Some Virginia lawmakers admit that they take it personally when sex traffickers decide to make the Commonwealth a hub for their business—especially since they target children. It's why even after making great strides over the last several years in holding those predators accountable, lawmakers remain very aggressive in stopping this at the source.
Many studies reveal that traffickers target runaways and children from broken homes who have been through the foster care system. Alicia Cundiff with Richmond Justice Initiative explains why.
"They come from homes of common abuse and sexual abuse and neglect that are really making them vulnerable for a pimp to prey and recruit them and they're really looking for a sense of family or a strong father figure."
And Delegate Chris Peace says although it's not easy, the ultimate goal is to prevent young people from entering the foster care system to begin with.
"We spent a lot of time with the Commission on Youth and others working on diversion programs, foster care prevention, kinship care placements--so that we can help children remain in safe, sustainable, permanent, environments."
Social service agencies are also developing plans to assist children and youth who are in foster care. Those include placing them with advisers and in peer support groups, as well as diagnosing possible mental health challenges. Peace says the federal government is also acknowledging the seriousness of sex trafficking and is partnering with states to address it.
