Keep Chompin'!
Kainos had the privilege of meeting with the First Lady of Georgia, Marty Kemp, on the morning of Friday, January 24, 2020. The Kemp’s are advocates for anti-human trafficking and helping women who have been sexually exploited, not only in their state of Georgia but in the world. Mrs. Kemp came to discuss with Lana Packer, the CEO and founder of Kainos, about their initiative for anti-human trafficking and wanted to hear about what Kainos is doing here in Germany to fight against the social injustice.
The meeting opened with warm greetings and some pastries and coffee from a local bakery in Stuttgart. First Lady Kemp started the meeting off by asking Lana her story. Lana has been involved with the ministry in helping women to know their worth and the freedom they have in their Heavenly Father for more than 30 years. Lana shared about her experience meeting a woman in her time in the Middle East who was promised an engineering job and upon arriving was told that she was going to be a sex slave. Lana was the first person she shared this with after 6 years of captivity. At this point, Lana knew there was something she needed to do to help free these women physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. From this experience came Kainos. Lana also shared the history and her experience with Germany legalizing prostitution. Mrs. Kemp was in agreement that prostitution has a negative impact on human trafficking.
Mrs. Kemp got to share about what they are doing in Georgia for women who are sexually exploited. She is the Co-Chair of Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion, and Education Commission (GRACE) which was created by “subject matter experts to tackle human trafficking, seek justice for victims, and hold bad actors accountable” (GeorgiaGov, 2020). There are two bills Governor Brian Kemp and the first lady are hoping to have passed this year to fight human trafficking. The first would limit access to the criminal records of victims of human trafficking and put more focus on their well-being. The second would provide the state of Georgia the right to permanently revoke the license of anyone convicted of trafficking when using their commercial vehicle. Alongside these bills, the Kemp’s have also set up a prevention training educating the public about the social injustice and how to recognize it. They are also supporting homes opening up in the state for survivors to receive the services they need. First Lady Marty Kemp has made this anti-human trafficking initiative a top priority for the state of Georgia.
Mrs. Kemp stated that she didn’t think power or position should change the amount we do for the community, but that she plans on using the platform she has to fight for social justice. The meeting concluded with a piece of advice First Lady Kemp had for the social work intern of Kainos: “Keep chompin’!”
References: GeorgiaGov. (2020). GRACE commission. Retrieved from gov.georgia.gov/first-lady/grace-commission
