Human Trafficking
Although it sounds impossible to believe, human trafficking could be happening in your neighborhood. Human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery that occurs in every state and affects thousands of people nationwide.
PennDOT is one of the first transportation agencies in the country to train employees to recognize the signs of a potential trafficking situation and how to report to the authorities. To date, PennDOT has trained 564 driver license and welcome center employees, as well as almost 15,000 transit agency employees in human trafficking awareness.
Last year, PennDOT took the USDOT pledge to "Put the Brakes on Human Trafficking" and became a member of the national Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking initiative.
PennDOT developed
a course for PennDOT's Bureau of
Driver and Vehicle Services. This course provides awareness on the subject of Human Trafficking and the various campaigns ran by organizations such as
Homeland Security "The Blue Campaign," "PA ACT 105" and
"Truckers Against Trafficking." These organizations and many others show us how we can make a difference in the fight against Human Trafficking.
The
National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888) is a critical resource in the PennDOT training. The National Hotline serves victims and survivors nationwide with a variety of support services. They also receive tips and alert law enforcement to potential trafficking situations. According to hotline data, 199 human trafficking cases have been reported in Pennsylvania in 2018 alone.
To learn more about how to spot the signs of trafficking and how to report to the authorities, check out resources from our partners below:
USDOT Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking
Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign
National Human Trafficking Hotline
Truckers Against Trafficking
The Polaris Project
CSE Institute at Villanova University