Update on PA Alliance Against the Trafficking of Humans

In December 2014, the Comprehensive Human Trafficking bill (Act 105) was passed and signed into law.  Until that time, PA was ranked 49^th of our 50 states in its response to human trafficking in the Commonwealth. In January 2015, the individuals representing interested groups throughout PA met at the Capitol to plan Act 105's implementation.  Among the groups represented were a large contingent of Philadelphia groups that included Dawn’s Place, the Philadelphia Anti-trafficking Coalition, and Covenant House.  The PA Coalition Against Rape (PCAR) had been providing education and outreach for several years, and several of committed Victim Services Organizations were represented (Transitions of PA, YWCA of Greater Harrisburg, YWCA of York, and NOVA Bucks).  The PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) has responsibility to implement the law, but no funding was provided.

At this meeting, Shea Rhodes, the new Director of Villanova University Law School’s Center to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE), presented the elements of the law and we discussed how we would proceed.  Shea had been involved as an attorney in the Philadelphia DA’s office and was involved in the law’s content.

I had been involved in promoting an understanding in our community about the extent of the trafficking problem since 2012, helped start the North Central PA Human Trafficking Response Team, and had been advocating for passage of the comprehensive law.

Unfortunately, the only funding in the bill comes from the forfeiture of property to county district attorneys when property is seized due to human trafficking.   We agreed to take the successful implementation of a similar law in Massachusetts and model our approach to theirs.  In MA, the Attorney General had authority to implement the law.  This was not the case in PA, and it may have been because Kathleen Kane, PA’s Attorney General, was embroiled in legal conflict at the time and did not have the respect of law enforcement. 

Using the MA implementation plan, we selected areas of interest and formed teams.  They were:

Victim Services, Training, Outreach, and Labor Trafficking.  In addition, we underscored the importance of developing a method to collect data on trafficking activity.  Chairs of these committees stepped up and Shea Rhodes, the PCAR representative, and I agreed to handle administration of the Steering Committee that needed to be formed.  Each of these teams has been active, with the exception of the Labor Trafficking Team.  Significant training of law enforcement has occurred, a website developed, and the victim services team has developed an extensive resource list. 

In many ways, a great deal has been accomplished in the last 3.5 years but the challenges of no funding and no leadership from PCCD, has taken its toll.  Services continue to be provided throughout the state to victims but there are no standards.  Victim service organizations that are members of the PA Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV) and the PA Coalition Against Rape (PCAR) have been following the strict standards and best practices applied in their agencies when providing services.  There are many other organizations in the state offering victim services who are not governed by standards and it appears that we will need to wait another two to three years before these standards are developed. Sadly, there may be organizations who do not provide quality services who are advertising and fundraising promoting their services for human trafficking victims.   Until there are standards in place, this may continue to occur.

Special note: While labor trafficking is an important part of Act 105, victims of sex trafficking prefer to call their part of the crime commercial sexual exploitation.

Written by Susan Mathias, Transitions CEO