ATLANTA — As Major League Baseball’s All-Star Week approaches, the advocacy group Rights4Girls is launching a targeted billboard campaign along I-75 near Truist Park to raise awareness about sex trafficking, and to call out those fueling it.
The organization’s baseball-themed billboards carry pointed messages aimed at deterring sex buyers, including phrases like “Sex buying is a serious error” and “Buying sex is a dangerous play.”
Executive Director Yasmin Vafa says the campaign is designed to shine a light on what she calls the often-overlooked role of the sex buyer in trafficking networks.
“The goal is really to shine a light on the often invisible role of the sex buyer,” Vafa said. “Aside from the fun and the excitement and the festivities surrounding the games, there can be this dark underbelly of sexual exploitation and trafficking that can accompany the games.”
Vafa says major sporting events often draw increased incidents of sex trafficking and sex tourism, making visibility and public awareness efforts like these essential. Rights4Girls launched similar campaigns in Atlanta during March Madness, receiving positive feedback from survivors and community members.
The group’s latest effort places the sex buyer “in the batter’s box,” using sports language to deliver a powerful message, exploitation has no place in the game.
WSB Radio’s Lisa Nicholas contributed to this story.