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Slavery - Human Trafficking

Karen Gail of Petersburg, VA was sexually abused from the age of 7 to 17 by her cousin. Gail says human trafficking could be happening in our homes and we don’t know it. Gail is executive director of Pearl’s Center of Hope, Inc. View the website at Pearls4Hope.com and listen to her story at MLK Community Day on Monday, January 21, 2019, 12pm-3pm at the Trinity Family Life Center located 3601 Dill Road.

Human Trafficking is a multi-billion dollar business in the United States. Every 10 minutes 10-12 children are victimized by human trafficking that’s 60 children an hour. The United States purchases more women and children for sex than any country in the world with a target population as young as 12 years of age. It is estimated that the average age of victims coerced into sex trafficking is between 12-14 years of age (Pearl’s Center of Hope, Inc).

What does human trafficking look like in Northern Virginia? It is a modern-day form of slavery known as teen sex trafficking. This is a region of the busy parents, some wealthy, and broken homes. Traffickers prey on the lonely and vulnerable.

Virginia ranks number six in human trafficking reported cases. Virginia is one of the most aggressive states when it comes to prosecuting offenses according to a new report by the Human Trafficking Institute.

Virginia Human Trafficking Survivor Speaks At MLK Community Day  was originally published on kissrichmond.com