Advocates and Lawmakers Gather Amend Minimum Age Child Prostitution Charge

By Rose Scott

Atlanta, GA – Advocates and lawmakers gathered at the state capitol on Monday in support of a bill that would change arresting girls under the age of 16 for prostitution.
WABE's Rose Scott reports on the rally:

Hundreds of supporters each with a white rose lined the steps of the south wing in the state capitol.
The roses represent the estimated number of girls commercially exploited in Georgia about 4-hundred.
Senator Renee Unterman who's introduced the bill says underage girls need access to care not prosecution:

Unterman ((you can write all the laws that you want but have to a movement that says we're not going to tolerate it and put social pressure on with those laws along with the system of care))

Pastor Scott Wymer says his eyes were opened by a 2005 report from the Mayor's office:

((and indicated that the prostitution of children was a problem throughout Atlanta and named 3 corners and one of the corners was the corner where our church sits on the corner on North Avenue and Peachtree it was shocking to us))
Since then Pasto Wymer has joined forces with other advocates to change Georgia laws that affect child victims of prostitution.
It's their unified message that anyone under the age of 16 is too young to consent to sex and should not be arrested or charged with prostitution.
Instead more services to help should be offered.
Again Senator Renee Unterman:

((that state has actually stepped forward we have put money into the budget to support these children but we have not gotten the message back out))

Senate Bill 304 is still currently being reviewed.