PRINTER'S NO. 133
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
11
Session of
2023
INTRODUCED BY BARTOLOTTA, PHILLIPS-HILL, LANGERHOLC, HAYWOOD,
BREWSTER, BOSCOLA, HUGHES, CAPPELLETTI, SCHWANK, ROBINSON,
DILLON, KANE, STEFANO, STREET, COSTA, MASTRIANO, COMITTA AND
DUSH, JANUARY 19, 2023
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, JANUARY 19, 2023
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing the month of January 2023 as "National Slavery and
Human Trafficking Prevention Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, This Commonwealth has a tradition of advancing
fundamental human rights; and
WHEREAS, Since the passage of Pennsylvania's comprehensive
human trafficking law in 2014, 80 convictions have resulted out
of the 174 cases of trafficking in this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of State,
there are an estimated 24.9 million victims of human trafficking
worldwide at any given time; and
WHEREAS, In 2020, the National Human Trafficking Hotline
identified 221 unique situations of trafficking in this
Commonwealth, of which 80% were sex trafficking and 20% were
labor trafficking; and
WHEREAS, It is imperative to eliminate human trafficking,
including early or forced marriage, commercial sexual
exploitation, forced labor, labor obtained through debt bondage,
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involuntary servitude, slavery and slavery by descent; and
WHEREAS, To combat human trafficking in this Commonwealth and
globally, State and local government officials must be aware of
the realities of human trafficking and be dedicated to stopping
this contemporary manifestation of slavery; and
WHEREAS, Efforts should be made to actively oppose all
individuals, groups, organizations and nations who support,
advance or commit acts of human trafficking and work to end
human trafficking in this Commonwealth and around the world
through education; and
WHEREAS, Victims of human trafficking need support in order
to escape and recover from the physical, mental, emotional,
sexual 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, threats of arrest, deportation or imprisonment and
withholding or depriving the victim's basic needs to survive,
such as shelter, food, nutrition, medication, health care and
essential goods, if the victim attempts to reach out for
assistance or to leave; and
WHEREAS, Although laws to prosecute perpetrators of human
trafficking and 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
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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
Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month" in January 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 the month of January 2023
as "National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month" in
Pennsylvania; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate support the goals and ideals of
"National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month" during
the month of January 2023 and all other efforts to raise
awareness of and opposition to human trafficking.
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