Survivors, local businesses collaborate at anti-human trafficking forum in Atlanta

ATLANTA (WUPA) – Survivors have joined forces with state and local agencies and businesses in the fight to end human trafficking.

Polaris and IHG Hotels and Resorts hosted an anti-human trafficking forum at the Kimpton Shane Hotel in Midtown Atlanta on Wednesday, in order to collaborate on solutions.

“Today, we had survivors who are leaders in the anti-trafficking movement speaking about their own experiences, but also challenging businesses to do much more, and I think that the greatest thing that we heard was the need to hire survivors,” said Polaris CEO Catherine Chen.

Survivors shared how businesses can help by removing the barriers they often face in the workplace and when applying for jobs.

“I spent most of my teenaged years in foster care, and that created vulnerabilities that lured me into human trafficking,” said one survivor, Keisha Head. “To see corporate companies come on board to really systemically address the issue of human trafficking, it's an honor to see that.”

Nikki Clifton, president of Social Impact and The UPS Foundation, welcomed the feedback.

“It was really just an honor to be able to hear from the survivors and hear them talk to us about how the business community can help make our spaces more inclusive,” she said.

Clifton also recommended several ways businesses can combat human trafficking.

“Have a policy in place that prohibits human trafficking,” she said, explaining how training and educating workers, as well as creating more partnerships, are also key solutions. “It's something that the public and everyday people can do right now, by creating awareness, by understanding that it's an issue that's all around us.”

At the forum, Polaris released the findings of its first-ever National Survivor Study. The data points listed below are based on the responses provided by 457 survivors.

• Prior to their trafficking, survivors reported experiencing vulnerabilities at alarmingly high rates, including 83% having experienced poverty and 96% having suffered abuse (physical, sexual, emotional).
• At time of exit, 75% of respondents reported support in accessing behavioral or mental health services as one of their top needs.
• Survivors' income lags the rest of the population, with 43% of respondents making under $25,000 per year after exiting trafficking, compared to 26% of the general U.S. population.
• Traffickers often exploit victims through misuse of their identity for various financial schemes and over 60% of respondents reported experiencing financial abuse by their trafficker.
• 62% of survivors stated they had been detained cited and arrested, and of those, 80% said this happened at least sometime during their trafficking situation. Also, of those arrested, 71% had criminal records.

Georgia ranks among the top states for human trafficking. First Lady Marty Kemp discussed her efforts to combat human trafficking through the GRACE Commission.

“Faced with the grim reality that trafficking was present in every county of Georgia, we immediately set out to enact legislation and undertake initiatives that would move the needle,” she said, referencing seven pieces of legislation passed by state lawmakers over the last four years.

While at the forum, Kemp also released a statement that said, “In Georgia, we have made great strides in the fight against human trafficking by empowering law enforcement to pursue offenders and creating new avenues of support for survivors. As we see in this report, there is still more work to be done. We are continuing to raise awareness of human trafficking and find ways to provide survivors the resources they need on their paths to recovery.”

Chen says organizers are also pushing for federal legislation that will mirror Georgia's efforts in combatting human trafficking.