Human trafficking is a heinous crime that deprives its victims of their most basic human rights and dignity. Shockingly, there are an estimated 27.6 million people worldwide who are currently being subjected to human trafficking. This practice, amounting to modern day slavery, deeply offends the values and principles of our state and nation.
 
To ensure we are doing our part to combat this gross injustice, I am introducing a resolution that would designate January as “Human Trafficking Awareness Month” to coincide with the federal designation of January as “Human Trafficking Prevention Month.” Such designations work to raise awareness of this issue so that we may all learn to identify human trafficking and report it to the proper authorities.
 
With this resolution we have the opportunity to send a message to all bad actors in and outside of Pennsylvania; we are vigilant, we are watching, and we will not allow trafficking to occur in our communities. I hope you will join me in this endeavor.