It is common knowledge that Atlanta’s airport is the hub of transportation. As the old saying goes, we have “planes, trains, and automobiles” bustling through the city almost every second of the day. Subsequently, sex trafficking has taken home in our city, and has been named one of the most populated trafficking locations in the world.
I chose this as my case study because of the noticeable, whether subconsciously or purposefully, lack of coverage.
Sex trafficking affects the margins of our population. It affects the people that are not cared about by politicians and common folk alike. They are the people that are hidden away. They are disguised in civilian attire, but are cloaked in captivity.
In January of 2018, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, addressed the humanitarian problem during a press conference at the airport. On the billboard behind her was a picture of activism being used to combat the problem: “Not for sale,” written with sharpie on a hand.
“Every year, thousands of children, women and men fall prey to the insidious practice.”
Mayor Bottoms discussed further how to identify people who are victims of sex trafficking. She urged listeners to take heed of the identifies and react accordingly by contacting law enforcement.
My case study will look into how Atlanta’s sex trafficking marginalized people are taken care of and how they are rescued. “Out of Darkness,” is an anti-trafficking group that is an Atlanta Dream Center affiliate. Their website lays out different avenues activists can make in joining the cause as well as taking action.
