PHILADELPHIA, August 9, 2012 – State Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery/Delaware) today teamed up with human trafficking advocates and concerned corporate partners to announce the launch of a new, statewide human trafficking awareness billboard campaign.
More than 50 billboards around the state will promote the National Human Trafficking Hotline, a free community resource run by Polaris Project, a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization. The hotline is a national, toll-free number available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which serves callers in more than 170 languages.
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Leach noted that human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal activity in the world, bringing in profits of more than $32 million annually and putting an estimated 300,000 American children at risk each year. In 2011, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received nearly 20,000 calls and assisted 3,000 potential trafficking victims, a 64 percent increase in call volume from 2010.
“That statistic reflects an increased awareness of the issue and the hotline number from previous years, and with our work here today we are only continuing to make more people aware that this heinous crime is occurring right under their noses,” Leach said. “We anticipate a big increase in calls from Pennsylvania and New Jersey, which will allow us to more effectively track down trafficking victims and get them the help they need. I am grateful to our nonprofit and corporate sponsors for collaborating with my office on an issue that is of dire importance to Pennsylvanians.”
August 13, 2012: Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal activity in the world. Sen. Leach hopes a new statewide billboard campaign will raise awareness about the issue.
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Leach served as the event moderator at today’s billboard launch, and other speakers included George Kauker, President of Clear Channel Outdoor - Philadelphia; George Merovich, President of Outdoor Advertising Association of PA and Director of Regional Development at Lamar Outdoor; Steven Gorlechen, President of STEEN Outdoor Advertising; Michael Stackow, Assistant Chief of the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office; and Rebecca Foley, Director of Public Policy for WOMEN’S WAY.
In addition to his collaboration on the billboards that will be displayed across the state, Leach has also introduced the National Human Trafficking Hotline Posting Act (S.B. 338). That bill passed both the Judiciary and Appropriations committees and now awaits a vote on the Senate floor. S.B. 338 would require certain businesses in Pennsylvania to post a small sign advertising the toll-free Human Trafficking Hotline number. To date, 12 other states have enacted similar legislation.
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Download a list of billboard locations.
Last updated: August 22, 2012 at 19:35 pm
