DDN – Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced that the Commonwealth has been awarded a $1.29 million grant from the United States Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime to continue combating child and teenage labor and sex trafficking.

“No child should ever have to endure the horrors of human trafficking,” Miyares stated in the grant announcement. “This comprehensive multi-year strategy will use the knowledge and resources of our public and private partners to identify victims, disrupt trafficking networks, and provide survivors with the compassionate, trauma-informed care they need.

By addressing gaps in identification, training, and assistance, Virginia will remain a national leader in eliminating child and juvenile trafficking for years to come.”

The award will allow researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University and the non-profit ImPACT Virginia to collaborate with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) to achieve a number of objectives. These aims include:

• Increasing statewide coordination by forming a working group of professionals comprising law enforcement, healthcare professionals, and social services
• Increasing regional training opportunities for law enforcement and other professionals.
• Improving research efforts across the state to create a comprehensive analysis on the status of trafficking in the commonwealth by the end of 2025
• Improving the state’s resources and providing assistance to various sectors on detecting and responding to trafficking
• Developing a trauma-informed pilot training program for Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Facility personnel to recognize indicators of trafficking.
• According to the OAG, traffickers frequently target youngsters via social media and the foster care system.

“These vulnerable individuals are then forced into sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, agriculture, and other forms labor and/or sex trafficking through the use of violence, coercion, threats, and psychological manipulation,” according to the OAG.

They also provided advice on what to do if you suspect you have come into contact with a trafficker or a victim of trafficking. The office advises against confronting “a suspect or suspected victim of your suspicions.” This might put the victim—and you—in significant danger. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 or the local police.

• 24/7 National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1(888)373-7888 – if you or someone you know is being trafficked and requires aid.
• To contact the National Human Trafficking SMS Line, text “HELP” or “INFO” to 233733, or 847411. Send an anonymous tip to that number by typing “VSP” and the information you want to contribute. If the information you have concerns a person (or yourself) in immediate danger, call 911 or #77 on a cell phone. Tips can be reported online at www.tip411.com/tips/vastatepolice/new.
• Virginia Child Protective Services Hotline for juveniles: 1-800-552-7096.
• Virginia Victims Assistance Network (for adults): (833) 463-6448