The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania has compiled valuable information to help educate the public on the issue of human trafficking. It can be located on their website. In addition to the information provided about sex trafficking and labor trafficking, the webpage includes a variety of helpful links and documentation. Providing this information in an accessible format is an important contribution to the public discussion of human trafficking.
This valuable resource defines human trafficking as human rights abuses where people profit from exploiting other individuals, typically through force, fraud or coercion, in order to manipulate the individuals into commercial sex or labor in exchange for something of value. This discussion covers sex trafficking and labor trafficking, both of which are components of the broader term of human trafficking. The webpage also comments on the sexual exploitation of children, correctly defining children engaged in the commercial sex industry as victims of sex trafficking. Under Pennsylvania law, the crime of trafficking in minors only requires that a perpetrator recruits, entices, solicits, harbors, transports, provides or maintains an individual or knowingly benefits financially or receives anything of value from any acts formerly listed for the purpose of exchanging any sex act for anything of value. It is not necessary for a prosecutor to prove the “means” element of trafficking known as force, fraud or coercion, in cases of child sex trafficking. This reflects that children who are sexually exploited are victims of child abuse and cannot consent to be bought and sold for sex.
Traffickers prey on vulnerabilities, making certain individuals prime targets for commercial sexual exploitation. By identifying the vulnerabilities trafficking victims often experience, this resource helps the public understand who is at risk and which individuals can be more susceptible to exploitation. Understanding the multitude of factors and vulnerabilities that contribute to victimization is critical to identifying and recovering victims and developing preventative solutions.
The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania’s page also explains the common tactics traffickers use to coerce victims into exploitation including promises of love, money, and a better life. This is another valuable component of the webpage because it highlights a crucial dynamic that often exists between sex traffickers and their victims. The site encourages the public to identify the red flags that often signal a person is at risk or actively being trafficked and lists key identifiers for both labor and sex trafficking. The information also addresses some major myths associated with trafficking, especially concerning sex trafficking, and provides credible information and resources to combat misinformation.
The website also includes a section on a form of post-conviction relief known as “vacatur,” which Pennsylvania incorporated into its anti-trafficking law. Vacatur allows for a victim or survivor to seek removal of previous offenses from their criminal record. Having a “clean” criminal record is often a requirement to housing, employment, and other essential needs or resources. The vacatur remedy is an important provision of Pennsylvania’s anti-trafficking statute because it acknowledges the stigma associated with criminal histories and empowers survivors to move forward with their lives beyond their victimization. The website references the CSE Institute and the Survivor Reentry Project as credible anti-trafficking organizations that can provide free criminal record relief for survivors. Listing links to anti-trafficking organizations could help victims and survivors quickly find support, direct professionals to vital information about the law or other resources, and further educate the public about how to get involved.
While most of the information provided about trafficking is valuable and can make an important contribution to public education, we would ask the AOPC to reconsider using stock photographic images which do not accurately reflect the appearance or experience of many trafficking victims. For instance, stock images depicting trafficking victims in chains or handcuffs is misleading. The misconception regarding trafficking victims always being bound and unable to move on their own volition is problematic because it overshadows the real lived experiences of a majority of victims. Further, by providing stock images which are not representative of the reality of trafficking, the short video clip poorly portrays what trafficking victims look like and ultimately what the public believes trafficking looks like in reality. The CSE Institute recommends that stock photos not be used in instances such as this.
Providing accessible educational resources about the realities of human trafficking and anti-trafficking organizations is vital to ending exploitation nationwide. The CSE Institute commends the efforts devoted to compiling this valuable information on human trafficking as well as providing links to other valuable resources that can help educate the public and increase awareness.