#wellspringliving

            As Marissa brought up in her earlier post, it is easy to think of human tracking as an issue that has no direct significant impact on our lives if you aren’t aware of the issue. Much of the trafficking and exploitation coverage that dominates the media in the United States takes the form of stories from far away, international destinations. I do believe that this trend is changing, and people in the United States are becoming more aware of the burden of domestic sex trafficking. Marissa did an amazing job highlighting the multitude of forms and significance of trafficking issues in the U.S., and I couldn’t help but think about the following:

  What efforts are people and organizations putting forth to stop these practices and help the survivors of trafficking in my own “backyard” of Atlanta, GA?

  I found that there are quite a few Atlanta organizations working to advocate for the survivors of sex trafficking and for overall anti-trafficking initiatives. I’ll highlight a few organizations in my post today and share a more information on their anti-trafficking efforts in the state of Georgia.

  Here is a public services announcement video created by Georgia’s Not Buying It featuring famous Atlanta athletes (Harry Douglas of the Falcons, Devin Harris of the Hawks, and Tim Hudson of the Braves) speaking out against trafficking and individuals that buy sex from minors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqBoThjeuyk

  More information on Georgia’s Not Buying It can be found on the organization website at http://www.notbuyingit.org/. This organization exists for the purpose of showing that: “The Attorney General (of Georgia) is joining forces with law enforcement and non-profit advocates to take a stand against criminals who purchase sex from children.”  On the site you can take a pledge to “spread the word” about the seriousness of sex trafficking, as well as a tip line to report any knowledge of sex trafficking activities. (Tip Line: 888-373-7888)

  The pledge, on the Georgia’s Not Buying It website, reads as follows:

  Walk in Integrity by not purchasing sex.

Exhibit Courage by raising awareness, speaking out against DMST (Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking), and reversing today’s distorted perception of sex.

Leave a Legacy by mentoring the next generation to walk in integrity and exhibit the courage to eradicate DMST from the face of the earth.

  I found this pledge to be poignant, in that it directly addresses the criminals that engage in sexual relations with DMST survivors, and puts the responsibility on the public to speak out against the issues and raise awareness.

  Looking further into efforts in Atlanta to directly assist sex trafficking survivors, I came across the following quotation from an interview with Atlanta’s local CBS news station and Mary Frances Bowley, the founding of Wellspring Living, an organization in Atlanta dedicated to providing direct services to assist the survivors of trafficking. 

  "In Georgia, we know there's a range from 200-300 girls that are trafficked each month in our city. And tonight there will be 100 girls that will be exploited in metro Atlanta," Bowley said.  "So the numbers are huge." –Mary Frances Bowley

  Wellspring Living’s mission is “to confront the issue of childhood sexual abuse and exploitation through awareness, training, and treatment programs for women and girls.”  Located in Duluth, Wellspring Living provides safe housing, therapy, education, and life skills to DMST survivors. More info about specific initiatives can be found on their website: https://wellspringliving.org/

  These two organizations are by no means the only people working in Atlanta to raise the awareness of the human sex trafficking issues plaguing the state of Georgia. More to come will discuss the situation of human sex trafficking in Georgia during the course of our project.

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Reference:

Repado, Donna. “Human trafficking brutal and widespread in Georgia.” http://www.cbs46.com/story/24425994/human-trafficking-brutal-and-widespread-in-georgia. Published January 11th, 2014. Accessed April 6th, 2014.

  Relevant websites:

https://wellspringliving.org/

http://www.notbuyingit.org/