About Us

STATISTICS ON WHY WE NEED THIS CENTER

Cobb County is the third largest county in Georgia with over 800,000 residents with a racial makeup of in 2024 51.1% White, 26.8.0% Black, 0.3%, 4.5% Asian, 5.6.% Pacific Islander, 5.3% , 14.3% of the population is Hispanic or Latino. Our research revealed that sexual assault increased 236% in Atlanta in 2024 and there are approximately 5,000 women and girls at-risk of being sex trafficked in Georgia. Atlanta has an internal trafficking problem, where minors are recruited and transferred to another county ,state or country. Approximately 374 girls are commercially sexually exploited each month in Georgia and over 500 girls and women go missing a month suspected to have been kidnapped into Labor or Human Trafficking.

What is Human Trafficking?

Human Trafficking is the solicitation, recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud or deception or the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation can include prostitution of others or other forms of exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices like slavery, servitude or the removal of organs or forced criminal activity.

Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world, out selling cocaine, crack, meth and heroine. In 2024, Human Trafficking was estimated to have grossed over $300 Billion dollars in revenues for criminal enterprises. It is estimated that in 2024 there were more than 28Million men, women and children that were trafficked worldwide.

Human trafficking victims are often forced, through sexual, physical and/or psychological violence, to perform work under slavery-like conditions. Tactics used by recruiters, traffickers and their associates are often the same tactics used by batterers and can mirror dynamics of domestic violence.

Traffickers use a variety of coercive methods to control their
victims including:

Luring their victims with false promises of economic opportunity
Withholding identification, work authorization, or travel documents
Demanding repayment for a real or alleged debt
Using or threatening to use violence against family or children
Monitoring and surveillance activities
Love/romance (“Romeo pimp”) tactics: Traffickers pretend to be a romantic partner to build trust and emotional dependence
Control of basic needs:Witholding Food, Shelter or Money
Paying very little or not paying at all for work

NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING STATSTICS

24.9 million people are victims of forced labor. (ILO, 2024).
16 million people are trafficked for forced labor in the private economy. (Private economy includes: private individuals, groups, or companies in all sectors except the commercial sex industry). (ILO, 2024).
4.8 million people are trafficked for forced sexual exploitation. (ILO, 2024).
4.1 million people are trafficked for forced labor in state-imposed forced labor. It is estimated that 20.9 million people are trafficked worldwide. (ILO, 2024).
Women and girls are disproportionately affected by human trafficking, accounting for 71% of all victims. (ILO, 2014).
3.8 million Adults are trafficked for forced sexual exploitation and 1.0 million children are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation. (ILO, 2024).

LABOR TRAFFICKING STATISTICS

Forced labor in the private economy generates an estimated $150 billion in illegal profits per year. (ILO, 2024).
Migrant workers and indigenous people are particularly vulnerable to forced labor.
The largest share of labor trafficked adults are domestic workers (24%) followed by construction (18%), manufacturing (15%), and agriculture and fishing (11%) sectors. (ILO, 2024).

ORGAN TRAFFICKING STATISTICS

It’s a $1.7 Billion dollar industry, resulting in an estimation of over 12,000 illegal transplants a year and is presumed to be higher as it is the least reported crime of all trafficking crimes.
Organ trafficking is prevalent in regions with high demand for transplants and insufficient legal organ donations. Countries in Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa have been identified as major sources and destinations for trafficked organs.
Victim Demographics: Victims of organ trafficking are often vulnerable individuals from impoverished backgrounds, including migrants, refugees, and those living in conflict zones. They are typically coerced or deceived into giving up their organs under the guise of medical treatment or financial compensation.

What we do?

CENTER IMPACT

We anticipate providing supportive housing accommodation services to approximately 40 women ages 18-40 and additional housing for 10 women with children along with providing center services that will consist of mental health counseling, drug addiction and prevention counseling services, employment assistance and readiness, etiquette, classes, educational classes, college and technical school scholarships, financial literacy and assistance, personal development counseling, veteran’s affairs services, and mentoring programs.

VOLUNTEERS

We are grateful for our friends who serve and build community alongside us in transition and displaced brothers and sisters. The relationships formed while doing good work with our neighbors and team members could not be replicated anywhere else, and we are grateful for our friends who serve with us.

Whether you want to assist in the community development administration office or serve an evening meal or assist in nightly housing facilities there is always something for everyone to jump in and get involved!

Scroll through our monthly schedule and event calendar for a glimpse of the numerous volunteer opportunities we have at THE MORTON LEGACY CENTER. You can also search for volunteer opportunities with different programs or other community-building opportunities by clicking one of the specific program links.

CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

We conducted in-depth research to develop training and educational programs that equip our members with the tools they need to support individuals seeking personal and professional growth. Our offerings include A.I. training, computer training, GED preparation, vocational programs, financial literacy, and empowerment workshops. These sessions are led by successful entrepreneurs, professional athletes, and celebrities. Each attendee will be inspired and empowered by this faith-based, paradigm-shifting approach that emphasizes compassion and dignity in serving our community.

THE MORTON LEGACY CENTER through our interactive talks, workshops, and other consultative guidance, we aim to provide THE MORTON LEGACY CENTER members the benefit of a vast array of educational classes and experiences.

We invite you to take part in one of our classes or workshops to help better shape your understanding of the Community.

WHY THIS TEAM?

The opportunity to develop THE MORTON LEGACY CENTER is much more than creating just another building. It’s an exciting opportunity to stimulate economic, social and cultural development for our in-transition community residents and survivors of human trafficking. THE MORTON LEGACY CENTER team partnered with other community leaders is dedicated to bringing that multi-faceted vision to reality for the Cobb County Community. Our expert team is made up of professionals who will play a major role in the development, design, and construction of the project. The lead developers in this project are Lorenzo Winslow, lead Architect with Tri-Arch Design Studio’s and Bernard Levette with B.Levette & Company General Contractors. As our partners, they are well-established award-winning commercial real estate architecture and Construction Company with each having over 20 plus years’ experience. Together, we’re bringing local leadership with national resources in our team to develop “THE MORTON LEGACY CENTER”.