Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Claire Murray
and Office of Justice Programs Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General
Katharine T. Sullivan today joined Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp in announcing
awards of almost $153 million to fight crime and improve community safety in
Georgia. Nearly $4.3 million will help law enforcement officials and victim
service providers in the state investigate and prosecute human traffickers and
aid human trafficking survivors. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of
Georgia Byung J. “BJay” Pak, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia
Charlie Peeler and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr also participated in the
announcement.
“Human trafficking is a cruel and barbaric practice that
calls to mind the darkest moments of our history, and sadly it has left its
mark on the communities of Georgia,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney
General Murray. “Under the direction of Attorney General Barr, the Department
of Justice is putting the full weight of its resources behind the brave men and
women of the state who are fighting trafficking perpetrators and bringing
relief to victims. We commend these courageous and compassionate professionals
and are proud to lend them our full support.”
“Human trafficking is an obscene violation of human rights
and human dignity, affecting millions of people worldwide, countless victims in
this country and hundreds if not thousands of men, women and children right
here in Georgia,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Sullivan.
“We are so grateful to the law enforcement officers who pursue these vicious
criminals and to the dedicated service providers who work around the clock to
get survivors the help they so desperately need and deserve.”
Department officials and First Lady Kemp made the
announcement at a press event alongside law enforcement officials,
anti-trafficking advocates and members of the Georgia Criminal Justice
Coordinating Council. Georgia’s leaders have concentrated the state’s resources
on fighting human trafficking, establishing a Human Trafficking Prosecution
Unit in the Georgia Department of Law. First Lady Kemp co-chairs the Georgians
for Refuge, Action, Compassion and Education, or GRACE, Commission, a task
force of public officials, law enforcement and health care professionals,
for-profit and non-profit organizations and subject matter experts dedicated to
combating human trafficking in Georgia.
Many trafficking victims in Georgia are teenagers who are
sexually exploited. Of the 375 cases reported from the state to the National
Human Trafficking Hotline last year, most involved sex trafficking and almost a
quarter involved a minor. During an FBI-led, month-long, nationwide operation
focused on recovering child victims of sex trafficking, known as Operation
Independence Day, the FBI, in cooperation with 400 law enforcement agencies,
identified and/or recovered more than 100 child victims of sex trafficking,
including seven in Georgia. Law enforcement officials also arrested 67
suspected traffickers. Grantee organizations that received previous Justice
Department funding served 140 human trafficking clients in 2018.
The awards today support a range of activities designed to
bring sex and labor traffickers to justice and provide critical services to
victims. A grant to the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council will fund
a multidisciplinary task force composed of law enforcement agencies, including
the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and several victim service organizations.
Funds will also support direct victim services provided under the auspices of
the Georgia Coalition to Combat Human Trafficking. Other awards will help
ensure that children and minors who are victimized receive counseling, case
management and other critical services. Georgia Care Connection Office, Inc.;
Wellspring Living, Inc.; Tapestri, Inc.; and the Georgia Center for Child
Advocacy are among the grant recipients.
“Human and sex trafficking are not victimless crimes. These grants will go a long way in not just
furthering our prosecutorial efforts for these terrible crimes, but also in
providing much needed victim-centered services. Our office continues to be
fully committed to eradicating human trafficking within the Northern District
of Georgia,” said Byung J. “BJay” Pak, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District
of Georgia.
“In Georgia, the fight against human trafficking is a
coordinated effort of federal, state and local law enforcement and prosecuting
agencies working together to identify, arrest and prosecute those who choose to
engage in this horrific industry,” said U.S. Attorney for the Middle District
Charlie Peeler. “In the Middle District, we aggressively investigate and
prosecute cases where offenders prey on vulnerable citizens, taking advantage
of their age, their desire for love and affection, their financial status and
their addictions. I am confident that these federal dollars will provide
critical support to those who are dedicated to protecting victims and arresting
perpetrators, which will lead to the end of human trafficking in our state.”
“Human trafficking is a pervasive, growing threat plaguing
communities across our state and country,” said First Lady Kemp. “I applaud the
federal, state and local partners who are committed to healing victims, seeking
justice and holding bad actors accountable. By working together, we will end
this criminal enterprise – once and for all.”
“We thank the Department of Justice for making it possible
for us to continue and expand on our anti-trafficking efforts in Georgia,” said
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. “The resources announced today, will help
ensure more victims in Georgia get the support they need and help ensure that
our law enforcement officials have every tool at their disposal to put buyers
and traffickers behind bars where they belong.”
The remainder of the state’s awards cover a wide range of
criminal justice, juvenile justice and victim service activities. Grants will
support school safety initiatives, law enforcement hiring, services for domestic
violence and sexual assault victims, inmate reentry services, youth mentoring
and efforts to combat online child exploitation and manage sex offenders.
Awards were made by the three grant-making components of the Department of
Justice — OJP, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services and the
Office on Violence Against Women.
A full list of OJP awards, organized under specific grant
programs, is available online at
https://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/OJPAwardData.htm. For COPS awards, please visit
https://cops.usdoj.gov/grants. OVW awards can be found at
https://www.justice.gov/ovw/awards.
About the Office of Justice Programs:
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy
Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership,
grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the
nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the
rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems. More
information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
About the Office on Violence Against Women:
The Office on Violence Against Women provides leadership in
developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through the implementation
of the Violence Against Women Act and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995,
OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the
country that are developing programs, policies and practices aimed at ending
domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. In addition to
overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to
special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at
www.justice.gov/ovw.
About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for
advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has
invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants
awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to
fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide
a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and
technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please
visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
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