Armed with awareness about human trafficking

FROM WHERE I SIT

By Anita Sherman, Community Editor

In early September, I attended an event held at Taylor Middle School. It was organized by a friend and professional colleague of mine, Amelia Stansell. Amelia and I also sit on a board – Be the Change Foundation – that encourages women to embrace entrepreneurship. Amelia is a vice president at Middleburg Bank, an adjunct professor at Lord Fairfax Community College, a member of Rotary, is active at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, chairs Experience Old Town Warrenton, is active in the Fauquier Chamber and the list goes on. I’m confident she wouldn’t be offended when I say that Amelia is Type A on steroids. If Amelia is on the agenda or in the room at a meeting, things will happen…and pretty quickly. High performance is just in her DNA and I admire her grit, energy and heart.

The event at Taylor was a community conversation on human trafficking. Not a subject that is on everyone’s lips and not a subject that most folks want to believe is happening here. This is a subject that you hear about on the news and think foreign countries and poor victimized young girls. That is true. But the version in the states is perhaps more insidious because it can happen while your teenager is in the bedroom on the computer. It can happen innocently among friends that introduce friends to other friends. It’s not so much a quick grab in the dark but a subtle lure over time in the guise of a new romance. As parents and caregivers, we do our best to protect our children but when trouble comes knocking it helps to know who is at the door.

The community conversation was just that. Amelia, with two daughters of her own, assembled a team of presenters including Sheriff Bob Mosier, a representative from the FBI, Bill Woolf, executive director of Just Ask Prevention Project, a representative from the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Initiative and most poignantly, Susan, the mother of a trafficking survivor from Fairfax County. “She could be me,” Amelia sadly shared after that event. This mother was completely caught off guard when her daughter fell prey to the advances of a clever human trafficker. Middle class, educated, stay-at-home mom and vigilant with her daughter’s use of social media. How could it happen? But it did.

According to Mosier, there have been no convictions in Fauquier County of human trafficking but there have been cases that started here but ended up in other counties. At one point in Mosier’s career, he served with the International Justice Mission, a human-rights organization, as director of investigations working in Asia, Middle and Near East, Africa and Latin America. While there, he was all too familiar with human trafficking and its tragic consequences.

Amelia was very touched when she heard accounts from the director of Just Ask Prevention. A grateful phone call from a grandmother, armed with material from that organization, helped her recognize the early warning signs that her granddaughter was being groomed into trafficking and prevent it before it happened. The conversation went on for about another 20 minutes or so as she shared the rest of her story and sought some additional resources and support, but at the end of the conversation the last thing she said was, “if it wasn’t for you, I would have lost my granddaughter forever, please don’t ever stop doing what you are doing, it is so important.”

According to Just Ask Prevention, their work is a team effort. This grandmother’s words were very inspiring. They went on to say that our communities are facing a new threat, one that has the potential to overtake the drug trade in the next couple of years. The threat of human trafficking is one that has the potential to take the lives and innocence of our own children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or other kids within our community.

This is the big ‘why’ for Amelia and the team that she has assembled for these community conversations. Just as with the opioid crisis, there is no one cure all or solution that will forever fix the problem. But, when we are armed with awareness, we’re all better off. That is the intent of these conversations – to become better informed and hopefully not be caught off guard.

I give Amelia huge credit for her efforts in this area and only laud her many accomplishments because they are so inspiring. To say that she has a full plate is an understatement. But, when she looks in the mirror, she asks herself, “Why not me? Why shouldn’t I do something?” She’s a catalyst for change, for making things happen and her latest mission – spreading the word about human trafficking is yet another worthy cause. As always, she has assembled a caring and driven team. It’s what she does best.

Several hundred attended the September conversation and I suspect as many will attend the upcoming ones. Conversations not to be missed.

If you go

North County Community Conversation about Human Trafficking

Wednesday, Nov. 7, 6:30-8 p.m.

Marshall Middle School

4048 Zulla Road, Marshall

South County Community Conversation about Human Trafficking

Wednesday, Nov 14, 6:30-8 p.m.

Cedar Lee Middle School

1138 Marsh Road, Bealeton