State, Local Leaders Vow to Stop Child, Sex Trafficking

While state legislators are tackling bills that would increase penalties for those convicted of sexually abusing children, Brookhaven leaders have pledged to fight child sex trafficking in their community.

Earlier this week, the city of Brookhaven became the first in the state to pledge doing everything in its power to stop child sex trafficking, according to the Dunwoody Crier.

The Georgia Senate sent two proposals to the House this week that would amend the state’s Constitution with harsher punishments for criminals convicted of sexually abusing children.

Both proposals were sponsored by Senator Renee Unterman, according to GPB News, and passed Thursday.

If passed, the amendment to the Constitution would ask voters to create new guidelines for additional punishments and fees on those who are convicted of sexually abusing children, the news outlet reports. The amendment would also fund programs and treatment for those who have been sex trafficked and abused.

At the local level, Brookhaven Mayor J. Max Davis, City Council members Rebecca Chase Williams, Joe Gebbia and Bates Mattison, along with Police Chief Gary Yandura, signed the “Not Buying It” pledge to become part of the Georgia Task Force on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, the Crier reports.

“As mayor of Brookhaven and a father of three, it is important for me to lead the charge and advocate for the protection of our children,” Davis told the Dunwoody Crier. “With this pledge, Brookhaven commits to help educate our city about the true dangers of child sexual exploitation and how we can all work to stop this horrible problem.”

A recent study conducted by Washington D.C.’s Urban Institute for the U.S. Justice Department, found Atlanta had the country’s largest sex trade between 2003 and 2007, Patch previously reported.

“Atlanta went from $232 million to $290 million over that five-year span,” Meredith Dank, the lead author for the report, told WSB Radio. As a comparison, $290 million is more than the revenue generated by metro Atlanta’s illegal drug and gun trade combined.

Dank says the high volume of sex trafficking is in large due to the many events and conventions held in Atlanta that bring people to town with lots of time and money. Some escorts charge over $1,000 an hour.

The proposals created by the Senate must pass the General Assembly with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers to become law, according to GPB News.

-- Patch file photo.