Falcons, Accenture, the Atlanta Rotary, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber joined forces to fight against Human Trafficking (Biz Journals). One big issue with these plans to help free people from the violence of human trafficking is that we do nothing to help them once they have been freed. Many people end up going right back into the market in desperate need of a little bit of money and a place to stay. Acts like Senate Bill 435, also known as “The Survivors First Act”, help with this. This plan helps former victims clean up their record of convictions that occurred during or because of their time in the cycle. This gives the victims a form of Second Chance, as it allows them to get a job and start fresh (Georgia Office of Attorney General). Of course, sometimes they will need some assistance. That is where groups such as The Salvation Army’s HavenATL group or Tapestri come in. They offer classes to educate victims, and help them get a job to get back on their feet and be able to support their family, as well as crisis counseling to help the victims get through this tough time in their lives (Tapestri) (Haven ATL).
CONCLUSION:
Human Trafficking has become more and more of an issue over the past decade, and is not something that is shared to children, which is scary since they are being targeted. We need to be able to inform ourselves of the signs of human trafficking, and spread word to others of the blatant violations of rights that are occurring. Together we can stop the human trafficking cycle. If you think you see signs of human trafficking in your neighborhood, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. In addition, you can donate to Tapestri here.
SOURCES:
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/human-trafficking/
https://law.georgia.gov/key-issues/human-trafficking
http://www.htcourts.org/wp-content/uploads/GA-HT-Fact-Sheet-6.4.13.pdf?Factsheet=HT-GA
https://humantraffickinghotline.org/state/georgia
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/human-trafficking-statistics-by-state
Cover Art: Urooj Ali
