As one of the most prolific crimes affecting the international community today, combatting human trafficking has been a priority for international organizations, States, and local governments alike. The International Labor Organization estimates that approximately 40.3 million people around the world are victims of human trafficking, which includes forced marriage, forced and/or commercial sexual exploitation of adults and/or children, state-imposed forced labor, and private economy forced labor. Of this number, 71% of victims are women and girls, and 25% of victims are children. The United Nations (UN) defines human trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit.” The organization has committed to combating the crime through several initiatives, including as the International Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, a legally binding agreement that requires member states to both criminilize human trafficking and develop anti-trafficking laws, and includes the eradication of the crime in its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Specifically, SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions includes ending human trafficking in all forms, including against children, as its second target.

In the United States, human trafficking is federally criminalized and prohibitied in all 50 states, with the penalty of imprisonment anywhere from 10 years to life in addition to associated fines. US law separates human trafficking violations into two categories: forced labor and sex trafficking. Forced labor is defined as “the range of activities involved when a person uses force, fraud, or coercion to obtain the labor or services of another person.” Sex trafficking is defined as “the range of activities involved when a trafficker uses force, fraud, or coercion to compel another person to engage in a commercial sex act or causes a child to engage in a commercial sex act.” Notably, the US does not consider forced marriage, forced criminal activity, organ harvesting, or child soldiers as acts of human trafficking, despite the inclusion of some or all of these categories by the United Nations and nonprofits such as Stop the Traffik.

What Factors Influence Human Trafficking?

There are several factors that can influence the likelihood of human trafficking. At the State-wide level, conflict, civil unrest, political instability, oppression, and migration all can increase human trafficking rates as people become more vulnerable to exploitation. At the more local level, factors such as poverty, limited social and economic opportunity, and structural gender and racial discrimination all may increase the risk of trafficking and exploitation that capitalizes on a victim’s need for income and/or stability. Disadvantaged and marginalized groups who experience increased rates of poverty, social and economic instability, or lack to public and education services due to structural discrimination within a State system are particularly at risk of trafficking and exploitation.

In the United States, structural racial and gender discrimination play a major role in human trafficking risk. Latino and Black communities are disproportionately impacted by human trafficking. Between 2015 and 2018, 22% of all victims for sex and labor trafficking were from Latin America and the Carribean, and 52% of all victims were undocumented immigrants. In addition, 77% of all immigrant trafficking victims from Latin America and the Caribbean were involved in labor trafficking, largely for the agricultural industry. Due to the increased economic instability of migrating groups, the risk for exploitation into forced labor increases, especially if people crossing the border are undocumented and have limited options for employment.

Similarly, approximately 40% of human trafficking victims in the United States are Black women. Reasons for the targeting of people of color for trafficking operations include fetishization of women of color, perceptions of women of color having increased sexual promiscuity, and a decreased risk of prosecution and penalties due to structural discrimination within the justice system against people of color generally. Further, Native Americans comprise another 40% of human trafficking victims according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), despite comprising less than 10% of the US population, largely as a consequence of racist assimilation policies that promoted the rape and abuse of Native American women. Due to lack of Tribal access to the full Federal justice system and limited ability to convict non-Natives, as well as increased poverty rates on reservation limiting access to legal services, many of these crimes go unreported or unprosecuted.

When evaluating human trafficking involivng children, the risk for exploitation increases when a child receives maltreatment, neglect, or abuse at home, experience low self-esteem, and experiences a limited social support system. These factors include familial rejection of a child’s identity, frequent runaways, having one or more parents suffering from addiction and drug abuse, experiencing homelessness, and lacking access to education. Child labor trafficking risk increases when a child is an unaccompanied minor, recent migrant, undocumented, or a member of a disadvantaged or marginalized community. Children who are in the child welfare system or are involved in unstable social environments such as gang activity are increasingly likely to be exposed to both forms of human trafficking.

There are several recommendations by nonprofits, advocacy groups, and governments for strategies to combat human trafficking, particularly child human trafficking. One of the most common of these strategies is to increase education on human trafficking, including the identification of signs and risk factors, through in-school activities and community training events. Additionally, education on socio-economic development, including curriculums teaching about safe dating and relationships and the use of the internet, are also key ways to begin anti-trafficking initiatives early on in a child’s development. Investing in after school programs and reporting mechanisms for suspicious behavior and activities related to trafficking are also ways to combat the crime at the local level.

