A former detective on the gang unit believes human trafficking is a pro-life issue. He wants Catholics to reconsider their perspective on this prevalent crime.
Nativity Catholic Church in Burke hosted the annual diocesan Peace and Justice Conference March 11, with additional viewers watching the livestream. As founder of Anti-Trafficking International and the Just Ask Prevention Project, Bill Woolf spoke on “Preserving the Dignity of Human Life: Combating Human Trafficking.” Before the talk, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge celebrated Mass and dedicated the church’s new altar.
In his homily, Bishop Burbidge urged the congregation to refocus their minds and hearts during Lent, to remember God’s love for them. “Promise tonight to leave behind the old way of living,” he said, “so to have newness of life.”
In his keynote, Woolf admitted that he had not heard of human trafficking until years into his career as a detective on the Gang Investigations Unit in Northern Virginia. As he learned more about the crime, Woolf began to notice high rates of human trafficking associated with gang income in Northern Virginia. Woolf was later appointed to lead a human trafficking task force in Northern Virginia, through which he identified 217 trafficking victims. He went on to serve as special adviser to the White House on human trafficking, and after 15 years in law enforcement, he stepped down to serve as executive director of the Just Ask Prevention Project as well as director of the National Human Trafficking Center.
Woolf explained human trafficking involves manipulating and coercing a person to perform either commercial sex or forced unfair labor. According to an International Labour Organization report, he said, more than 50 million people are enslaved currently, many of whom are “living in plain sight.” He said this crisis is not unique to other countries, and it is prevalent in the United States.
In the early 2000s, the U.S. government identified the “3P paradigm” to combat human trafficking: protection for victims, prosecution for offenders and prevention. In spite of this approach, Woolf said, “we have not focused enough on prevention.” Prevention, Woolf clarified, simply involves talking to others about human trafficking and identifying traffickers’ strategies.
“When we look at this issue of human trafficking, everyone wants to know who the victims (are),” Woolf said. “Human traffickers do not discriminate; they go after anyone. All races, ages, ethnicities, genders, socio-economic (status): it really does not matter.”
While analyzing potential victims, Woolf said, traffickers often look for accessibility, suggestibility and vulnerability. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, social media use among young people and children has increased, giving traffickers increased access to victims. By assessing a victim’s vulnerability, traffickers attempt to find a weakness, such as low self-esteem. Traffickers then use suggestibility to gradually lure or manipulate the victim into trafficking.
“We’ve got to be willing to educate our children on what those real threats are, and what’s really out there,” Woolf said. “This is more than a temporal battle, it’s a spiritual battle.”
Despite the prevalence of human trafficking, Woolf said, often when people recognize it, they are hesitant to report it to law enforcement. “So many victims in our own backyard, in our own community, in our own country and around the world,” Woolf said, “are being exploited and victimized because too many people are silent.”
To reverse this trend, Woolf said it is imperative for school administrators and educators to introduce human trafficking prevention resources in schools and parents should have age-appropriate conversations about human trafficking and its warning signs with children.
Woolf ended his talk by challenging participants “to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves in the moment.”
Parishioners from around the diocese attended the conference for a variety of reasons. Rob and Robin Volkert, parishioners of St. Mary of Sorrows Church in Fairfax, asked about church-run anti-human trafficking efforts and was told about this event.
“We have four kids, so I’m curious what’s going on in our area,” Robin said. “I would love to figure out how we can help and work together to help our area (be) a safer place for our kids.”
Julie Borzage, a parishioner of St. Agnes Church in Arlington, discovered the conference through the Arlington diocese’s Young Adult newsletter. “I felt like this presentation gave a lot of examples of what human trafficking looks like,” Borzage said. “I feel like I can walk away now and spot it.”
