Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin says she is still working to keep the sometimes-taboo problem of child prostitution in the public's eye, but progress has been slow.
"There is no question in my mind that we're just beginning this campaign," Franklin told city officials and child advocates at a breakfast meeting Tuesday. "People of good will are still completely in the dark about what they can do to protect a 14-year-old girl who lives in the city of Atlanta."
Franklin announced last year the "Dear John" campaign to crack down on the men who solicit underage sex. Since then, she has starred in public awareness campaigns and convinced private donors to fund police initiatives and treatment centers. She has talked about starting a special court for johns.
But Investigator Kelleita Thurmond of the Atlanta Police Department's vice squad told Franklin and the rest of the audience that arrests have been hard to come by. Thurmond says the unit has been hampered by staffing shortages and security worries. Furthermore, she says, much of the crime happens on the Internet and out of public view.
"There is no question in my mind that we're just beginning this campaign," Franklin told city officials and child advocates at a breakfast meeting Tuesday. "People of good will are still completely in the dark about what they can do to protect a 14-year-old girl who lives in the city of Atlanta."
Franklin announced last year the "Dear John" campaign to crack down on the men who solicit underage sex. Since then, she has starred in public awareness campaigns and convinced private donors to fund police initiatives and treatment centers. She has talked about starting a special court for johns.
But Investigator Kelleita Thurmond of the Atlanta Police Department's vice squad told Franklin and the rest of the audience that arrests have been hard to come by. Thurmond says the unit has been hampered by staffing shortages and security worries. Furthermore, she says, much of the crime happens on the Internet and out of public view.
