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WHEREAS, the United States Department of State defines human trafficking as a crime whereby traffickers exploit and profit at the expense of adults or children by compelling them to perform labor or engage in commercial sex; and,
WHEREAS, human trafficking is a $150 billion global industry that is one of the fastest growing criminal activities in the world, endangering the lives of millions of people around the world; and,
WHEREAS, human trafficking takes many forms, including forced labor, debt bondage, forced commercial sexual exploitation and involuntary domestic servitude; and,
WHEREAS, victims of human trafficking are men, women and children of all ages, but disproportionately women and girls; and,
WHEREAS, there are more than 40 million victims of human trafficking worldwide; and,
WHEREAS, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of individuals are subjected to involuntary servitude in the United States; and,
WHEREAS, the Joint State Government Commission of the Commonwealth has reported that Pennsylvania is a pass-through state for human trafficking as well as a source and destination for human trafficking victims; and,
WHEREAS, many strides have been made to bring awareness to the issue of human trafficking, and more needs to be done to combat the perpetrators of these crimes; and,
WHEREAS, sex trafficking and exploitation happens here in Pittsburgh and its victims are people of all ages, races, ethnicities, and socio-economic status; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh thanks law enforcement for their work in combatting human trafficking; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh thanks the organizations in our city who work tirelessly to provide support for survivors of human trafficking; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh recognizes the first ever Emergency Home in Pittsburgh, opened by Refuge for Women Pittsburgh in September 2023, where survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation now receive housing and trauma-informed treatment, including mental and physical healthcare; and,
WHEREAS, residents of Pittsburgh can help fight human trafficking by educating themselves and others, volunteering with local organizations, and reporting suspicions of human trafficking to the Human Trafficking Hotline or law enforcement, and
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare the month of January 2024 to be "National Human Trafficking Awareness Month" in the City of Pittsburgh.