This article originally appeared here, at fairfaxtimes.com

Local leaders called for continued efforts against human trafficking in Fairfax County, as Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin marked the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, signing a new law that will require that the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority provide training to employees so they can spot the signs of human trafficking and potentially help victims.

As part of the commemoration on July 30, Youngkin highlighted progress that Virginia has seen after he established a Commission on Human Trafficking Prevention and Survivor Support on his first day in office with Executive Order 7. The observance is meant to raise awareness and advocate for the protection of trafficking victims’ rights.

Just days before, Stewart Whitson, a former FBI special agent and the Republican nominee for the local congressional seat vacated by the death of Rep. Gerry Connolly (VA-11), spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference Human Trafficking Summit and raised concerns about trafficking in Fairfax County. 

Whitson alleged that traffickers use motels in Virginia’s 11th congressional district, which includes Fairfax City and most of Fairfax County, to traffic children. In his speech, Whitson blamed the Biden administration, sanctuary cities, and “open borders” for increasing issues with human trafficking in the U.S.

“I’ve seen the worst that humanity has to offer, and what’s happening right now in America is evil on a new unimaginable scale, and it’s happening in plain sight,” Whitson said. “Girls are being raped by grown men pretending to be high school students, boys are being targeted and dragged into a life of crime by MS-13 gang members who slipped through our open border.”

Human trafficking is the exploitation of a person’s labor or commercial sex through force, fraud, or coercion. Force may involve physical or sexual violence. Coercion can include threats or manipulation, and fraud often involves false debts. Sex trafficking, a form of sexual violence, happens when someone is forced to exchange sex acts for money, drugs, or basic needs, and any exchange involving a minor is considered trafficking, regardless of force or coercion.

According to the office of domestic and sexual violence services at the Fairfax County Department of Family Service, trafficking is often linked to domestic violence and other abuse, and 90% of cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline involve victims recruited by someone they know, such as their employer, dating partner or spouse, or family member. 

For decades, Fairfax County has faced issues with trafficking.

In 2021, a woman filed a high‑profile civil lawsuit, alleging that several Fairfax County police officials acted as clients of a local sex trafficking ring and tipped off its leader to avoid law enforcement undercover stings.

During a two-week trial in 2023, the woman, identified only as Jane Doe, testified she came to the U.S. from Costa Rica in 2010 with promises of work as a nanny and escort. She said she was instead forced to perform degrading sex acts for up to 17 men a day, while the ring leader — Hazel Marie Sanchez Cerdas – kept her passport and threatened her family.

Cerdas had pleaded guilty in 2019 to a single felony count for running the trafficking operation and was sentenced to two and a half years in jail.

An eight-person jury found that Doe, who alleged she was trafficked in Fairfax County, was not a victim but a willing sex worker. Once the jury reached that conclusion, the jury wasn’t required to consider the question of the officers’ alleged involvement in protecting the prostitution ring.

Last year, Robert Sanford, a former deputy officer in Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail for smuggling drugs into the county jail and distributing drugs to vulnerable women who lived in an apartment that Sanford leased, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. The women in the apartment worked as prostitutes.

“Sanford preyed on the vulnerabilities of people in his care,” said Jessica D. Aber, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “His corruption didn’t stop with profiting from feeding the addictions of inmates in his charge. Rather than assisting homeless and addicted members of his community, Sanford used drugs to entrap them in a life of prostitution for his own gain.”

In response to reports of human trafficking in Fairfax County and across the state, Virginia continues to strengthen its approach through new legislation, increased law enforcement training, expanded support services for survivors, and prevention programs aimed at reducing exploitation.

At the July 30 event, Youngkin signed HB 2033, sponsored by Delegate Shelly Simonds (D-Newport News). The new law requires the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority provide a human trafficking training course to retail licensees and their employees, so they can spot possible victims of trafficking. Following the signing, officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign and the Virginia Restaurant Lodging and Travel Association led a human trafficking awareness training.

“Since day one, we have been working together to eradicate the evil of human trafficking, with a comprehensive approach of supporting survivors, training Virginians to spot violations and safely report, and giving law enforcement tools to put the evil criminals who perpetrate this modern-day slave trade behind bars,” Youngkin said.

“On World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, we reaffirm our commitment to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that Virginia remains a place where every person’s freedom is secured,” he said.

In Fairfax County, January is recognized as Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Throughout the month, the county holds various awareness campaigns, public discussions, and trainings to educate the community about signs of human trafficking.

“Whether it is the forced labor of others, sex trafficking, or the trafficking of immigrants into this nation illegally, human trafficking is a heinous, multigenerational crime that spans from the local to international level,” said Attorney General Jason Miyares.

“Ending human trafficking will require families, communities, individuals, and victims to come forward and stand together to recognize the inherent dignity of each and every human person,” Miyares said. “I am honored to stand with so many community partners and law enforcement professionals as we work to make human trafficking unthinkable in Virginia.”

Authorities urge anyone who suspects human trafficking to report it by calling the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-3737-888, texting 233733, or emailing NHTRC@PolarisProject.org. Tips can also be submitted online through the hotline’s website. In emergencies, call 911. Victims can also access support and resources through the Fairfax County Domestic Violence Action Center.