This topic will always tug at my heart. Below is an article I wrote on the human sex trafficking during my college days. I think you will find it heart wrenching and there is no denying its horrific nature.
It's Not Just Across the Sea; it is right in our backyard
A Look at Human Sex Trafficking in Atlanta
As a parent you want nothing but the best for your child and are willing to do anything for their safety. Picture this; one day your sweet sixteen-year-old little girl comes home anxious and excited about the new friend she met at school. She looks at you with a beaming smile and asks if she can spend the night on Friday with her new friend. Though you seem skeptical because you aren’t familiar with the family, seeing your child so excited you agree to meet the girl and are even introduced to her father. As your hesitations begin to be suppressed you agree to let your daughter spend the night. Little do you or your daughter know, the claimed father is a convicted felon and the “new friend” has a record of prostitution in another state and is simply an accomplice in the abduction. Not surprisingly your daughter becomes thirsty, receives a drink of water and blacks out. Within 24 hours of dropping your daughter off for the sleepover she is involved in a sex trafficking case. Every time she wakes up she finds herself being raped but is too weak from the drugs to fight it. Seems far from reality doesn’t it? Or maybe something that could happen over seas but definitely not in suburbia. Unfortunately, this is just one of many examples of how children in the United States, in Atlanta are getting coerced into sexual exploitation.
UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million children are trafficked across borders each year and that number does not include anyone over the age of 18. It is easy for us to see these numbers being flashed over pictures of malnourished children in Africa and India but in reality this a problem that spans all the way to suburbia.
No one is immune. Human sex trafficking isn’t just something the homeless, runaways and those of a low socioeconomic status get coerced into doing. According to the Georgia Human Trafficking Operations Report (GAHTOR) regarding the commercial sexual exploitation of children “1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys will be sexually exploited by their 18th birthday and 90 percent of runaways fall victim to the sex trade.” The national center for missing and exploited children defines child sexual exploitation as any of the following: possession, manufacture, and distribution of child pornography, enticement of children for sexual acts, child prostitution, child sex tourism, and child sexual molestation.
The good ‘ole Southern city of Atlanta right in the heart of the peach state takes pride in what it has to offer people both nationally and worldwide. The state is a “transportation hub. Georgia is home to the nation’s busiest airport, seeing more than 90 million domestic travelers in 2008, with 9 million of those international flights. Hartsfield-Jackson ranks third in the nation for international flights.” Because of the easy and quick travel options there are hundreds of stories of people just flying into Atlanta for a couple hours, getting their “fix,” so to speak, and are back at home by dinnertime. It is no longer a matter of traveling internationally for prostitutes and sex slaves. This ease of access is one of the many problems Atlanta is facing while trying to combat the issue.
What is Atlanta doing to combat the third largest criminal industry? Since the realization that human trafficking was taking place right in Atlanta, Mayor Franklin has started multiple campaigns and laws are being rewritten to eliminate the number of sex trafficking cases that get dismissed. Prior to the year 2001 it was just considered to be a misdemeanor paid off by $50. Since then Mayor Shirley Franklin has started 2 major campaigns; “Hidden in Plain View” with Mayor Franklin’s Atlanta Women’s Agenda in 2005 and the “Dear John Campaign” in 2006. Both campaigns are an effort to raise awareness and begin the reworking of a legislative system that combats every aspect of the human sex trafficking industry in Atlanta.
Many of the human sex trafficking that is taking place is hidden in plain view. It is a matter of decoding language and looking at what is right in front of you. Most of the sex trafficking is taking place online at personal websites, such as craigslist.com. These ads are in plain sight and the main reason you don’t get caught is typically because it is just a matter of the wording. GAHTOR discusses how phrases such as “w4m,”meaning women seeking men, are used and there are even little phrases to describe the age, gender and race of the female.
Wanting to see how “easy” this really was to find these ads I personally went to craigslist.com and truly within minutes I was able to find the phrases “w4m” all over the place. No, I was not looking at some obscene website that was blocked by my university, it was a website you can go to at anytime on any given day. The reality hit home when I realized how simply and easy this was. You don’t have to be very knowledgeable or even seeking out these opportunities to find them. They are truly in plain view.
