WHEREAS, Victims of human trafficking need support in order
to escape and to recover from the physical, mental, emotional
and spiritual trauma associated with their victimization; and
WHEREAS, Human traffickers use many physical and
psychological techniques to control their victims, including the
use of violence or threats of violence against the victim or the
victim's family, isolation from the public, isolation from the
victim's family and religious or ethnic communities, language
and cultural barriers, shame, control of the victim's
possessions, confiscation of passports and other identification
documents and threats of arrest, deportation or imprisonment if
the victim attempts to reach out for assistance or to leave; and
WHEREAS, Although laws to prosecute perpetrators of human
trafficking and to assist and protect victims of human
trafficking have been enacted in the United States, awareness of
the issues surrounding human trafficking by those people most
likely to come into contact with victims is essential for
effective enforcement because the techniques that traffickers
use to keep their victims enslaved severely limit self-
reporting; and
WHEREAS, The effort by individuals, businesses, organizations
and governing bodies to promote the observance of "National
Human Trafficking Awareness Day" on January 11 of each year
represents one of the many examples of the ongoing commitment to
raise awareness of and to actively oppose human trafficking;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize January 11, 2016, as
"National Human Trafficking Awareness Day" in Pennsylvania; and
be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate support the goals and ideals of
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