MACON, Ga. — On Friday, the department of Homeland Security announced that 40 people were arrested on sex trafficking charges in the week leading up to Super Bowl Sunday.
Just a short trip down I-75, law enforcement and a group of Mercer University students are fighting the practice in Central Georgia.
Traffick Jam at Mercer University aims to educate teens on the dangers of sex trafficking in their high schools. The group targets 9th graders at Southwest, Howard, and Westside High Schools and especially teach young women to recognize warning signs of traffickers.
"Telling them, 'Oh, you're pretty.' You know, a child may not hear that at home. 'Oh, you're smart, you're beautiful. Do you need money?' Things they may be missing in their household," said Keyshonda Stafford, a junior at Mercer.
The group says outside of education, the best thing they can do as college students is develop relationships with young people.
"After my first year, I feel like I made really good relationships, especially the first week with these guys," said Carter Borgerson. "They were able to open up to me privately. Some of them didn't want to talk to me privately, but they would stay after and talk to me."
According to a study by The Schapiro Group, an Atlanta marketing consultant, 12,400 men will buy sex with an young female in Georgia each month. 7,200 will exploit an adolescent girl.
Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney David Cooke said that law enforcement is trained to recognize the signs of sex trafficking, but anyone can be on the lookout.
"People should never ignore that 'uh-oh' feeling or that feeling that something just doesn't feel right about a situation," Cooke said. "Just that hunch, just that feeling that something doesn't add up has led to arrest and prosecution."
Both Traffick Jam and Cooke advise being on the lookout for situations where a young person looks uncomfortable.
"If they're cowering or if they're otherwise appearing to be overly submissive or you can just tell she doesn't go someplace without someone else giving her permission," Cooke said.
A person should contact local law enforcement if they believe someone is being trafficked or call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888.