Sex traffickers will target Atlanta area during the championship game, officials warn

As thousands of people converge in Atlanta to watch the historic College Football Championship match between the University of Georgia Bulldogs and the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, officials are urging spectators to be aware that sex traffickers "will target" the city during the game.

“Sex traffickers are despicable people, and they use events like the National Championship game to ply their trade,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak in a news release.

“These types of events draw large crowds of revelers, and sex traffickers often seek to exploit these types of opportunities. We need everyone’s help in identifying those being trafficked for sex, and in bringing the traffickers to justice.”

Atlanta is seen as a hotbed for human trafficking even without major events. According to a fact sheet from the Center for Public Policy Studies, about 65 percent of men who buy sex with young girls do so around suburban or metro Atlanta. Many do so near the airport.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said most people who are being trafficked are homeless, runaway, or abandoned children, but the could also be more generally at-risk individuals, such as those suffering from abuse or drug dependency. Some are from other countries, particularly impoverished nations.

Here are some things that may indicate someone is being held against their will and trafficked, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office:

• They do not hold their own identity or travel documents
• They appear to suffer from verbal or psychological abuse designed to intimidate, degrade and frighten the individual
• They have a trafficker or pimp who controls all their money – the victim will have very little or no pocket money
• They are extremely nervous, especially if the victim’s “translator” is their trafficker
• They are not allowed to move about by themselves and have little understanding of where they are.
  
  

"In short, if you believe it might be, tell someone," the office wrote. "The penalties for sex-trafficking are substantial, but can only be enforced with the help of aware citizens."

Sex trafficking has become a focus for law enforcement over the past several years throughout Georgia and the nation at large, and with January proclaimed National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the Department of Defense is publicizing its efforts to train people to spot victims.

If you see something suspicious or want to report a potential sex-trafficking incident, call the FBI at (770) 216-3000.

This story was originally published January 7, 2018 at 12:15 PM with the headline "Sex traffickers will target Atlanta area during the championship game, officials warn."