Groups and law enforcement raise awareness on National Human Trafficking Day
HARRISBURG, Pa. (KDKA) -- January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and Thursday is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
Groups and law enforcement are trying to raise awareness about human trafficking.
Salvation Army serves human trafficking survivors
KDKA-TV's Mamie Bah has more on how the Salvation Army is serving survivors.
"Human trafficking is prevalent. It's happening everywhere: urban areas, rural areas, western Pennsylvania," said Lauren Fair, the divisional social services director at Salvation Army.
That's why the Salvation Army is continuing to bring attention to human trafficking, this month and today.
The Salvation Army's LIGHT Project is helping those in the Pittsburgh area find a way out. Last year, the LIGHT Project served 64 adults and one minor.
"We have staff and teams dedicated to working with survivors," said Fair.
As of January 2023, the FBI is investigating more than 1,675 cases of human trafficking nationwide -- more than double the year before. In Pennsylvania, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received at least a thousand calls in 2021 -- nearly a third were from victims and survivors.
The Salvation Army is asking everyone to join the fight.
"Because human trafficking affects everyone," Fair said.
Survivors will be telling their stories at Pittsburgh's City-County Building on Jan. 20.
Nonprofit fights against human trafficking every day
Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. KDKA-TV's Jessica Guay spoke with a man who rescues survivors and fights against this often invisible crime every day.
"This is a major epidemic, and unfortunately, it goes unseen," said Asservo Project CEO and cofounder Joe Sweeney.
Sweeney is on the front lines of spreading awareness about human trafficking. For him, Jan. 11 is about bringing the human trafficking epidemic out of the shadows.
"The crime itself, how the crime is conducted from an organized fashion, what the survivors go through to get through it and also some ideas and some initiatives for prevention," he said.
This year, he hopes to double their number of seminars to educate more kids and adults.
Sweeney and his experienced staff hunt down traffickers and predators through surveillance and evidence work. They hand leads over to law enforcement. The Asservo Project also runs a tipline.
"We're getting calls not only here in western Pennsylvania and the tri-state area, but all over the country. And we follow up on these leads and we're looking to add to our resources because of the workload," said Sweeney.
Sweeney was a supporter of a state Senate bill signed into law just before the new year. Act 39 ensures children no longer have to identify a trafficker to access services.
"It's kind of two-fold. It's starting to address the demand issue by holding the buyers accountable and it's also protecting the identity of the minors who up until now, they had to identify themselves and they had to be in the same room as the abuser, which was very problematic," Sweeney said.
Sweeney says you can make a difference by simply talking about the dangers of trafficking with family, friends or colleagues.
"Especially if you have young kids and even young adult children who may be vulnerable. Bring it to light, don't be afraid to have those conversations, don't be afraid to reach out to organizations like ours if you have a question, doesn't have to be a lead," he said.
The Asservo Project even played a role at a public hearing about human trafficking Thursday. A Senate Majority Policy Committee met with the nonprofit's director of investigations, other organizations and law enforcement. They discussed the complexities of the crime, legislation development, awareness and education and support for survivors.
Attorney General Michelle Henry testified as well. She just announced the launch of the office's first-ever human trafficking section to increase efforts to investigate and prosecute cases and better assist victims.
AG's office launches statewide human trafficking section
Pennsylvania's attorney general's office is launching a statewide human trafficking section.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office announced the section's creation during January, which is Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The section will take a multidisciplinary approach to tackle human trafficking, the attorney general's office said.
"Human trafficking takes many forms, often exploiting the vulnerabilities of people in need, leaving them with lasting devastation and trauma," said Attorney General Michelle Henry in a news release. "I am proud to announce our office's new section dedicated solely to human trafficking, and look forward to continuing our work with local, state, and federal partners who are making monumental strides to bring these heinous crimes out of the shadows."
The section will work with local, state and federal agencies to investigate and prosecute human trafficking crimes. As victims are often moved across jurisdictional lines, the attorney general's office says collaboration among agencies is critical.
The section will also continue education and outreach efforts, training people to recognize signs of sex trafficking and use best practices to address it.
Just in the past year, the attorney general's office says it prosecuted multiple serious cases. One man, Joseph "Jay" Pulizzi, was arrested for allegedly operating a human trafficking ring across multiple counties, using promises of money, housing and security to exploit at least seven victims experiencing homelessness and drug misuse. The attorney general's office called it a "textbook example" of the tactics often used by human traffickers.
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, call the Pennsylvania State Police Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-292-1919 or contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline by calling or texting 233733 (befree) to 1-888-373-7888.