Georgia appears to be rooted in the vulnerabilities of victimized youth . Exploiters recognize children who need basic material staples for survival and emotional security when they run from their homes . They then buy and sell children ’ s bodies through empty promises , grooming , coercion , and violence . Gangs simply prey upon the same vulnerabilities and buy and sell children just as they buy and sell drugs and guns . They recognize that selling children for sexual contact can be more lucrative as they can sell the same child repeatedly . In fact , due to the violence and coercion , the sale of children brings less risk to the exploiter than the sale of guns and drugs . Sexual abuse and exploitation are born out of silence and shame .”
to expand our focus and offer this innovative training opportunity to our members ”.
If you have questions about the new Human Trafficking Certification offered by the Georgia Gang Association , please contact Ray Ham at
ray . ham @ djj . state . ga . gov . If you would like more information on the Georgia Coalition to Combat Human Trafficking , please contact Victor Williams at
victor . williams @ cjcc . ga . gov . Amy Hutsell can be reached at amy . hutsell @ cjcc . ga . gov .
What can we do about it ?
To ensure the safety of our communities and increase the arrest and prosecution rates of gang related human trafficking , we must first increase awareness and improve training opportunities . The Georgia Coalition to Combat Human Trafficking is a CJCC and GBI lead statewide law enforcement-based task force . The Coalition has partnered with the Georgia Gang Investigators Association ( GGIA ) to enhance the educational opportunities available to law enforcement across the state . One such opportunity is GGIA ’ s new certification in Human Trafficking Investigations that will be available to GGIA members and launched at its 2021 summer conference in Savannah . Ray Ham is the Education Director at the GGIA and has said , “ it is important that we as gang investigators begin to understand the prevalence and complexities associated with human trafficking within Georgia gangs . We are excited
Amy Hutsell has over 15 years ’ experience in sexual assault and child sexual abuse services . She currently is the Program Director for the Sexual Assault , Child Abuse and Human Trafficking Unit with Georgia ’ s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council . She and her team have written grants that have resulted in over $ 10,000,000 in federal assistance to Georgia . She also oversees Georgia ’ s Sexual Assault Response Team ( SART ) as well as chairs the State ’ s Sexual Assault Kit ( SAK ) workgroup and the
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