The Rotary Club of Atlanta recently established a task force to take on the growing epidemic of human trafficking in Atlanta.
On March 28, 2018, CEOs of some of Atlanta’s largest companies congregated for a breakfast meeting at Delta Air Lines . During this meeting, chair of the club’s Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, Ted Blum, proposed a commitment of these major companies to a unified effort to fight human trafficking. These efforts ensure Atlanta citizens are informed of the epidemic, as well as how companies can come together and partner in the fight.
On June 6, 2018, the Rotary Club of Atlanta co-hosted the Anti-Human Trafficking Business Summit at the Loudermilk Center in Atlanta in partnership with Freedom United. During this powerful seminar, business leaders rallied together to discuss strategies to end the human trafficking epidemic. Spearheaded by Ted Blum and Freedom United CEO Joe Schmidt, this collaboration included representatives from nearly 50 Atlanta-based organizations and businesses including Delta Air Lines, Greenberg Traurig, InterContinental Hotels Group, UPS, and Coca-Cola. Thirteen corporations spoke about their mission to fight human trafficking, including the internal and external measures they take to help the cause, and best approaches to develop sensible corporate plans to eliminate human trafficking in metro Atlanta. The Summit also featured an FBI agent and a survivor of human trafficking, who provided a firsthand perspective about what it is like to be bought and sold.
In addition, the 2019 Super Bowl taking place in Atlanta is an exciting event, however it creates potential of harnessing opportunity for human trafficking. The Task Force is discussing a potential meeting to address the issue of human trafficking during the 2019 Super Bowl, as well as a sponsorship of events addressing the issue.
