Atlanta ramps up human trafficking awareness ahead of FIFA World Cup with “It’s a Penalty” campaign
By Brian Unger
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ATLANTA, Georgia (WUPA) — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security calls it the fastest-growing criminal enterprise in the world: human trafficking — the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit people for forced labor or commercial sex. And with FIFA Men’s World Cup matches just one week away in Atlanta, city leaders are pushing for heightened awareness and training for the frontline workers most likely to encounter it.
To ensure this message reaches those most at risk, the global awareness campaign “It’s a Penalty” is partnering with city leaders, equipping residents and workers to better identify trafficking.
“We’ve heard from survivors themselves that we’ve worked with that they have been trafficked during these events,” said Dana Hoyes of It’s a Penalty. “It’s in hotels and also rental property — just any place that people can have privacy behind closed doors.”
As part of these heightened prevention efforts, hotels like the InterContinental in Buckhead, part of IHG’s 7,000-hotel global portfolio, are expanding employee training—preparing staff who may be the first to notice something is wrong.
“It’s going to be your front desk agents that are checking in guests,” said Helena Killingsworth of IHG Hotels & Resorts. “It’s going to be your housekeepers that are in and out of the rooms, noticing what’s going on, the traffic that’s coming in. It could be your banquet server, delivering in-room dining.”
This training is especially significant in Atlanta, where IHG operates 70 hotels. Designed in part by trafficking survivors, the program reinforces Killingsworth’s approach: “It’s all about see something, say something.”
Mayor Andre Dickens has made anti-trafficking efforts a city-wide priority. Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp has made it a personal cause, pushing for tougher punishments for traffickers.
“We will find you, and you will face justice,” Kemp said at a recent press event for It’s a Penalty at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, referencing multiple pieces of legislation she spearheaded and that were passed by the legislature to stiffen penalties faced by traffickers in Georgia.
For those most vulnerable to traffickers, the crisis extends beyond policies—it’s deeply personal.
Christian Hall says he’s in a good place now. But for much of his life, he wasn’t. In and out of foster care, with no home, no food, and no family, Hall at one point slept in the offices of the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services.
“I was sleeping on the floor,” he said. “Did not have adequate food. Did not have adequate support. It was a very scary time for me.”
Hall is now a resident at Covenant House in Atlanta, where he’s found something that eluded him for most of his 21 years: choices.
“There were times when I felt like I needed to do things outside the norm,” he said. “You’re kind of faced with the question you ask yourself — if I do this, will it make my situation worse?”
Advocates say the uptick in attention is important, but caution that the reality of trafficking stretches far beyond a single tournament or event.
“Large sporting events bring attention to trafficking,” said LaToya McCall of Covenant House Georgia. “However, the work we’re doing at Covenant House Georgia — and the young people in Atlanta — they’re actually more vulnerable to trafficking every single day.”
For 26 years, Covenant House has been on the front lines of that daily fight. For Christian Hall, something as simple as a bed, a meal, and a safe place to sleep has made all the difference.
“Now I’m a student at Atlanta Technical College,” he said. “So I’m taking classes.”
Hall says he’ll eventually attend a 4-year college, maybe even go to law school, to advocate for vulnerable people.
If you believe someone is the victim of human trafficking, call the police or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
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