During the 2019 regular session of the Virginia General Assembly, bipartisan legislation (SB 1669, Vogel; HB 2576, Krizek) amended the Code of Virginia to create a statewide Sex Trafficking Response Coordinator position (“the coordinator") within the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). The purpose and responsibilities of the position are articulated in Va. Code § 9.1-116.5. Among other duties, the coordinator is required to produce a report summarizing relevant prior-year activities and making recommendations for addressing sex trafficking in the Commonwealth, as needed, to the Governor and General Assembly of Virginia on an annual basis (§ 9.1-116.5(C)). This report, which fulfills the requirements of Va. Code § 9.1-116.5(C) for both 2020 and 2021, is organized into the following sections:

• Summary of Recommendations

• Data on Human Trafficking in Virginia

• Strategic Direction and Coordination – § 9.1-116.5(A)(1,2)

• Services for Minor Victims of Sex Trafficking (Grant)

• Training – § 9.1-116.5(A)(5)

• Screening for Human Trafficking – § 9.1-116.5(A)(1,2,5)

• Education for Persons Convicted of Solicitation of Prostitution – § 9.1-116.5(A)(4)

• Appendix A: Data on human trafficking in Virginia, by source

• Appendix B: Trafficking Resources for Annual Report 2021 (Pursuant to § 9.1-116.5(A)(3))

Each section of this report includes relevant recommendations, if any, in accordance with Va. Code § 9.1-116.5(C). Each section also describes the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the coordinator’s work in each focus area.