VCU news

By Polina Wells

All human trafficking victims are important, said Josh Bailey, CEO and co-founder of the Richmond-based Gray Haven Project, a nonprofit organization committed to providing hope, freedom and opportunity to victims, “Whether it’s a 14-year-old girl from Richmond or a 34-year-old male from Guatemala.”

As part of HumanCare, a VCU Health course, Bailey visited both VCU campuses to explain the issue of human trafficking and what health care providers could do to help.

Bailey’s lecture, “Slavery & Human Trafficking,” touched on the types of human trafficking and the behavior and symptoms of a victim and how to care for them.

More than 60 million women, men and children are affected by human trafficking in some form. Bailey calls the health care industry a significant player for human trafficking issues because 28 percent of victims come into contact with health care providers but are not identified as victims.

Since a lot of victims are afraid to talk about the problem, Bailey advises health care professionals to look for certain symptoms, behaviors or even the person accompanying the patient.

Human trafficking does not always mean sex trafficking. Sometimes, it means labor trafficking. It can happen in legal or illegal businesses in our communities, Bailey said. Since 2012, 250 cases have been recorded in Richmond, but there could be more. In the United States, more than 1.5 million people are enslaved.

When Bailey learned of the human trafficking issue, he and his wife wanted to start something in Richmond since social service organizations were not trained on the issue. Bailey said they wanted to meet the need in Richmond, thus the nonprofit Gray Haven Project was born. The Gray Haven has saved more than 150 survivors in the Richmond area by providing medical care, counseling and crisis response to survivors from around the world.

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