A Sex-Trafficking Case In Marietta
In a past DVM For Hope blog post, I wrote about sex trafficking in my home state of Georgia. Recently, Shared Hope International gave Georgia a grade of “B” in their Protected Innocence Challenge, meaning that the state has made great strides in the fight against sex trafficking. The news isn’t all good, though. Each month, around 12,400 men in Georgia purchase sex. Atlanta, the capital of Georgia, has a flourishing $290 million underground sex industry. Recently a spate of trafficking arrests in the Atlanta metro area have made the local news. One particular sex-trafficking case in Marietta, a northern suburb of Atlanta, is very illustrative of the problem in Georgia.
Why Is Sex Trafficking A Problem In Metro Atlanta?
According to Out of Darkness, the anti-trafficking ministry of the Atlanta Dream Center, Atlanta has at least two major factors that make the city attractive to sex traffickers. First, Atlanta sits at the confluence of three major interstates, giving the city six entry and exit points. Second, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is the world’s busiest airport. Traffickers like to move victims around to avoid law enforcement anti-trafficking efforts and would be rescuers, so Atlanta is a natural fit for them.
How Bad Is The Problem In Metro Atlanta?
As I noted above, Atlanta has a huge underground sex industry. According to the FBI, the city ranks as one of the top 14 cities for child sex trafficking. At least 100 adolescent girls are exploited nightly. Pimps in Atlanta are the highest paid in the nation, earning up to $32,000 a week! Unfortunately, Atlanta’s problems are not limited to the city limits.
A Sex-Trafficking Case In Marietta
The city of Marietta is about a 30 minute drive north of Atlanta on I-75. It is a beautiful city bordering a sprawling national park. Marietta, like most of metro Atlanta, has seen massive growth over the last 3 decades. With that growth, though, there has been an increase in the crime rate, including the crime of sex trafficking.
In August, 2018, four people were arrested by Marietta police for trafficking a 15 year-old girl for sex. The girl was held captive in a hotel room and sold for sex to “multiple men.” She was able to call 911, leading to the arrest of her traffickers, 2 men and 2 women, ranging in age from 17 to 26 years old. Like many trafficked girls, the victim in this case was a runaway who was kept prisoner by threats of violence. According to The Marietta Daily Journal:
She told investigators photos of her were posted online in escorting ads, and that three men came to room 211 of the motel to have sex with her on three occasions between Friday and Monday. Warrants indicate she was paid $80 for sex, money she then allegedly handed over to Thomas and White.
The perpetrators in the sex trafficking case in Marietta have been charged with multiple felonies related to trafficking in persons and pimping, among other crimes. Marietta police credit the victim for having the courage to call 911.
Lessons Learned From This Case
What lessons should the reader take away from the sex-trafficking case in Marietta? The most important is that sex trafficking is not confined to large cities. It goes on everywhere, including affluent suburbs. It is possibly happening in your neighborhood. Also, this case illustrates an important fact about pimps: they rarely look like they do in the movies. A pimp can be a middle-aged man or a friend at school. In the Marietta sex trafficking case, one of the perpetrators was a 17 year-old girl.
If you suspect someone is the victim of sex trafficking in Georgia, call the Out Of Darkness Hotline at (404)941-6024 or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1(888)373-7888.
Sources for Further Reading:
1. www.sharedhope.org
2. www.outofdarkness.org
3. Abusaid, Shaddi. “Marietta sex trafficking ring thwarted, police say.” Marietta Daily Journal, 21 August, 2018
4. Reed, Kristen et al. “15-year-old takes down Marietta sex trafficking operation.” 11Alive.com, 21 August, 2018
Author: Matthew J. Nelson
Matthew Nelson started DVM For Hope to educate people about human trafficking and other injustices. He volunteers with several anti-trafficking organizations, speaks about sex trafficking, and is active on social media as both a blogger and editor. By day he is a veterinarian.