Pa. agencies highlight reporting resources amid Human Trafficking Awareness month

Potential human trafficking situations can be reported to the national hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

Cory Sharber

January 5, 2023

The Pennsylvania state Capitol is seen on Dec. 14, 2020, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Pennsylvania officials are highlighting resources available to report possible instances of human trafficking for Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

Advocates and executives from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Department of Health (DOH), Labor and Industry (L&I), and State Police (PSP) explained how to report instances of trafficking at Thursday’s news conference, as well as how to offer resources to survivors.

According to officials, common signs of human trafficking include:

A lack of knowledge of a person’s community or whereabouts
Restricted or controlled communication where people cannot speak for themselves
People not in control of their own identification documents
Signs of branding or tattooing of a trafficker’s name (often on the neck)

“Please be the voice of those who are silenced,” said State Police Lt. Adam Reed. “Help us, the state police and the partner agencies behind me to fight this problem.”

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More than 4,000 victims have been discovered through the National Human Trafficking Hotline in Pennsylvania since 2007, including 315 in 2021.

“This shows that each one of us can make a difference,” PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said. “These numbers just reinforce how much concerned citizens can do if they just know what to do and what to look for and who to contact.”

Potential human trafficking situations can be reported to the national hotline, which coordinates with law enforcement and other professionals, at 1-888-373-7888, or the state tip line, 1-888-292-1919.

Tips can also be sent via the See Something, Send Something phone application or by email to tips@pa.gov.

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Click here for county-specific human trafficking services.

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