Manassas, VA – More than 250 concerned citizens filled a Manassas auditorium for a town hall that took place on the heels of a new lawsuit, filed by Michelle Blair, the legal guardian of Sage Blair, a victim of human trafficking. Bill Woolf, former Director of Human Trafficking Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice and current candidate for State Senate, educated the Manassas community members on human trafficking and its direct impact on the community.
Sage Blair's high profile trafficking case stems from allegations her school hid information from her legal guardians, which they say created a situation where Sage was vulnerable and preyed on by human traffickers. Following her return home, Sage became the inspiration for Sage's Law, a bill that would stop schools from hiding information from parents and stop them from encouraging students to lie to their parents.
Mr. Woolf, who is running to represent Manassas, Manassas Park, and Western Prince William County, spoke alongside Susan Young, whose daughter was a trafficking victim and is the founder of the Parent Coalition to End Human Trafficking, and Laura Hanford, an architect of Sage's Law, a proposed bill that would have prevented the school from encouraging Sage to lie to her legal guardians about issues she was facing. Woolf has pledged to support Sage's Law in Richmond next year and will lead the way on ensuring it passes after having watched the bill fail in the Senate in 2023.
The event, held last Saturday evening in the gymnasium of the Seton School in Manassas, was attended by over 250 people, interested in hearing expert opinions about the vile Human Trafficking issues. Parental involvement in their children's lives and the importance of taking care of behavioral health issues in our youth were major themes of the event. Anti-Trafficking International and Bakhita Kids, two community-based non-profits were in attendance to share educational resources with attendees.
Following the event, Mr. Woolf said, "The growing awareness of human trafficking issues is the first step to solving the problem and protecting the vulnerable in our community. I'm disappointed to see that my opponent, Delegate Danica Roem, led the opposition that ultimately stopped Sage's Law from being codified into law last year. Human Trafficking is not a left vs. right issue. I am ready to sponsor Sage's Law in Richmond next year, and eager to work with every member of the General Assembly to get it passed and signed into law. Human traffickers benefit when parents are disconnected from their children's lives. In Richmond, I will ensure that our schools are not driving a wedge in the middle of families, and I will fight for our children's right to have their parents involved in their lives." |
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