Preventing human trafficking at the local level requires a comprehensive approach that address other socio-economic challenges that may increase a person’s risk to exploitation. As mentioned, human trafficking victims are most often part of minority or underserved communities. Therefore, efforts to combat trafficking must incorporate methods to decrease systemic socio-economic inequalities and discrimination at all levels to be a fully comprehensive strategy. By implementing strategies to reduce crime, such as by creating community safe spaces and encouraging mobilization for social justice, as well as addressing housing and other socio-economic challenges such as homelessness, poverty, and food insecurity, the overall stability of a community increases, decreasing the risk of exploitation. Further, by providing public service establishments training in the signs of human trafficking, as well as bias-training to combat racism or gender discrimination that may limit the quality of a person’s care, a community is better equiped to address the crime of trafficking, as well as provide care for the victims.

Human Trafficking in the United States and the National Capital Area

Evaluating rates of human trafficking in the United States is largely a patchwork of various data collections compiled by the federal government, local governments, and nonprofit organizations. The data collection considered to be one of the most extensive statistical analyses of human trafficking in the country is that of the United States National Human Traffickign Hotline (USNHT Hotline), which compiles data from phone calls, texts, online chats, emails, and online tip reports to the organization. In 2020, the USNHT Hotline reported 10,583 incidents of human trafficking involving 16,658 victims.

At the federal level, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the agency responsible for records on human trafficking. The FBI primarily utilizes the Uniform Crime Reporting Program’s Human Trafficking data collection, in which states voluntarily report the number of arrests and reported crimes related to human trafficking, as the primary source for statistical analysis. However, only 47 states report to the program, 10 of which joined between 2015 and 2020. In 2019, 32 states reported at least one human trafficking offense to National Corrections Reporting Program, another voluntary program for general crime data collection. Because of the voluntary nature of federal reporting programs, and varying definitions and data criteria for human trafficking across agencies and non profits, it has historically been difficult to ascertain the true state of human trafficking in the United States. In addition, data collection was limited during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the suspected expanded use of social media and the internet to conduct human trafficking operations and the increased risk of exploitation due to job loss and economic hardship.

The National Capital Area, which includes the District of Columbia (DC), Maryland, and Virginia (from here-on referred to as the DMV), is known as a high risk area for human trafficking by local governments and law enforcement agencies due to its position as a major metropolitan area on the East Coast and connection to major transportation systems. In 2020, the USNHT Hotline recorded 119 reported cases of human trafficking in Virginia , 136 in Maryland, and 41 in DC. In a 2019 study, DC was ranked as the city with the highest number of reported cases of human trafficking, with 401 reports between 2007 and 2016, while Richmond, Virginia was listed as the city with the 10th highest number of cases, at 170. Baltimore, Maryland is also considered to be a hot spot for human trafficking, due to high poverty rates and unemployment, access to major transportation hubs such as the Thurgood Marshall Baltimore Washington International Airport, and the existence of three major bus terminals that are located in the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area. According to the Human Trafficking Institute, between 2000 and 2021, 163 federal prosecutions of human trafficking have been for crimes committed in the DMV, involving 304 defendents and 609 victims. 75 of those cases were filed between 2016 and 2021.

However, DC, Maryland, and Virginia differ in their definition and prosecution of human trafficking, policies and mechanisms in place to combat the crimes, and resources for victims. In order to provide a well-rounded picture of the state of human trafficking in the DMV, profiles for each jurisdiction (DC, Maryland, and Virginia) are provided below.

The District of Columbia

As DC is not a state, human trafficking crimes are defined based on US Federal Law. Penalties vary depending on the length of time the crime was committed and the status of parties involved (age, wellbeing, form of exploitation, etc.) and can range from 5 to 20 years imprisonment with fines up to $250,000 should the crime result in a victim’s death. Due to DC’s non-state status, multiple agencies are responsible for tracking human trafficking violations, including the FBI, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Within MPD are two investigative units for human trafficking: the Human Trafficking Unit and the Youth and Family Services Division (YFSD). The Human Trafficking Unit is responsible for the investigation and persecution of human trafficking-related crimes, while YFSD is responsible for all crimes realted to child abuse, neglect, and exploitation. YFSD investigations are supplemented by data from the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS), who screens youth for signs of human trafficking. To do this, DYRS coordinates with the Child Guidance Clinic within the DC Court Social Services Division to evaluate signs of human trafficking, abuse, and other forms of exploitation through the Sex Trafficking Assessment Review (STAR), an assessment tool to identify and confirm incidents of human trafficking in youth. DC MPD also has a Special Liaison Unit, which provides services for traditionally disadvantaged and minority communities, including resources for people of color, people who identify as LGBT+, and the deaf community.

