January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month | Janice Martino-Gottshall, Senior Counsel at the Independence Law Center As a former criminal prosecutor at both the county and state levels, I am very aware of the impact of crime on the lives of women and children – an impact of life-altering trauma that is very difficult to overcome. In January we recognize Human Trafficking Awareness Month, which is especially important for Pennsylvanians as our state is, unfortunately, in the top ten states for the most reported cases of human trafficking, Pittsburgh is one of the top ten cities for human trafficking in the nation and Central Pennsylvania's Route 15 has been identified as a major point of transport for moving victims of human trafficking.  Human trafficking disproportionately impacts women and children. Victims of this modern-day slavery are trafficked for sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, forced marriage, forced labor and even organ removal. Those who are targeted are those who are the most vulnerable – children who have suffered abuse and neglect or are runaways and women who are homeless, economically disadvantaged or have a history of drug and substance abuse. According to the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) report for human trafficking cases filed in 2019, 97.7% of trafficking victims were female. In 57.7% of the cases, all victims were children; 19% of the cases involved both adult and child victims. Human trafficking is one of the ultimate violations of freedom and tramples on human dignity. It is a blight on our society and PA Family has and will continue to fight against it. In 2020, we supported the Buyer Beware Act, which became law in April 2020. This Act increased maximum sentences and fines for those convicted of human trafficking. The money raised through these increased fines are used to fund grants awarded to human trafficking programs.  We are currently tracking new legislation about to be introduced that would make it easier for victims of human trafficking to seek and receive support services, even when they are unwilling or unable to identify the person responsible for exploiting them. We are also tracking new legislation that would amend the Pennsylvania Crimes Code to make it easier to prosecute individuals who patronize victims of sexual servitude and provide increased penalties for those who patronize victims under 18 years of age.  Also we have to acknowledge that pornography and sex trafficking are inseparably linked. Much of society denies or is unaware of this fact. We recognize that there is a "seamless link" between pornography, sexual oriented businesses and sex trafficking (according to Dr. Mary Anne Layden at the University of Pennsylvania). In fact, the new term for "child pornography" is "child abuse material." That's why we also support legislation that would help to curb the marketing and access to pornography, especially involving minors. PA Family will continue to fight for policy that holds traffickers accountable and provides victims of trafficking victims with greater access to services and the means to escape the bondage of trafficking. If you would like to get involved in helping victims, there are several organizations you can get plugged in with. You can get started by looking into Living in Liberty, Greenlight Operation, Peace Promise, North Star Initiative, Hope. Inspire. Love., or the National Center On Sexual Exploitation.  Together,

Janice Martino-Gottshall Senior Counsel  Independence Law Center