Legally, child prostitutes are both victims and criminals. According to the final report on the commercial exploitation of minors as put out by the Georgia senate research office the age of consent is sixteen for sexual activity and there is no minimum age for the offense of prostitution, as is the state law in Georgia and every other state in the country with the exception of Michigan. Here lies one of the big legal entanglements.
Special Agent, Joe Fonseca, is part of the violent crime squad in Atlanta and deals daily with children. He says that as law enforcement one of their big concerns is where these girls go after they serve their time as a criminal. Every girl who is involved in prostitution is considered a convicted felon since there is no minimum age. Since Atlanta lacks homes and care facilities for these women many often end up back on the streets and go without any attention or care. Fonseca says we must lobby for these mega corporations to stop sending their donations over seas and be reminded that we are struggling financially to care for victims in our own country.
Though these legal issues will take time to sort out, the citizens of Atlanta refuse to let their city become tainted and destroyed by the sex trafficking industry. Street GRACE is a non-profit organization whose mission is to mobilize churches and volunteers all over Atlanta. They realized the needs and Street GRACE simply is a tool to fill those needs. Amy Walters with Street GRACE said there is a supply and demand part of the issue; “the demand side is from a legislative standpoint and deals with educating law enforcement and begging them to ask themselves if there are laws that they can enforce.” The supply part deals with simply dispersing volunteers to different organizations around Atlanta trying to combat the issue.
One of those many organizations is Wellspring Living. According to their mission statement, “Wellspring Living exists to create restorative environments for victims of childhood trauma. Our vision is to see victims step out of their pain and begin to rebuild their lives.” Angel Dickers, director of program strategy, with Wellspring Living explains that they have a program specifically designed for girls that is strictly related to human trafficking. The girls that end up at Wellspring Living have been referred by the Department of Juvenile Justice or the Department of Family and Children Services. Dickers said, “the girls at Wellspring are from all different backgrounds and range in age.”
Dickers believes that there are a couple main issues Atlanta is facing while trying to combat the issue of human sex trafficking. Funding is the first. Perception about the victims is second; victim focused rather than perceived as a criminal. In a positive light Atlanta is aware of the issue and has a Mayor that is willing to do whatever it takes to end the sex trafficking industry.
Walters with Street GRACE says, “you don’t have to be an undercover agent or even a therapist to support the movement. Someone who says, ‘I am a good envelope stuffer’ is just as needed.” Spreading the word and raising awareness is the key factor in making the change. Let the conversations begin and watch the statistics decline.
UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million children are trafficked across borders each year and that number does not include anyone over the age of 18. It is easy for us to see these numbers being flashed over pictures of malnourished children in Africa and India but in reality this a problem that spans all the way to suburbia.
No one is immune. Human sex trafficking isn’t just something the homeless, runaways and those of a low socioeconomic status get coerced into doing. According to the Georgia Human Trafficking Operations Report (GAHTOR) regarding the commercial sexual exploitation of children “1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys will be sexually exploited by their 18th birthday and 90 percent of runaways fall victim to the sex trade.” The national center for missing and exploited children defines child sexual exploitation as any of the following: possession, manufacture, and distribution of child pornography, enticement of children for sexual acts, child prostitution, child sex tourism, and child sexual molestation.
The good ‘ole Southern city of Atlanta right in the heart of the peach state takes pride in what it has to offer people both nationally and worldwide. The state is a “transportation hub. Georgia is home to the nation’s busiest airport, seeing more than 90 million domestic travelers in 2008, with 9 million of those international flights. Hartsfield-Jackson ranks third in the nation for international flights.” Because of the easy and quick travel options there are hundreds of stories of people just flying into Atlanta for a couple hours, getting their “fix,” so to speak, and are back at home by dinnertime. It is no longer a matter of traveling internationally for prostitutes and sex slaves. This ease of access is one of the many problems Atlanta is facing while trying to combat the issue.