In investigations led by the Human Trafficking Unit and federal agencies between 2016 and 2020, the majority of human trafficking crimes in DC were related to sex trafficking, with the majority of victims identifying as female and a person of color. For crimes investigated by YFSD in the same time frame, the vast majority of victims were children of color who identified as girls. Since 2007, the USNHT Hotline reported 873 total human trafficking cases in DC, with 898 victims showing moderate indicators of human trafficking, and 905 victims showing high indicators of human trafficking. In 2020, USNHT Hotline reported 41 cases involving 185 contacts, or potential victims and/or witness reports. Between 2016 and 2020, 8 cases have been prosecuted at the Federal level, involving 16 defendants and 23 victims. Further, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), between 2012 and 2016, the majority of DC sex trafficking crimes were committed on the street, through online ads, or at hotels, while DC labor trafficking crimes largely took place in the form of peddling rings, domestic work, and in education.

From a policy standpoint, DC has prioritized human trafficking as a key area of concern. In 2004, The US Attorney General’s DC Office created the DC Human Trafficking Task Force (DC HTTF), which received the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) trafficking grant to combat human trafficking in the region. DC HTTF is currently chaired by both the US Attorney General’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General for DC (OAGDC). DC HTTF’s goals are to coordinate government, law enforcement, and organization anti-trafficking policies, identify trafficking victims, increase victims services, and increase prosecution of trafficking offenders. The Task Force provides a victims service directory as well as tracks ongoing federal prosecutions of trafficking crimes based in the DMV area. In addition, OAGDC oversees a Human Trafficking Initiative, which conducts education campaigns in schools, trainings for community members, and reviews specific cases related to sex trafficking and child abuse. OAGDC also distributes yearly public service announcements available in English and Spanish, and fact sheets available in English, Spanish, Amharic, Vietnamese, Korean, and Mandarin.

The DC Child and Family Services Agency has published a human trafficking resource guide, which provides a list of hotlines, shelters, support programs, nonprofits, and legal aid in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. The DC Office of Victims Services and Justice Grants also runs its own trafficking hotline, in addition to providing resources on victim compensation grants and support for trafficking victim recovery programs. The DC Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is partnered with DC HTTF to provide anti-trafficking materials to commercial drivers license holders as well as PSA campaigns in rest stops and public areas. For child trafficking victims, DC is a “safe harbor” state, in which protect children from facing charges of prostitution due to trafficking or other crimininalization, and instead places them in the care of social services. DC is the only jurisdiction within the DMV that has “safe harbor” status.

DC also has a significant advocacy and nonprofit community to support victims of human trafficking. Notable organizations include the Polaris Project, a national organiation which provides services to victims of human trafficking in the DC area, Innocents at Risk, who combats local and global trafficking, and FAIR Girls, which uses education and advocacy to combat trafficking and support victims. Other organizations, like the federally-funded Criminal Justice Coordination Council, provides analyses of DC human trafficking laws, prosecutions, and other initiatives.

Maryland

Maryland classifies human trafficking as a misdemeanor, which receives a fine of up to $5,000 and/or 10 years in prison, or as crimes involving a minor, which receives a 15,000 fine and/or 25 years in prison. Over the past decade, Maryland has introduced several laws that focus on combatting human trafficking state-wide, including House Bill 456, establishing the Workgroup to Study Safe Harbour Policy for Youth Victims of Human Trafficking, which issued a formal report on recommendations for protections and support for trafficking victims under the age of 18 in 2015. In 2014, the State Senate passed two bills addressing child sex trafficking and victim confidentiality further criminalizing human trafficking at the state level. In 2017, Maryland passed the Protecting Victims of Sex Trafficking Act of 2017, expanding the definition of child sexual molestation and child sex trafficking under the law. Maryland also requires all public rest areas, truck stops, and bus areas to post information on human trafficking resources from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center.

