Even with more members of the public becoming informed about human trafficking and its devastating effects within their communities, there is still a host of misconceptions surrounding the issue including confusion about the applicable laws to whether victims are willing participants. To better educate the Commonwealth at large about human trafficking, The Pennsylvania Alliance Against Trafficking Humans, better known as “PAATH”, has launched a collaborative website to both inform the public and spark critical conversations about trafficking.
The new website features details about Act 105 -Pennsylvania’s anti-trafficking legislation- breaking it down and explaining it in a straightforward manner that makes the law’s impacts, goals, and formalities jump off the page to every reader. Additionally, info-graphics are used to show who can be held criminally and civilly liable for trafficking under Act 105, including sex buyers and third party businesses. An interactive map of Pennsylvania is also featured within the website’s “Resources” section that enables users to click on any region of the state to see what organizations are actively working to combat trafficking in that area. The Resources section also displays the National Human Trafficking Hotline number (1-888-373-7888), and the BeFree Textline number (Text HELP to 233733), which both offer immediate assistance to trafficking victims.
Indeed, the material on the PAATH website is not only informative to the general public in the Commonwealth, but it is also seamlessly victim-conscious. Each page on the website contains a banner at the top of the page with a link that will automatically take the user to Google’s homepage for those who may want to quickly exit the site.
Interactive, informative, and user-friendly resources like the PAATH website are important tools in the fight against human trafficking. The CSE Institute encourages our supporters to visit the website and spread the word about its usefulness as both an educational tool and potential lifeline for Pennsylvania trafficking victims.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.