Mini-Symposium October 13th - Sex Trafficking in Virginia

The Center for Global Justice is sponsoring Shared Hope International and the ACLJ to release the result of a groundbreaking study on domestic minor sex trafficking - the Virginia Rapid Assessment and to discuss the Protected Innocence Project.

Prior to the release, students will have the opportunity to view a screening of DEMAND.: A Comparative Examination of Sex Tourism and Trafficking in Jamaica, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States. This short documentary reveals the sophisticated business model behind sex trafficking and tourism, exposing the buyers who bring demand, the traffickers and recruiters who supply the victims, and the facilitators that feed the market. DEMAND shows that the only way to impede the commercial sex markets and the sexual exploitation of women and children is to tackle demand and stop buyers from buying.

Following the screening, Linda Smith, Founder and Director of Shared Hope International and Tessa Dysart, Associate Counsel for the ACLJ, will share how both organizations have been working together to shed light and tackle the legal issue of domestic sex trafficking. Two survivors of trafficking will share their experiences, and Erin Kulpa, Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia, will explain the new and innovative ways that her office is addressing this crime.

There will be a time for Q & A with all speakers, and lunch will follow in the Robertson Hall lobby.