In 2020, Maryland was the 20th state with the highest call volume to the USNHT Hotline, with 529 reports. Between 2016 and 2021, there were 35 cases prosecuted at the Federal level for human trafficking, involving 49 defendents and 131 victims. Since 2007, Maryland has reported a total of 1,424 moderate victims, or victims who show several indicators of human trafficking at the time of reporting, and 1,249 high victims, or victims with high indicators of human trafficking at the time of reporting. According to HHS, between 2012 and 2016, the top five sex trafficking venues in Maryland were hotels, online ads, commercial-front brothels, residential brothels, and escort services. The top four labor trafficking venues were domestic work, restaurants and food service, begging rings, and traveling sales crews.

Maryland’s Child Protective Services (CPS) and Local Departments of Social Services (DSS), reported 671 instances of suspected child sex trafficking between 2013 and 2020, with the most cases coming from “Baltimore City, Prince George’s County, Washington County, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, Harford County and Montgomery County.” Because Maryland is not a “safe harbor” state, children are not automatically granted immunity from prostitution charges, meaning that much of the data collected is a result of juvenile arrests. Data for labor trafficking in Maryland is more limited due to lack of reporting mechanisms, but between 2015 and 2018, USNHT reported that there were 384 suspected victims of labor trafficking and 96 victims of sex and labor trafficking for the entire DMV area. Half of these victims were identified as foreign nationals.

Maryland utilizes a Human Trafficking Task Force (MHTTF) as the primary body to promote policies to combat human trafficking, similar to the DC HTTF. Formed in 2007 by the US Attorney’s Office, Attorney General of Maryland, and State’s Attorney of Baltimore, MHTTF provides a set of resources for trafficking victims, conducts investigations, and partners with community organizations to advance the prosecution of those accused of trafficking crimes. MHTTF provides training to law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as advocates for increased legal protections for trafficking victims. MHTTF achieves its work through seven subcommittees: The Victims Services Subcommittee, the Legislation Subcommittee, the Public Awareness Subcommittee, the Training Subcommittee, the Law Enforcement Subcommittee, the Labor Trafficking Subcommittee and the Grant Subcommittee. MHTTF also coordinates with several local task forces, including the Baltimore City Human Trafficking Collaborative, Eastern Shore HTTF, Howard County HTTF, Prince George’s County HTTF, and the Montgomery County HTTF.

Other state-based human trafficking initiatives inlcude Maryland’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services, which offers a list of available hotlines and resources statewide for victims of human trafficking, in addition to educational materials about the signs of sex and labor trafficking in both adults and children. The Maryland Attorney General’s office also provides a list of resources, contact information for government agencies such as the Department of Public Safety, and updates on recent anti-trafficking legislation. This includes Maryland’s process to becoming a safe harbor state, which may be attained through the Victims of Child Sex Trafficking and Human Trafficking – Safe Harbor and Service Response Act, which is currently in consideration by the State House and Senate. Local governments also have their own human trafficking initiativies, such as Baltimore County Government’s Human Trafficking Workgroup, and Howard County’s Office of Human Trafficking Prevention.

Similarly, the University of Maryland works closely with state government to promote victim protection through legislation through its Support, Advocacy, Freedom and Empowerment (SAFE) Center for Human Trafficking Survivors. The SAFE Center successfully collaborated with state government to pass three additional human trafficking bills in 2019-2020: Child Sex Trafficking Screening and Services Act, requiring children in social services to be screened for signs of trafficking, the Anti-Exploitation Act of 2019 which provides a framework for state-level prosecutions of labor trafficking, and the The Sex Trafficking Recodification Bill of 2019, which formally recognizes trafficking as a crime against a person and improves data collection efforts.

To complement government-led initiatives, Maryland also has several non-profit organizations that promote anti-trafficking policies and advocate for increased prosecution for offenders and services for victims. The Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA) coordinates a state-wide effort to combat rape and sexual assault, including as a result of human trafficking. MCASA also provides a focused set of resources specifically for trafficking victims. Similarly, the Maryland Hospital Association (MHA) published the Human Trafficking: Guidelines for Health Care Providers, last updated in 2020, to provide tools for health care professionals to identify the signs of human trafficking and assist victims. Organizations like Ayuda, which serves the entire DMV, provide services tailored for immigrants and foreign nationals, as well as victims who do not speak English as a first language. Services include legal aid, visa support, and information related to social services and criminal prosecution of trafficking crimes.

Virginia

Virginia classifies commercial sextrafficking as a Class 5 Felony, which is a crime that can be considered either a felony or a misdemeanor, and results in either 1 to 10 years in prison if the crime is a felony or a fine of $2,500 or up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine if the crime is a misdemeanor. If the crime involves a minor, it is classified as a Class 3 Felony, which results in 5 to 20 years in prison and up to a $100,000 fine. Crimes related to prostitution, including as a form of human trafficking, are calssified as a Class 4 Felony, which results in 2-10 years in prison and up to a $100,000 fine.

