Georgia Expands Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit with New Funding for Augusta and Macon
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, joined by Governor Brian Kemp, First Lady Marty Kemp, and legislative partners, celebrated the signing of the AFY 25 budget, which includes additional funds to expand the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. This expansion will introduce new regional prosecutors and investigators in Augusta and Macon, enhancing the state’s ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking.
Governor Kemp included the funding in his initial budget proposal for 2025, which was passed by the General Assembly. “From successful prosecutions to live-saving recoveries, we have created an environment in Georgia where traffickers live in fear and victims know that help is on the way,” Carr said during the signing.
The Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit was established in 2019 with the support of Governor Kemp, First Lady Kemp, and state leaders. Since its inception, the Unit has secured over 50 convictions and rescued nearly 200 children.
Notable cases include the conviction of a Fulton County hotel clerk for assisting in the trafficking of an underage female, marking Georgia’s first such case. Other significant successes involve the convictions of traffickers in cases involving a 16-year-old girl from South Carolina, gang members in Dougherty County, and a 17-year-old recovered from a hotel in Fulton County.
The Unit’s recent indictments include the trafficking of a 13-year-old in Houston County and a case involving the trafficking of a disabled adult in Clayton County.
The expansion of the Unit, which follows the success of Carr’s Gang Prosecution Unit, aims to increase the reach and impact of prosecutions across the state. Since its creation, the Gang Prosecution Unit has seized significant amounts of fentanyl in Richmond County and obtained a 333-count gang indictment charging 30 individuals.
In addition to its prosecutions, the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has provided training to law enforcement, victim advocates, and community organizations. In 2024 alone, the Unit conducted 45 training sessions.
Georgia residents are encouraged to participate in First Lady Marty Kemp’s Human Trafficking Awareness Training, available online for free, as part of the state’s comprehensive efforts to combat human trafficking.
Reporting Information
To report suspected human trafficking in Georgia, call the Statewide 24-Hour Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-866-ENDHTGA (1-866-363-4842). If you have reason to believe that a victim is in imminent danger, call 911 or your local law enforcement agency to file a report. For more information on how to get help for both national and foreign-born victims of human trafficking, visit www.endhtga.org.
