When most people think of things the Northern Virginia community can improve, our commitment to stopping human sex trafficking generally is not at the top of the list.
For those who don’t know what human trafficking is, it is the illegal movement of people for commercial sexual exploitation. Teenage sex trafficking specifically is the second-fastest growing crime in the U.S., with Northern Virginia being one of the top venues in the U.S. for teen trafficking. In fact, teen sex trafficking has occurred at every single high school in Fairfax County. This “enterprise” is growing because it is hard to catch perpetrators due to their manipulative power over their victims.
Teens—both girls and boys—between the ages of 12 and 19 are frequent victims and come from all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. These traffickers seem to look specifically for teens who are emotionally vulnerable and who can be easily exploited. They build trust with victims by complimenting them and building a relationship either romantically or platonically. The traffickers then manipulate the teens into having sex, often videotaping them in order to blackmail them and trap them in further sexual activities.
Predictably, teens are scared to come forward out of embarrassment and fear.
This entire business is based on the idea that these victims are “a dollar sign, a product, just merchandise.”
As one trafficker is quoted saying about his victims on the Just Ask VA website, “They don’t have a name and aren’t a person to me. I don’t give a damn about them … just about what I can get out of them.” This type of crime thrives on the dehumanization and shaming of teens. According to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, all minors under 18 who participate in commercial sex are considered victims regardless of the use of force, fraud, or coercion.
If human trafficking is to come to an end, especially in Northern Virginia and in Fairfax County Public Schools, we must acknowledge that these teens aren’t at fault, as they are victims, and should be supported by their community. Victims shouldn’t feel that they will be shunned or that the community doesn’t care about what happens to them.