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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will host a special session on human trafficking for parents and youth on Sunday, February 18 at First Baptist Church in Thomaston.
According to organizers, human trafficking is the second largest and fastest growing organized crime in the world.
Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked around the world—including in the United States.
Traffickers may use methods such as violence, manipulation, and false promises of well-paying jobs and/or romantic relationships to lure victims into trafficking.
Language barriers, fear of traffickers and/or fear of law enforcement often prevent victims from seeking help, making human trafficking a “hidden crime.”
Traffickers reportedly seek out people who are easy targets for a variety of reasons, including psychological or emotional vulnerability, financial hardship, lack of social safety nets, natural disasters, and political instability.
The event will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and will feature speakers from the GBI’s Human Exploitation and Human Trafficking Unit and Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit.
Following Ryan Hilton from the GBI HEAT Division, adults, middle school students, and high school students will each participate in separate sessions on cybersecurity.
The meeting was sponsored by the FBC, GBI, Thomaston Police Department and Upson County Sheriff’s Office.
The GBI HEAT Division focuses on the enforcement of commercial sex and labor trafficking, as well as the safe recovery of trafficking victims. The GBI said the HEAT unit is composed of special agents who investigate human trafficking and work closely with state, local and federal partners to address the problem in a victim-centered, multidisciplinary and collaborative manner.
The FBI named Atlanta one of 14 cities with unusually high rates of human trafficking. The GBI said the problem is not limited to Atlanta, adding, “Human trafficking occurs in every corner of Georgia.”
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