What is Atlanta doing to combat the third largest criminal industry? Since the realization that human trafficking was taking place right in Atlanta, Mayor Franklin has started multiple campaigns and laws are being rewritten to eliminate the number of sex trafficking cases that get dismissed. Prior to the year 2001 it was just considered to be a misdemeanor paid off by $50. Since then Mayor Shirley Franklin has started 2 major campaigns; “Hidden in Plain View” with Mayor Franklin’s Atlanta Women’s Agenda in 2005 and the “Dear John Campaign” in 2006. Both campaigns are an effort to raise awareness and begin the reworking of a legislative system that combats every aspect of the human sex trafficking industry in Atlanta.
Many of the human sex trafficking that is taking place is hidden in plain view. It is a matter of decoding language and looking at what is right in front of you. Most of the sex trafficking is taking place online at personal websites, such as craigslist.com. These ads are in plain sight and the main reason you don’t get caught is typically because it is just a matter of the wording. GAHTOR discusses how phrases such as “w4m,”meaning women seeking men, are used and there are even little phrases to describe the age, gender and race of the female.
Wanting to see how “easy” this really was to find these ads I personally went to craigslist.com and truly within minutes I was able to find the phrases “w4m” all over the place. No, I was not looking at some obscene website that was blocked by my university, it was a website you can go to at anytime on any given day. The reality hit home when I realized how simply and easy this was. You don’t have to be very knowledgeable or even seeking out these opportunities to find them. They are truly in plain view.
Legally, child prostitutes are both victims and criminals. According to the final report on the commercial exploitation of minors as put out by the Georgia senate research office the age of consent is sixteen for sexual activity and there is no minimum age for the offense of prostitution, as is the state law in Georgia and every other state in the country with the exception of Michigan. Here lies one of the big legal entanglements.
Special Agent, Joe Fonseca, is part of the violent crime squad in Atlanta and deals daily with children. He says that as law enforcement one of their big concerns is where these girls go after they serve their time as a criminal. Every girl who is involved in prostitution is considered a convicted felon since there is no minimum age. Since Atlanta lacks homes and care facilities for these women many often end up back on the streets and go without any attention or care. Fonseca says we must lobby for these mega corporations to stop sending their donations over seas and be reminded that we are struggling financially to care for victims in our own country.
Though these legal issues will take time to sort out, the citizens of Atlanta refuse to let their city become tainted and destroyed by the sex trafficking industry. Street GRACE is a non-profit organization whose mission is to mobilize churches and volunteers all over Atlanta. They realized the needs and Street GRACE simply is a tool to fill those needs. Amy Walters with Street GRACE said there is a supply and demand part of the issue; “the demand side is from a legislative standpoint and deals with educating law enforcement and begging them to ask themselves if there are laws that they can enforce.” The supply part deals with simply dispersing volunteers to different organizations around Atlanta trying to combat the issue.
One of those many organizations is Wellspring Living. According to their mission statement, “Wellspring Living exists to create restorative environments for victims of childhood trauma. Our vision is to see victims step out of their pain and begin to rebuild their lives.” Angel Dickers, director of program strategy, with Wellspring Living explains that they have a program specifically designed for girls that is strictly related to human trafficking. The girls that end up at Wellspring Living have been referred by the Department of Juvenile Justice or the Department of Family and Children Services. Dickers said, “the girls at Wellspring are from all different backgrounds and range in age.”
Dickers believes that there are a couple main issues Atlanta is facing while trying to combat the issue of human sex trafficking. Funding is the first. Perception about the victims is second; victim focused rather than perceived as a criminal. In a positive light Atlanta is aware of the issue and has a Mayor that is willing to do whatever it takes to end the sex trafficking industry.
Walters with Street GRACE says, “you don’t have to be an undercover agent or even a therapist to support the movement. Someone who says, ‘I am a good envelope stuffer’ is just as needed.” Spreading the word and raising awareness is the key factor in making the change. Let the conversations begin and watch the statistics decline.
Great article, Emily. Sad to know this is happening so close to home.
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