Denise Cooper

Tharros Place

Last November, civil suits were filed against two hotels in Liberty County for ignoring the fact traffickers were using their rooms to sell underage girls for sex. One case alleges staff knew a 16-year-old girl was being held against her will by armed men who kept the teen drugged up and continually sold her as a sex slave, even going so far as to use the hotel’s WiFi to advertise the girl. The other suit alleges an 18-year-old girl was sold for sex at the motel, beaten daily, raped, and drugged.

The circumstances of this case are horrific, and we owe it to these young girls to not look away.

We also owe it to them to fully understand the realities of trafficking. While TV and movies perpetuate stereotypes of victims as young, white females who are vulnerable and defenseless or as exotic women who are kidnapped and brought to the United States, the truth is trafficking happens to girls (and boys) in our communities. It doesn’t always involve a violent crime; it doesn’t always involve transporting a person across borders; and traffickers don’t always target victims they don’t know.

But if the victims are underage, trafficking always, always, always means consent is not possible.

Worldwide, human trafficking impacts more than 24.9 million people — adults and children — including in the United States. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, a total of 1,912 people were referred to U.S. attorneys for human trafficking offenses in 2022, a 26 percent increase from a decade earlier. Of the 1,070 defendants charged, 91 percent were male, 58 percent were white, 20 percent were black, 18 percent were Hispanic, 95 percent were U.S. citizens, and 71 percent had no prior convictions.

And our sun-soaked corner of the state is not immune. With Savannah’s high poverty rate, international port, booming tourism industry, and the crossroads of Highway 95 and I-16, the county ranks 4th in the state (out of 159 counties) for the number of reported cases of minor victims of trafficking. The issue is of particular concern for Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp, who created the Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion, and Education (GRACE) Commission to eliminate human trafficking as a threat to people in every part of Georgia.

Fortunately, we now have Tharros Place, which takes its name from the Greek word for courage. The nonprofit went from an idea and a goal to fill a gap in services to a robust and vibrant residential home providing trauma-informed, client-centered care to survivors of human trafficking. The residential facility, which opened in late 2023, is staffed by trained and licensed professionals providing care to girls ages 12 to 17, each referred by the courts.

And it’s already making a difference. Just last year, the Tharros Place team held 317 outreach events and presentations, educated 15,026 individuals about human trafficking, and logged 2,030 volunteer hours. Staff served 12 residents, providing 1,342 bednights, 17 full credits and 2 half credits education, 162 therapy hours, and 103 life skill classes.

During January – which has been designated National Human Trafficking Awareness Month since 2010 – make a resolution to learn more about the realities of human trafficking, how it affects young people in our community, and how to identify and prevent this crime. And visit tharrosplace.com to learn more about educational events and fundraising opportunities happening locally this month.

After all, it takes all of us working together to ensure our children can courageously create a different future for themselves.

Denise M. Cooper is a Savannah native and assistant city attorney for the city of Savannah. She is president of the Board of Directors for Tharros Place, a nonprofit providing residential services for girls ages 12 to 17 who are survivors of human trafficking.