HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — A Henrico-based nonprofit is now one of the first in Central Virginia to provide housing for men who've fallen victim to labor trafficking.
Safe Harbor opened the first-of-its-kind shelter in March, though its location was not shared, due to privacy concerns.
Alexandria Wall, Safe Harbor's Director of Human Trafficking Services, said so far, the shelter has housed three male clients.
"Right now, we’ve had anyone from 18 to like about 40 that we’ve been serving. Any age range can be targeted," Wall said.
Labor traffickers often target men living outside of the United States who are seeking employment opportunities. Victims are told they'll be given a job once they arrive, often with a cleaning, farming, or construction service, with housing and transportation provided.
But in most cases, traffickers will take their employees' documentation papers, force them to engage in work with little or no pay, and then threaten their employees if they try to leave.
“They kind of make it into a bill that they then owe that they can never get out of. So if you’re in that situation, and you don’t have your documents, leaving is not really always an option," Wall said.
According to the U.S. Department of State, between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. each year to perform forced labor.
In 2023, there were 61 labor trafficking, or labor and sex trafficking cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline in 2023.
WATCH: Police arrest several employees in connection to illicit Chesterfield massage parlors
Just last year, Chesterfield Police made a series of arrests at 11 businesses, most of them massage parlors, for both sex and labor trafficking.
Wall said, unfortunately, male victims are less likely to report to authorities. She said the shelter may change that trend.
“There is a large population of males that are targeted also, but there comes such a stigma with that... Like you must be weak, you must be this, you must be that. You know, men can't be taken advantage of or whatever, so they don't come forward as frequently," Wall explained. "So having a safe place for male victims to live and rebuild their lives, it just doesn't really exist in many, in many places... They deserve to receive the help that we give our female clients as well.”
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