Pennsylvania ranks as one of the top states for human trafficking. That’s why a group of state Lawmakers created the new Pennsylvania Anti-Human Trafficking (AHT) Caucus.
The mission of the PA AHT Caucus is to facilitate the passage of AHT legislation; educate fellow elected officials, partnering organizations, and the public on AHT issues; and advocate on behalf of AHT organizations.
“Trafficking a person, especially a child, is a disgusting evil. Unfortunately, it is an evil that’s quickly growing into the number one criminal enterprise in the world; and it’s happening in our very own communities. We need to move quickly to pass the necessary legislation to facilitate the rescue and restoration of victims,” said Sen. Cris Dush, caucus chairman.
“Every one of us deserves to live safe, healthy and dignified lives,” said co-chair Sen. Maria Collett. “This new caucus will allow us to build on the progress we’ve made in advancing bipartisan anti-human trafficking legislation, strengthen partnerships with key stakeholders and send a strong message to the people of Pennsylvania: we are not backing down.”
Specific anti-human trafficking legislation unanimously endorsed by the AHT Caucus steering committee includes:
- Senate Bill 45 – Supported by the state Office of Attorney General, this legislation would move most prostitution-related offenses, such as patronizing prostitutes and promoting prostitution, to the Human Trafficking section of the state Crimes Code. The bill also expands the jurisdiction of the Attorney General’s office to better enable them to fight human trafficking across the commonwealth.
- House Bill 910 – This legislation would upgrade the offense of trafficking infants from a first-degree misdemeanor to a first-degree felony.
“Pennsylvania ranks among the top 10 states in the nation for human trafficking. This is a sad, disturbing reality our caucus knows we must address,” said Rep. Kate Klunk. “That is why we’re working together to raise awareness and advocate for legislative action to combat human trafficking. A single victim of this heinous crime is too many. We are ready to collaborate with stakeholders, victims, and fellow legislators to make a lasting impact for our commonwealth.”
Human trafficking is real-time, organized crime — exploiting and enslaving millions of women and children and illegally generating more than $150 billion worldwide every year.
“Human trafficking has no place in Pennsylvania. We have made real strides, but there is still so much work to be done,” said Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill. “I hope our colleagues will continue to join us in this bipartisan fight to protect victims, hold traffickers accountable and strengthen our laws.”
Through force, fraud and coercion, human traffickers push their victims into demeaning forms of abuse, including domestic servitude and commercial sexual exploitation. If you suspect someone is being trafficked, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
