Articles By : Beth Clymer
On most days of the year, the Georgia capitol building is swarming with activity. On February 1st, however, there is a sense of urgency and purpose not often seen among the usual visitors to the political center of the city. Community leaders, activists, students, and others are there to remind their legislators that throughout the state of Georgia, minors of both sexes are sexually exploited. Approximately 7200 Georgia men pay pimps to participate in sex acts with these youth, who are coerced and manipulated into performing. [1] In 2005, Atlanta was named by the FBI as among fourteen U.S. cities with the highest incidences of sex trafficking, and the latest research from the Governor’s office of families and children suggests that in Georgia alone, between 220 and 500 girls are commercially exploited each month. [2]
In December of 2011, Out of Darkness launched Atlanta’s first 24/7 rescue hotline. Trained volunteers take calls from and rescue women and girls who are seeking an escape from commercially exploitative circumstances. After retrieving a victim, Out of Darkness then coordinates with other organizations like Wellspring Living and Solomon House, which provide residential and non-residential rehabilitative treatment to victims of sex trafficking. The hotline serves victims of sex trafficking as well as concerned citizens, family, and friends.
The hotline, inherited from Princess Night (a ministry of Atlanta Dream Center), went live on December 19, 2011 as a non-vanity number: 404-941-6024. Because many victims call from phones that do not have lettered keypads (like hotel room phones and some payphones) and it may be safer for them to dial an inconspicuous number on a cell phone that lists call records, a non-vanity number was chosen as the best option.
An Out of Darkness representative explained that the organization plans to work alongside agencies like Polaris Project and Seattle Against Slavery to track call volume, demographics, and the locations of phone calls; however, rescue takes precedent over information gathering. The hotline is connected to four homes, three of which are dedicated to women exiting commercial sexual exploitation. Out of Darkness expects to add three more homes by February.
Currently, Out of Darkness is in its early stages. Its greatest needs from the community reflect the needs of the entire effort to end trafficking throughout the nation: donations and volunteers. The faith-based organization hopes to use donations to upgrade its free phone service to a more efficient commercial phone service and increase its office space to accommodate a growing corps of volunteers and interns. Volunteers – particularly male volunteers – from all geographical regions in Georgia are needed to participate in as many rescues as possible.
On January 27 and 28, Out of Darkness will host a volunteer training for those wanting to get involved. To learn more about Out of Darkness and find out how to volunteer, visit their website by clicking HERE.
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Out of Darkness Hotline: (404) 941-6024
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Human Trafficking Resource Hotline: 1-888-3737-888
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Georgia Care Connection: 404-602-0068
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Trafficking in Persons Task Force Complaint Line: 888-428-7581
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Dear John Human Trafficking Hotline: 404-379-3602
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Shared Hope Hotline: 866-HER-LIFE (866-437-5433)
Nicole of Radiant Cosmetics
Steen & Jessica of COLORS
We’ve heard it before: You can stand up and make a difference in the fight to end forced labor and prostitution, no matter who you are. Heck, we’ve said it! And we believe it.
Businesses can do it, too. Here, three entrepreneurs share the stories of how they use their businesses to raise awareness and funds for domestic and international victims of sex trafficking. Nicole Marett of Radiant Cosmetics and Steen Jones and Jessica Stewart of COLORS discuss how they got involved, how their businesses partner with nonprofit organizations, the unique challenges they’ve faced, and what drives them to overcome them.
Sex Trafficking is society’s problem. We all bear the burden of exploitation. We pay for the medical services that victims receive, if they’re lucky, after brutal violence leaves them in need of urgent care. Children who are the product of commercial rape or rape by pimps are often repeatedly cycled through foster systems. Traffickers are left untouched by the law while their stable of victims, many of them underage, are shuffled through the court system, sometimes multiple times, with the state footing the bill for their booking, holding, and legal fees.
Not only is trafficking our burden – it’s our great shame. Commercial Sexual Exploitation is one of many proverbial elephants in the room in the U.S – and it’s getting more and more difficult to ignore how entangled it is with our own society’s norms.
There are several universal factors that go into the existence of trafficking in different countries (for a list of risk factors, click here). One common thread: perpetrators around the world rely not only on the control they exert over their victims, but also depend on society to ignore it and even facilitate it. In order to effectively stop trafficking as a society, we must recognize the role that our own cultural influences and norms play in perpetuating it.
The discussion around human trafficking is all tangled up – it’s messy, muddled, and sometimes confusing. Terms are intermingled and exchanged for one another. Why? It’s a broad issue that encompasses many different factors. Lead Researcher of the Georgia Demand Study Dr. Alex Trouteaud commented that human trafficking is like “…a whole grocery store worth of items, and they aren’t even in the same department.” For a basic run down of human trafficking, check out Robyn Dooley’s blog, “Human Trafficking- what is it and does it exist?” This blog will not be defining what human trafficking is- instead, it will be defining what it’s not.
