Today First Lady Marty Kemp joined the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council's (CJCC) Georgia Coalition to Combat Human Trafficking to announce the creation of a statewide anti-trafficking hotline at 1-866-ENDHTGA.

"The launch of this hotline is great news for our state," said First Lady Marty Kemp."It's going to allow all Georgians to play a critical role in advocating for those who are at risk and those who have been sexually exploited, increasing our capacity to address human trafficking in every community across the state."

This statewide hotline is a one-stop-shop to answer questions, receive timely assistance, and provide information to law enforcement, if there is suspicion of sexual or labor exploitation of minors or adults. Its launch coincides with the launch of a website for the Georgia Coalition to Combat Human Trafficking to provide useful tools and information on Georgia's response, improving collaboration across the state.

Any Georgian with information or suspicions of human trafficking should call the statewide hotline at 1-866-ENDHTGA. Trained law enforcement agents, advocates, and first responders are available 24/7 to answer calls.

"Georgia continues to lead in the fight against human trafficking," said Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Executive Director Jay Neal. "We must help Georgia’s most vulnerable – and this hotline provides every Georgian the ability to participate, ensuring access to needed services for any victim of trafficking. Coupled with the work of the Coalition to Combat Human Trafficking, this initiative will save lives."

CJCC is able to fund this effort through awards received from the Bureau of Justice Associate (BJA) and the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). BJA awarded CJCC $800,000 for the Coalition to Combat Human Trafficking to provide leadership, direction, and best practices in the response to all forms of human trafficking in Georgia. OVC awarded CJCC $900,000 to support direct services to all human trafficking victims. In collaboration with the coalition, through this OVC award, Tapestri serves foreign national victims of human trafficking, Wellspring Living provides services to adult victims, and the Child Advocacy Centers of Georgia provide services to minor victims.

"This hotline will be a direct link for anyone seeking help or to make a report to be connected to the correct resource," said Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vic Reynolds. "The coalition is taking a holistic approach to combatting the plague of human trafficking, and the GBI is proud to be a partner in that fight."