Various groups in Pennsylvania are working together to stop the problem of human trafficking in Pennsylvania.

Recent efforts include:

• The Carole Landis Foundation supports efforts to stop human trafficking through a grant to Villanova University School of Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation. The Institute is collaborating with PennDot and Truckers Against Trafficking in public awareness education and training for employees, operators, and commercial drivers in how to identify possible trafficking victims and the posting of Trafficking Victims Hotline numbers.
• Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf created new protections and supports for children of human trafficking and sexual exploitation (18 and under) by signing SB554, now Act 130, at the end of October 2018.
• The Safe Harbor Bill, sponsored by State Senator Stewart Greenleaf, shields children from prosecution for crimes their abusers forced them to commit (such as prostitution), provides more law enforcement training, increases fines for those buying sex, and channels these additional funds into resources that directly aid the victims.

Photo: Shea M. Rhodes, Esquire, Director of Villanova Law Institute To Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation speaks with Senator Greenleaf and Governor Wolf at the signing of the Safe Harbor Bill. Photo courtesy S. Rhodes.