ROANOKE, Va. – Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares believes local businesses can be part of the solution to addressing human trafficking in the Commonwealth.
Miyares called trafficking a ‘crime that happens in plain sight.’
In September, he announced the launch of an initiative to combat human trafficking in partnership with businesses across the Commonwealth.
The new program, 100% Business Alliance Against Trafficking, is a workforce training program aimed at educating employees on how to identify and report suspected incidents of human trafficking. On Thursday, the Roanoke Chamber of Commerce joined a partnership with the AG’s office to be on the alliance.
“Anybody in law enforcement will tell you, this is not a battle that we can win on our own. This is a battle in which there are casualties, there are victims but we need help,” Miyares said.
According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, during the year 2021, there were reportedly 179 victims of human trafficking in Virginia.
While the alliance program is geared towards businesses, anyone can be part of the solution.
“Keep an eye out for certain tattoos and markings, if they’re disheveled, they won’t make eye contact … somebody who’s really hesitant to show you their ID,” Miyares said. “It’s as simple as just hitting #77 on your cellphone and type and in VSP which stands for Virginia State Police and say what you’ve seen and where you’ve seen it.”
Miyares called Roanoke an epicenter for human trafficking. With the city just off Interstate 81, a lot of trafficking is done through the valley.
“Once you have a large transient area tragically one of the negative by-products of that is human trafficking as well,” Miyares said.
Organizations like Project Horizon in Lexington and Straight Street in Roanoke are providing resources to victims of human trafficking in Southwest and Central Virginia.
Keith Farmer, Founder and Director of Straight Street, has his message for the community.
“It would be better to make a call to the state police or law enforcement to find out nothing is wrong than to find out that was a human trafficking victim you did nothing for,” Farmer said.
Farmer was recognized and awarded the ‘silent hero’ award from Miyares’ office.