Georgia ranks number 6 for sex trafficking; Savannah a hotspot

January is National Slavery and Sex Trafficking awareness month and Georgia is one of the states that has the highest number of cases. While it is a crime that most of us may never see or know is happening, Savannah, GA is a hot spot for this crime because of the main highways. Officials say Savannah is a sex trafficking city because it is a coastal city as well as a port city.

Gena Taylor says she knows of many child sex trafficking cases.

"A couple of years ago, one young lady had an argument with her mother in the mall and there was a pimp nearby that witnessed that and he went up to her and said 'why don't you come live with me .I'll take care of you," says Taylor.

Taylor says people come in and out visiting the city and people would be surprised that we see more human trafficking cases than none.

In 2017, Georgia  had 3,186 sex trafficking cases that were reported according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

Taylor says sex trafficking can happen anywhere. She says it can happen where young people hang out, bus stations, restaurants and even schools.

Out of the 50 states in the United States, Georgia ranks in as number six with human trafficking cases reported.

Taylor also says that it is even more shocking that pimps use minors already in the sex trafficking industry as their bait to recruit other minors into the sex trafficking ring, which is also something to look out for.

"Know that it is a problem in our area and know that the FBI is heavily involved and this is one of our priorities...catching these pimps who are recruiting these children." Taylor says.

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