Manassas proclaims January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month; Safe House Project outlines local outreach

Manassas — On Jan. 12 the Manassas City Council read a proclamation designating January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month and Jan. 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day in the city.

Mayor (as recorded in the meeting) read the proclamation and thanked local partners. Britney Dunn, cofounder of the Safe House Project, said combating human trafficking requires a collective impact approach and called attention to gaps in victim identification; she described organizational services and local events for January. "We have to have our stakeholders like our law enforcement partners, service providers, educators, health care providers at the table to make sure that human trafficking is not tolerated in our communities," Dunn said.

Rachel Taylor of Prince William County’s Office of Community Safety noted Manassas was a founding member of the Greater Prince William Human Trafficking Task Force in 2008 and encouraged parents and caregivers to attend upcoming informational events, including a January 21 community‑center program targeted to parents and age‑appropriate children.

Law‑enforcement and nonprofit partners emphasized prevention, survivor services and community education; the proclamation encourages residents to wear blue, participate in events and support local prevention efforts. The council joined partners for a brief photo following the proclamation.