A letter from our Founder and CEO

Worldwide, roughly 40.3 million people are enslaved in forced or bonded labor, child labor, sexual servitude, or involuntary servitude at any given time, and in the US alone, nearly 400,000 new hotline calls are made each year (National Human Trafficking Hotline).  Human trafficking is a 150 billion dollar industry made up of 80% forced labor and 20% sex trafficking (U.S. Department of Homeland Security). While the average age an individual is sex trafficked is 12-14 years old (U.S. Department of Justice), children as young as one year old have been trafficked (Ark of Hope for Children). These individuals are at increased risk for mortality, and morbidity such as severe depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide, sexually transmitted diseases like HIV, abortions, and addiction to drugs (trafficking.org, 2020). In America, 300,000 children are sold for sex each year (Safe House Project). Pennsylvania ranked in the top ten states for human trafficking in 2019, and Pittsburgh ranked 10th of cities affected (pahousegop.com, 2019). When launching PCAHT in 2020, Pennsylvania had at least 9 county organizations supporting victims of human trafficking- Berks Coalition Against Human Trafficking (BCAHT), Chester County Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition (CCAT), FREE From Human Trafficking of Berks County (FREE), Lancaster Anti Trafficking Network (LATN), Montgomery County Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition, Operation T.E.N. of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia Anti-Trafficking Coalition, Valley Against Sex Trafficking (VAST), and the York County Human Trafficking Task Force. I saw a need for a centralized coalition in Pennsylvania to bridge communication between these organizations and to serve communities in Pennsylvania who are not currently being served. In addition, I sought to create a centralized organization that would work closely with the Pennsylvania State University to conduct research on human trafficking and domestic violence. At the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Human Trafficking (PCAHT), we seek to research, educate, and provide information related to human trafficking in Pennsylvania. We also empower survivors to share their stories. Together, we can win the fight against human trafficking.

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