Atlanta is the number one hub for sex trafficking in the nation. Number one. You didn't know that, did you? Childhood sexual exploitation is not something to be proud of. Every day, while we spend our time at work, or school, or at home, hundreds of teenage girls are being cruelly raped and abused. The streets we traverse every day serve as homes for underaged children forced into prostitution. There are 500 girls being sold as slaves every month in Atlanta; that number should be 0.

Until several years ago, having sexual relations with an underaged prostitute was only a misdemeanor. In other words, paying money in order to rape a 10-year old girl was considered equivalent to vandalism or trespassing. Now, the situation is beginning to change. New bills have been passed in Congress which would help the girls who have fallen victim to these vile crimes. Even that is not enough though. Commercial sexual exploitation is not something to whisper about; Atlanta needs to know.

The horrors these girls are faced with will not stop unless we decide to do something about it. Students need to be taught about the dangers of running away, new homes should be build in order to rehabilitate the girls who have been rescued, and the people of the Atlanta region must learn to look beyond themselves. The most important weapon in fighting commercial sexual exploitation is awareness. People should be informed so that we, as a community, can unite in order to stop childhood sex trafficking.