This is our home.
I was 15 when my first pimp approached me. He bought me clothes and food. He promised me the world, and said I had nothing to worry about, that he would take care of me. I ended up on a street corner in Allentown working for him.
Stories about Trafficking in the Valley:
“A human trafficker who forced three women to prostitute themselves in Allentown is now facing decades behind bars, in one of the first sentences handed down under Pennsylvania’s human trafficking law.”
Find the story here
“A Lehigh County judge made sure Wednesday that an Easton man who used violence and drugs to control his “stable” of women and girls will have years to think about what he did.”
Find the story here
ACT 105
VAST recently helped Pennsylvania pass a new act into law that supports victims of human trafficking and prosecution of perpetrators.
Here are a few highlights of it:
- Defines human trafficking for both labor and sex
- Adds new offenses with heightened punishments
- Helps financially support trafficking prevention programs
- Supports training for law enforcement in trafficking
- Protects victims during trial and after prosecution
Read more about it here