In 2013, Virginia established a state level advisory group, the Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinating Committee, which comprised of state legislators to improve Virginia trafficking prevention and response efforts. In 2019, the Virginia General Assembly established a State Trafficking Response Coordinator within the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, which serves as the primary position to address trafficking in the state. The State Trafficking Response Coordinator is responsible for establishing a collaborative multi-disciplinary response system for human trafficking, including providing both victims services and legal prosecution of offenders, as well as coordination with state and local agencies, non-profits, and private entities.

The USNHT reports that there were 189 total number of situations of human trafficking reported in 2019, compared to 199 in 2018 and 158 in 2018. In 2020, 119 cases were reported through the hotline. Further, the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) reported that 38 children within the child welfare system were identified as victims of human sex trafficking in Fiscal Yeat 2021, and VDSS conducted 15 human trafficking assessments involving 23 children. VDSS also manages an online reporting portal for mandated reporters of child abuse and neglect, including child trafficking. Virginia law enforcement reported 277 arrests in 2020 for prostitituion, assisting or promoting proostituion, and human trafficking/commercial sex acts. At the federal level, between 2016 and 2021, there were 33 prosecuted cases involving 69 defendants and 97 victims. Since 2007, Virginia has reported a total of 1,546 human trafficking cases, including 1,712 victims with moderate human trafficking indicators and 1,679 victims with high human trafficking indicators. According to HHS, between 2012 and 2016 the top five venues for sex trafficking were commercial-front brothels, hotels, escort services, online ads, and residential brothels, while the top five venues for labor trafficking were domestic work, traveling sales crews, restaurant and food services, health and beauty services, and retail.

Virginia’s CPS and State Police Human Trafficking Unit are the primary responders for juvenile human trafficking cases, while the State Police and the non-profit Virginia Victims Assistance Network (VVAN) are the primary responders for adult cases. Virginia also utilzies a Fusion Center, a collaborative effort between state and federal agencies, to share resources and information to identify, prevent, and respond to terrorist and criminal activity, including human trafficking. The Fusion center provides guidance on overcoming language barriers, addressing victim fear of law enforcement, and identifying force, fraud, and coercion tactics used by traffickers to increase visibility of trafficking crimes. In 2022, Virginia State Police launched Operation Safe Passage, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, in which state policy are positioned at various truck stops, motor carrier service centers, and rest areas Virginia on select days to engage with drivers and distribtue educational materials on human trafficking.

To evaluate current progress in combatting human trafficking, the Sex Trafficking Response Coordinator releases an annual report outlining past achievements and current challenges. In 2020-2021, the Coordinator’s report emphasized the role of state and regional human trafficking task forces as the primary drivers of the state’s human trafficking response, specifically as it relates to publishing information about treatment programs and victims services, and interacting with non-profits such as VVAN. The two primary state task forces are the Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinating Committee, mentioned above, and the Child Trafficking Workgroup, which operates under the Coordinating Committee’s umbrella. Key regional task forces include the I-81 Corridor HTTF, the Northern Virgnina HTTF, Richmond Regional Human Trafficking Collaborative, the Hampton Roads HTTF, and the Roanoke Valley HTTF. In addition, in 2019, Governor Glenn Youngkin also established the Commission on Human Trafficking Prevention and Survivor Support, which included officials from law enforcement, experts, scholars, and survivors of human trafficking coordinating with public agencies to increase human trafficking education, prosecution, and victim support.

Virginia is a recipient of the Federal Office for Victims of Crime’s Services for Minor Victims of Sex Trafficking Grant, which provided $1.7 million for support services focused on minor victims of sex trafficking in the western protoin of the state. This includes case management, forensic examination services, residual facilities for juveniles, therapeutic services, free legal services, and specialized training for professional service providers. The possibility of expanding this funding to the rest of the state is dependent on the success of these services in the western region. Additionally, the state provides Sexual Exploitation Treatement and Training Services (SETTS) for case managers and clinicians to provide human trafficking response training, both virtually to accommodate the COVID-19 pandemic, and in person, as a key strategy to increase anti-trafficking strategies in public services. Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services also provides a victim resource guide divided into the 7 regions of the state, including specific information for recent immigrants and refugees from Afghanistan.

