Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens and Camila Wright, human trafficking prosecutor for the state Attorney General's Office, will be honored at Now That We Know, a fundraiser aimed at tackling one of the world's most insidious criminal enterprises: sex trafficking.
The event benefiting Civil Lawyers Against World Sex-Slavery, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that handles pro bono lawsuits on behalf of survivors of sex slavery, is planned for 6:30-9:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Atlanta History Center. Wine from Murphy's Wine Shop and small plates from the Capital Grille will be served. Tickets start at $175 each and are available online at usclaws.org.
"We are expecting hundreds to come out to support CLAWS because our mission is to end sex slavery in Atlanta, the nation and the world," said group founder and President David Boone. "We can think of few other organizations more worthy of support than one that seeks to return dignity and self-worth to so many girls, young women and men who are physically and emotionally abused against their will."
The problem, unfortunately, is an Atlanta one. Former Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigative reporter Jane O. Hansen exposed the magnitude of the illicit trade here in January 2001 in a series of articles titled "Selling Atlanta's Children." Read that series here: ajc.com/news/news/selling-atlantas-children/nmzbb. Hansen recently revisited the issue in a CNN report. It's online at cnn.com/2015/07/17/us/child-sex-trafficking-update-hansen.
The CLAWS fundraiser will include a screening of "8 Days," a harrowing feature film inspired by actual events about an average teen, played by Lawrenceville native Nicole Smolen, whose night out partying leads to her entrapment in the sex trade. View the trailer at 8daysfilm.org.
“The intent of CLAWS is to get to the source of the sex-slavery trade through the civil courthouse,” Boone said. “Pimps, johns — all those who fuel this illicit market are potential targets for civil suit — and we intend to use the civil courts to eradicate this scourge in a way that supplements and supports our criminal justice system.”
