Sunday Conversation: Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp talks about human trafficking, mental health and more

ATLANTA (WRBL) — Human trafficking is a problem – across the country and right here in Georgia.

WRBL’s Chuck Williams recently sat down with First Lady Marty Kemp to talk about human trafficking.

“I want harsher penalties on the traffickers themselves, but I also want to get help for the victims because they deserve that,” Kemp said in the exclusive interview.

Marty Kemp has spent more than five years fighting human trafficking in the state.

The state is attacking it from the governor’s office through awareness and legislation. And from the attorney general’s office through prosecution.

SUNDAY CONVERSATION, PART 1

SUNDAY CONVERSATION, PART 2

She has come at it from the bully pulpit that is the governor’s office – forming the Grace Commission and pushing for new laws to help prosecutors target those trafficking children, many times for sexual purposes.

“The problem is huge — it’s very big,” she said. “I think it goes on with all sporting events, all different events going on. And I’m excited about the events that are coming to Georgia. But also look at Brian and go, ‘You know, they’re going bring some human are a lot of human trafficking here.’”

The spotlight she and Grace Commission have put on human trafficking is critical to addressing the issue.

“I think with the awareness and the education that we put out there that makes people know that it’s going on, they recognize it,” she said. “They know where to report it. Now, if you take our 30-minute training on the governor’s website under the Grace Commission, you can learn things to look for and you can be a citizen in Georgia that can save a life. I mean, how great would that be? How would make you feel to save someone’s life?”

Attorney General Chris Carr says the attention brought to human trafficking from the top office in the state is helping bring much-needed attention to the matter.

“I have said so many times when governors and first ladies make issues issues, it matters,” Carr said. “And to have the First Lady before they even took office and the governor taking about human trafficking, putting together the Grace Commission, which is critically important because it’s like with so many other things you can’t prosecute your way out of a problem. You have got to have restoration opportunities for those who are victims and are survivors. You have to educate the community on what the red flags may be so we can prevent a child from ever being taken advantage of to begin with. You have got to change legislation. And then you have to be able to prosecute the criminal. And she’s been at the center of all that.”

Hannah Palmquist is the prosecutor that leads the unit that worked on 129 rescues last year, began prosecution on 81 cases and secured 29 convictions across Georgia.

The numbers may seem small, but the problem isn’t.

“We always say that one child trafficked is one child too many,” Palmquist said. “It’s a difficult problem to quantify because it is so underreported.”

So, what does a victim of human trafficking look like or act life?

“Victims of human trafficking may not act like victims.” Palmquist told WRBL. “They may not be actively trying to escape their trafficker.  So we first need to understand we’re not looking for a child who’s calling out for help trying to run away.  The signs are going to be more subtle than that.  What you’re looking for is someone who appears to be under the psychological control of their trafficker.  You may have someone who’s younger than the person they’re with, but they’re not related to one another. They may be uncomfortable making eye contact with the people around them or answering questions directly. When we first interact with people and we see signs of human trafficking. What we often notice is that when we engage with a potential victim, they often look to their trafficker to ask how to answer questions rather than answering them directly.”

The First Lady says the human trafficking problem is fueled by the demand.

“Probably the biggest issue to me is why do we have the demand for it,” Kemp said. “That’s what keeps me up at night. It really is sad. I think we have to talk about it and we have to educate these young people to let them know they don’t need to fall into these situations. If it sounds like a good deal, it is probably too good to be true. So, be careful and talk to your parents. And parents need to talk to their kids. It is hard to have those hard conversations. But we owe it to our children.”

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