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Honoring the work of The Philadelphia Anti-Trafficking Coalition and The Salvation Army to raise awareness of victims and survivors of human trafficking during National Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
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WHEREAS, January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the United States, where the issue of human trafficking is subject to stigma, underreporting and absence of justice. People in Philadelphia are subjected to human trafficking, forced into labor or sexual acts - including children under the age of 18; and
WHEREAS, Recent Philadelphia data collected by The Philadelphia Anti Trafficking Coalition identified 401 victims of trafficking last year, including 70 children. But the data cautions that it underreports the real total due to severe stigma and lack of access to information among survivors and victims of human trafficking; and
WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Anti-Trafficking Coalition consisting of WOAR, Justice at Work, Nationalities Services Center, Dawns Place, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, Covenant House, Villanova Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation, Support Center for Child Advocates, and Philadelphia Children’s Alliance work with survivors and victims of human trafficking and report having assisted thousands of people in Philadelphia, despite lack of proper public attention or resources; and
WHEREAS, The Salvation Army’s New Day New program, for example, has helped 1,335 unique individuals in Philadelphia with transitional housing, peer support, rapid rehousing and case management. Last year, its programming produced 43 instances of rental assistance, diverted 54 survivors to social services instead of the criminal legal system, facilitated trainings for 767 individuals, and provided 148 hours of case management; and
WHEREAS, Drop-in centers run by The Salvation Army and groups like it provide critical services including warm food, clothing, showers and care to thousands of people across Philadelphia annually, including in the most violence-impacted areas of our City; and
WHEREAS, Publicly recognizing and comprehensively resourcing these organizations would greatly enhance their ability to reach out to and care for survivors and victims of human trafficking; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Honors the work of The Philadelphia Anti-Trafficking Coalition and The Salvation Army to raise awareness of victims and survivors of human trafficking during National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That Engrossed copies of this Resolution be presented to The Salvation Army and to The Philadelphia Anti-Trafficking Coalition in recognition of its work to support and provide resources to survivors of human trafficking.
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