RICHMOND, Va. — Evelyn Chumbow was nine years old when she was brought from Cameroon to the United States and then abused and forced to perform work without pay. Dawn Schiller was a 15-year-old girl living in Los Angeles when she was forced into sex trafficking and drug dealing.
The women stood side by side and shared their stories at a regional summit on human trafficking held at VCU Medical Center in Richmond.
They hope by sharing their stories they can educate others on what to look out for to help future victims.
Human trafficking, which includes both sexual and forced labor, is the second-largest criminal enterprise in the world behind drug trafficking.
“[Human trafficking is a] $150 billion per year enterprise that exploits human beings for peoples’ own personal gain, pleasure, or profit,” Attorney General Jason Miyares (R – Virginia) said about the global issue.
There are hundreds of reported human trafficking cases here in Virginia every year.
In fact, Miyares said the Commonwealth has seen an increase in people trafficking their own family members.