The event will be held at the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, 9119 Dean Ridings Lane in Spotsylvania, at 9:30 a.m. The first half will be open to the public. However, “due to security and privacy reasons, the second half of the event is closed….”
According to the U.S. State Department, “Trafficking in persons,” “human trafficking,” and “modern slavery” are umbrella terms – often used interchangeably – to refer to a crime whereby traffickers exploit and profit at the expense of adults or children by compelling them to perform labor or engage in commercial sex.? When a person younger than 18 is used to perform a commercial sex act, it is a crime regardless of whether there is any force, fraud, or coercion involved.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Walk Free Foundation, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), released Global Estimates of Modern Slavery in September 2022. This report estimates that, at any given time in 2021, approximately 27.6 million people were in forced labor. Of these, “17.3 million are exploited in the private sector, 6.3 million in forced commercial sexual exploitation, and 3.9 million in forced labour imposed by state.”
On Thursday, May 18th, Attorney General Jason Miyares will host a human trafficking roundtable with law enforcement and local officials in Spotsylvania, Virginia.
The roundtable aims to improve awareness, offer resources, and make connections to support further collaboration by the Office of Attorney General with law enforcement, experts and organizations within the region. During the event, participants will discuss gaps faced in supporting human trafficking survivors and bringing traffickers to justice in the Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Orange County region.
Delegate Tara Durant, Virginia State Police Captain Michal Jenkins, and Virginia State Police Human Trafficking Unit Commander First Sergeant Justin Cowan will participate in the roundtable, along with others. Attorney General Miyares and Office of the Attorney General Anti-Human Trafficking Director Tanya Gould will provide remarks.
