January 28, 2019
Anna Bryan
Super Bowl 2019 will take place Sunday, February 3rd in Atlanta, Georgia. Everyone knows that Super Bowls are profitable for the NFL, the travel industry, and the hospitality industry. You know who else makes money off of the super bowl? Pimps. Human traffickers. They flock to Super Bowl locations to sell sex with women and children.
In 2017, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, based in Washington DC, launched a media campaign to bring awareness to the prevalence of human trafficking at large sporting events like the Super Bowl. The #TackleDemand hashtag brings attention to the fact that the industry is fueled by the demand for sex from sporting event attendees.
Here is a little good news about the Super Bowl taking place in Atlanta. The state of Georgia has stiffened penalties for human trafficking. There are heightened penalties for soliciting a minor person under the age of 18 years old. It's a felony and will land you in prison. Penalties for people who run human trafficking rings is steep including 5-20 years in prison and a fine of $2,500 to $10,000. If the victim is under 16 years old, the crime is a felony and punishable by 10-30 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. In Atlanta, numerous organizations will be on site to deter human trafficking using a key strategy of making the human trafficking hotline number visible. In addition, Uber Drivers, airline workers, and hotel employees are receiving training on how to spot human trafficking.
The Super Bowl is coming to Los Angeles, CA in 2022 and we are not prepared! Purchasing a woman or child for sex in CA is a misdemeanor. That means that men have very little consequence to purchasing sex from children. Even if they get caught, the punishment for purchasing a child for sex is a slap on the wrist. Global Hope 365 is working around the clock to bring awareness to this law that allows men to pay for sex with little consequences. Each year Shared Hope International releases a report card grading the laws of each state on deterring the business of human trafficking. California’s human trafficking law provides provisions for prosecuting human traffickers.. However, paying for sex acts with a minor and benefiting financially from assisting or enabling sex trafficking are not punishable under the trafficking law, instead buyers of sex can be charged with “disorderly conduct.”
The “disorderly conduct” classification in California is a stark contrast from the felony in Georgia. Support Global Hope 365 as we build coalitions to deter human trafficking in California ahead of Super Bowl 2022.