Georgia – Georgia’s fight against human trafficking gains new momentum as Attorney General Chris Carr announced the expansion of the state’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. This strategic step brings new investigators and regional prosecutors into Augusta and Macon, therefore greatly bolstering the state’s ability to handle this important problem. The expansion is supported by Governor Brian Kemp, First Lady Marty Kemp, and the Georgia General Assembly, emphasizing a unified state effort.
These additional posts were funded from the newly enacted AFY 25 budget, which shows the state’s ongoing dedication to eradicate human trafficking. Including this money in Governor Kemp’s budget plan earlier in January and then passed by the General Assembly emphasizes his political will to address this pervasive issue.
“From successful prosecutions to life-saving recoveries, we have created an environment in Georgia where traffickers live in fear and victims know that help is on the way,” said Attorney General Carr.
He expressed appreciation to Governor Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp for their constant support for survivors and their attempts to give this subject priority from their first day in office.
Carr’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has contributed to the battle against human trafficking significantly since its founding in 2019. The group has obtained more than 50 convictions so far and has been crucial in helping around 200 children be saved.
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Notable successes of the unit include the prosecution of a hotel clerk who used his position to traffic an underage girl—the first case of its kind in Georgia—and the life sentence without parole of a man engaged in the trafficking of a 16-year-old from South Carolina.
Operating out of Atlanta and working closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to rescue victims and punish perpetrators across Georgia, the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit marks the first regional development in expansion into Augusta and Macon.
This expansion corresponds with the effective regional structure Carr’s Gang Prosecution Unit had developed. From its inception, this unit has accomplished incredible achievements like a thorough 333-count gang indictment and an important fentanyl seizure in Richmond County.
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Attorney General Carr’s office has evolved under his leadership, expanding from primarily civil to aggressively tackling criminal issues. Carr has developed Georgia’s first statewide Organized Retail Crime Unit in addition to the Human Trafficking and Gang Prosecution Units and keeps improving the White Collar and Cyber Crime Unit of the state.
First Lady Marty Kemp’s Human Trafficking Awareness Training is a free online tool meant to inform Georgia residents on the complex nature of human trafficking. The state also provides comprehensive assistance for both domestic and foreign-born victims and keeps a 24-hour Human Trafficking Hotline for suspicious cases to be reported.
Georgia positions itself as a state where human trafficking is relentlessly combated and where victims may get the support and justice they desperately need as these new units in Augusta and Macon get operational.
To request a training or meeting with the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, visit our website here.
For a comprehensive overview of human trafficking, Georgians are encouraged to take part in First Lady Marty Kemp’s Human Trafficking Awareness Training. The training is free and available online here.