In the legislative realm, State Representatives introduced 19 human trafficking bills into the Virginia General Assembly in the 2021-2022 session, of which three were passed. This includes HB 258, which creates an online training course for hotel staff to recognize and report human trafficking, HB 283, which allows for the creation of human trafficking training standards for law enforcement. Two bills that did not pass the General Assembly include HB 579, which would expunge court records for sex trafficking victims beyond those related to prostitution and “keeping, residing in, or frequenting a bawdy place,” and HB 755, which would have created the Anti-Human Trafficking and Survivor Trust Fund to support vicitms.

Notably, Virginia Senate Bill SB664, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which would make Virginia a safe harbor state for juvenile trafficking victims, failed to pass the Virginia House Courts of Justice Committee in March 2022, despite passing with strong bipartisan support in the Virginia Senate. The vote occurred without holding a hearing to allow for testimony from stakeholders, including survivors and advocacy groups. A full list of state human trafficking laws that are currently in effect are available on the Virginia Attorney General’s Website

Going forward, the Sex Trafficking Response Coordinator recommends the state government to create a comprehensive state human trafficking data collection system, pass legislation to allow law enforcement to obtain a shelter care order for habitual runaways, increase funding for regional trafficking specialist positions, increase funding for anti-traffickign training, and dedicate additional resources to utilizing the WestCoast Children’s Center CSE-IT human trafficking screening advisory tool, which is the state-sanctioned screening tool for potential trafficking victims.

To complement government-led initiatives, there are several non-profits in Virginia that advocate for anti-trafficking policies and provide support for victims. As mentioned, VVAN is the primary non profit that works with state government to provide victim assistance, including an info-line dedicated to human trafficking. VVAN also provides resources for survivors of attempted homicide. Another organization, imPACT Virginia, is a grassroots all-volunteer organization that raises public awareness of human trafficking, specifically child trafficking. There are also several faith-based support services for trafficking victims, including Reset180, a Christian advocacy group that provides educational information, disruption techniques to combat trafficking, and victims services, and Samaritan House Virginia, and inter-faith shelter that focuses on providing resources for victims from marginalized, disadvantaged, or oppressed groups. In 2021, two major anti-trafficking non profits, the Richmond Justice Initiative and Virginia Beach Justice Initiative merged to form FreeKind VA, which provides both an educational curriculum and restorative justice resources for victims. National nonprofits such as the Polaris Project also operate in Virginia.

Conclusion

Because of the three legal jurisdictions within the National Capital Area, it is difficult to ascertain overall statistics, policies, and initaitives related to human trafficking. However, DC, Maryland, and Virginia all prioritize human trafficking to some degree as a focus area for law enforcement, public services, and advocacy due to their position along the east coast and as a key connection point for major interstates, airports, and rail services. There are several ways to provide a more regional-focused analysis, such as through organizations like the Regional Interdisciplinary Collaborative Working to Disrupt Human Trafficking, which coordinates between stakeholders at the National, Regional, State, and Local levels to gather data and raise trafficking awareness in multiple fields, including education, law enforcement, health care, and religious services. Regional groups such as this are able to bring together experts, survivors, and public service providers to create a clearear picture of the state of human trafficking in a wider area, which is essential for combatting the transport of victims over state lines. However, strong state and local mechanisms to combat trafficking and support victims are still vital to achieving meaningful progress towards eradicating the crime.

Going forward, to successfully create a sustainable anti-trafficking environment, in line with goals set by SDG 16, the states comprising the DMV area must continue expanding protections for victims, funding training and support services, and increasing prosecutions of trafficking offenders. This includes implementing policies such as safe harbor to protect juvenile victims from criminalization, as well as increasing penalties for accused traffickers and additional protections for adult victims facing criminalization as a result of their exploitation. Further, because trafficking is linked to stability in key socio-economic areas such as housing, food security, and access to social services, continuing to implement policies that positively advance sustainable development in DMV communities will impact the likelihood of exploitation as a result of economic desperation. Finally, continuing to raise awareness, both at the local level, and at the interstate level, will always be an essential mechanism for combating trafficking, but requires not only sustained and thorough data collection mechanisms, but also commitment from the government, public services, and local organizations to ensure that all members of the community are included in education campaigns and training programs. While human trafficking is not a challenge that can be solved easily, comprehensive strategies to ensure a restorative justice system, sustainable and accessible community services, and increased public engagement will result in tangible progress towards creating a safer environment.