ATLANTA, Ga. - Atlanta’s mayor and airport officials held their annual news conference addressing human trafficking awareness at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Thursday morning.

In Georgia, more than 370 girls are trafficked each month. The average age of a human trafficking victim in Georgia is 14.8 years old. However, human trafficking affects all genders, all ages, and all social and economic groups.

Highlighting the problem, two people were arrested just Wednesday for allegedly trafficking a 15-year-old girl in Georgia. Griffin police said their investigators, along with their SWAT unit and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, executed a search warrant in the 200 block of North Fifth Street, where they found a 15-year-old runaway who was allegedly a victim of sex crimes and was being drugged.

ALSO IN THE NEWS

Human trafficking: State agency launches training

1. In observation of Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the Georgia Department of Public Health is launching voluntary training for EMS personnel on how to identify potential victims of human trafficking.
2. “This training offers EMS providers an opportunity to deepen their understanding of human trafficking, gain insight into relevant laws, and enhance their ability to support victims in their most vulnerable moments,” said Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D.

Bishop Donna Hubbard is a survivor of human trafficking. She now supports a nonprofit ministry Woman at the Well.

“Traffickers don’t see mothers, daughters, sisters. They see ways of making money and why you can sell a knockoff Louis Vuitton bag one time, but you can sell a human being over and over and over again,” said Hubbard.

The news conference comes a day after the governor’s office introduced its 10th bill strengthening punishments against human traffickers and buyers in Georgia. SB 42 would repeal some penalty provisions for those accused of prostitution, pimping and pandering.

In a statement, the governor’s office said Georgia’s human trafficking statute against minors is too similar to the one that outlaws offering minors for prostitution.

The new bill from Kemp is his 10th aimed at cracking down on human traffickers and buyers in the state while making Georgia a safe haven for victims.

Championed by first lady Marty Kemp, SB 42 closes a critical loophole in Georgia law and ensures traffickers face the full penalty that their crimes demand.

Currently, the conduct prohibited by Georgia’s human trafficking statute against minors is classified more like pimping. The proposed new law would change that.

In 2023, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said the state’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit investigated 81 cases and rescued 129 victims.

To report suspected human trafficking in Georgia, call the statewide 24-hour human trafficking Hotline at 866-363-4842. If you have reason to believe that a victim is in imminent danger, call 911 or your local law enforcement agency to file a report.

Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.