Abigail McClaughlin, a detective with the Prince William County Police Department who investigates human trafficking, said the crime is severely underreported because victims, which are most often young women, rarely come forward.
Many don’t realize they’re being trafficked or are ashamed of their actions so they keep quiet. Other victims believe they willingly participated in the manipulation, or are actively committing crimes as part of trafficking and are afraid of consequences, McClaughlin said.
It’s also difficult for investigators to compile enough evidence against perpetrators to secure a conviction, Boge said.
Tiffany Henderson, a representative with the Alexandria-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said that Virginia ranks among the lowest states in the country for human trafficking reports because of a lack of awareness surrounding the issue. There has recently been an increase in gang-related trafficking cases in the Washington, D.C. area with kids being moved up and down Interstate 95 from New York to Florida, Henderson said.
“I can at least tell you 10 cases off the top of my head of children that have been trafficked that live here or that are being trafficked through Virginia,” she said.
Commonly confused with smuggling, human trafficking is when a person maintains control over a victim through the leverage of money, threats or fear. Victims are oftentimes vulnerable children who have slipped through the cracks of social services and lack support systems at home or in their community.
