HARRISBURG – Officials with PennDOT, Health, Labor and Industry, and PA State Police joined with the Office of Victim Advocate to discuss human trafficking, outline efforts to combat it, explain how to report potential cases, and offer resources for survivors. Human trafficking is the exploitation of people using force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of commercial sex, forced labor, or domestic servitude. According to the International Labor Organization, there are about 28 million victims of human trafficking globally with 17.3 million people experiencing forced labor in private sector industries and 6.3 million experiencing forced commercial sexual exploitation. January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said, “Human trafficking is happening across the world, and unfortunately, right here in PA. We’re collaborating at state, national, and local levels to combat this problem and urge the public to join us in the fight.”
