First Lady Marty Kemp announced a partnership with leaders of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Georgia and the Georgia Beer Wholesalers Association to help end sex trafficking in Georgia.
Through the partnership, wholesaler delivery vehicles will be fitted with bumper stickers that read “See Something. Say Something. End Sex Trafficking in Georgia.” along with the national anti-human trafficking hotline 1-888-373-7888. In the coming months, Georgia wholesalers and their staffs will also complete the Human Trafficking Awareness Training Program created by First Lady Kemp and the Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion, and Education (GRACE) Commission.
“While we are making progress in the fight against human trafficking, there is much more work to be done,” said First Lady Marty Kemp. “I am grateful for the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Georgia and Georgia Beer Wholesalers Association for joining us in this fight and raising awareness across the state. This partnership will help identify victims and get them the support they so desperately need.”
The wholesaler delivery network is comprised of over 500 delivery vehicles that visit more than 20,000 businesses each day, delivering adult beverages in each of Georgia’s 159 counties. Many of these delivery vehicles are often in higher density commercial areas where higher instances of sex trafficking occur. With stickers attached, these vehicles will become moving billboards to help raise awareness and promote action against sex trafficking.
The GRACE Commission’s Human Trafficking Awareness Training will also give wholesaler employees the tools they need to identify potential trafficking situations and alert the proper authorities. Human trafficking is often a crime hidden in plain sight, so raising awareness is an essential step to bringing criminals to justice and survivors to safety. By completing this program, wholesaler employees will join the nearly 58,000 state employees who are already trained. The thirty-minute course is available to all Georgia citizens and can be accessed at this link: Georgia Human Trafficking Awareness Training.
“Sex trafficking is modern human slavery, and we are excited to join the fight to hopefully end it once and for all,” said KC Honeyman, Executive Director of the Wine & Spirit Wholesalers of Georgia. “Our delivery fleets span all 159 of Georgia’s counties and frequently service high traffic commercial areas where sex trafficking is often suspected. I cannot thank First Lady Kemp enough for her dedicated effort to end this evil industry.”
“Georgia’s Wholesalers are committed to help end human trafficking and are proud of the leadership First Lady Kemp has taken on this effort,” said Martin Smith, Executive Director of the Georgia Beer Wholesaler Association. “Our trucks are moving billboards seen in every part of Georgia. There is no doubt that the training, awareness, and advocacy spearheaded by First Lady Kemp are saving lives. We feel privileged to be a part of this important project.”
About the GRACE Commission
First Lady Kemp formed the Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion, and Education Commission (GRACE) in 2019 to combat the threat of human trafficking in the State of Georgia. GRACE is comprised of public officials, law enforcement, for-profit and non-profit organizations, faith-based institutions, and subject matter experts to tackle human trafficking, seek justice for victims, and hold bad actors accountable.
About Georgia’s Wholesalers
The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Georgia and the Beer Wholesalers Association are nonprofit organizations that represent beer, wine, and spirit wholesalers throughout the Peach State. The wholesaler network supports small and large business in Georgia’s retail, event, and restaurant industries by providing the safe, secure delivery of Georgia’s favorite adult beverages. More than 4,000 employees comprise the wholesaler’s network which operate in all of Georgia’s 159 counties.
