Not long after Brian Kemp was elected governor, he, his wife Marty and his three daughters attended a news conference on human trafficking.
To illustrate the problem, the organizers had brought in 72 school buses to represent 3,600 kids – both boys and girls – who are taken out of the state in human trafficking cases.
For Marty Kemp, it was an eye-opening experience.
"I just couldn't believe it," she said. "We'd been campaigning for two-and-a-half years and I couldn't believe we hadn't heard about it. It's really one of those things that once you find out about it and don’t do something, then shame on you."
Kemp then spend most of 2019 learning about human trafficking – exactly what it was, what was being done to combat it and where additional help was needed. She also talked with survivors and with people who'd been fighting the problem for years.
The average age of a trafficked child is 12-14 years old, but Kemp said she thinks it's even younger, based on stories she's heard. She said victims often meet the predator online, where, for instance, a man may promise a young girl a career in modeling.
"I understand why people didn't want to talk about it," she said. "It's a terrible, terrible issue. I have had people come up to me and tell me stories that will keep you up at night. But that only made me more passionate about it."
Her passion led to the creation of the GRACE Commission, which stands for Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion and Education. The commission brought together public officials, law enforcement officials, for-profit and non-profit groups, faith-based groups and trafficking experts. It was created to discuss solutions, seek justice for survivors and hold perpetrators accountable.
In her opening statement at the first meeting of the commission, Kemp told members that a girl can be trafficked 40 times a night, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
"And they look up to me, so I said, 'Yeah, I just said that. And we're going to talk about it.'"
The commission did more than talk. It worked with legislators to craft a half-dozen pieces of legislation that both increase penalties for perpetrators and provide additional protections to keep survivors safe and being a return to a normal life.
It also created a human trafficking awareness program that lets individuals become educated on what to look for in a situation that doesn't look quite right.
"You just get a feeling that something isn't right," Kemp said. "She's not making eye contact. you can tell they're possible not related. It's not a father-daughter relationship. It just gives you an ill feeling."
The training, which was developed with the help of the state Department of Administrative Services, takes about 30 minutes. Anyone can complete the training module. It can be accessed at https://doas.ga.gov/
"It's been proven (the training) will help people have the knowledge when they are out there in their everyday lives what to do when they see something that doesn't seem right," Kemp said.
On another topic, Kemp talked about the upcoming re-election campaign her husband is mounting and about the growing criticism of him from both the left and the right.
"The truth is on our side," she said. "The information that's getting out is not the truth. They're getting lied to, as Brian says, and it's not by him."
She said our politics on both sides of the political divide needs to be more civil.
"We need to be respectful on both sides of the aisle," she said. "And it goes both ways. You may disagree, and that's fine. you don't have to attack someone just because you don't believe it what they are saying. Just disagree and move on. That's what we teach our girls. It's been hard on our girls. They've attacked our girls, and Mama Bear over here really doesn't like that."
But she's ready for the fight ahead.
"We know what we're fighting for," she said. "It's the right thing, and that is fighting for Georgians and keeping them safe and do the right thing. … We believe in what we are doing. If Georgians vote us out and we go home, that's OK. We will hold our heads high. We've done good things and we will continue to do that."
