Georgia’s First Lady Marty Kemp has taken on the cause of fighting human trafficking, and she spoke about those efforts at Friday’s meeting of the Newnan Rotary Club.
Georgia is among the top 10 states with the worst human trafficking problem.
Kemp spoke about ways the public can educate themselves to recognize and prevent human trafficking, the state’s efforts to take care of victims and help them move on in life, and laws that have been changed – and changes that are needed – to improve prosecution and punishment of human traffickers.
Kemp said that shortly after her husband, Brian Kemp, took office as Georgia’s governor, they went to a press conference on human trafficking. At the press conference were 72 school buses representing 3,600 victims of human trafficking in Georgia. “We had been traveling around the state for 2 ½ years, and we had not heard anything about this,” she said.
“I decided then and there I would use my voice as first lady to raise awareness to fight human trafficking in Georgia and to put every ounce of effort that I have into making Georgia a haven for survivors of this terrible crime and also make it clear to traffickers that they are not welcome in the Peach State,” she said.
That spring, the GRACE Commission – Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion and Education – was created to combat human trafficking. There were a lot of organizations and people working on human trafficking, “but we needed everybody on the same team,” Kemp said.
The state has a 30-minute online training session that Kemp urged everyone to take to help identify the signs of human trafficking. It is at https://doas.ga.gov/human-resources-administration/human-trafficking-awareness .
Human trafficking is not an easy topic to talk about, “but the more light we shine on this evil industry, the more lives we can save,” Kemp said.
She often gets people who ask how they can help.
“First, you can take our 30 minute training,” Kemp said. “This training is crucial in our effort, because the more eyes and ears out there knowing what to look for is going to be the most helpful. You can save someone’s life,” she said.
Also – talk to those in your circle about taking the training. “Word of mouth goes a long way,” she said. “Never be afraid to call the police. If you’re wrong, it’s OK. If you’re right, you might save someone’s life.”
Since Kemp began working on the issue, the state has passed six pieces of legislation to help combat human trafficking – and all of them passed the legislature unanimously, she said.
One law makes it easier for survivors of human trafficking to change their names so they can move on with their lives. Normally, a name change requires placing a legal advertisement in the local newspaper – and that’s not helpful for victims who is trying to hide from their traffickers.
Another law gives victims the ability to sue those who profited off them. And survivors can have their criminal records sealed, which can help them get jobs, rent homes and get back to a normal life.
The state has implemented tougher laws to punish the perpetrators. Someone caught using a commercial vehicle to engage in human trafficking can lose their commercial drivers license for life. “Not just a warning – but for life,” Kemp said.
Georgia’s laws also make some types of pimping a felony, and make any second offense of pimping a felony.
There is a current proposal to create a new gang unit in the Georgia Attorney General’s office and to provide extra resources there, Kemp said, and there is work on a bill that would add human trafficking to the list of charges that a superior court judge must set bail for.
Kemp said she wanted to give a shout out to Attorney Chris Carr and his team. “They are making a world of difference.”
When it comes to prosecuting traffickers, many times the victims don’t want to come to court and testify. And that means the traffickers won’t be convicted. Kemp said she thinks there has to be a better way.
Kemp said the state’s fight against human trafficking has a “survivor first” agenda, and is working with stakeholders to ensure all victims have a physical place with wraparound services to help them.
The state will be opening its second receiving facility for human trafficking victims this summer. “We need a lot more of them, but it’s off to a good start,” Kemp said.
The facilities fill up quickly. “Which is a humbling and constant reminder,” she said. The first facility opened a few years ago and has eight beds. The new one will have 24 beds.
Before those facilities were opened, victims would often be taken to jails.
Statistics show that human trafficking is in 146 to Georgia’s 159 counties. But Kemp said she thinks it is in all 159.
She was asked what exactly happens in human trafficking. Victims are groomed, often through social media. “People will promise them a job, promise them a modeling job,” she said. “And usually, if it sounds too good to be true, it is. I would encourage parents to talk to their kids, boys and girls. Just to be careful and be safe. And ask questions. Because once they’re taken into ‘ the life,’ they are drugged; they don’t know where they are.”
Sometimes, the victim will think the pimp is in love with them – is her boyfriend, but “then they start selling them.” Some traffickers have houses of prostitution set up with a woman who runs the house.
She said she heard a story of a girl and her boyfriend who got in a fight and he kicked her out of the car. An older man picked her up and as soon as she got in the car, he jabbed her with a syringe of heroin. “And she woke up and didn’t know where she was,” Kemp said.
Anyone can be a victim, Kemp said. “We’re trying to give them an option to get out.”
Law enforcement is on the forefront of recognizing the situations.
“We help everybody understand they’re not just prostitutes and drug addicts. That’s what it looks like. Their pimps are making them do that, making them steal, making them commit all these crimes,” she said.
Once the traffickers get their victims, “they threaten to kill your family if you say anything,” Kemp said.
The training will teach people what to look for. “These people are functioning in our daily lives in every community,” Kemp said.
