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Human trafficking: How to help the victims

Here's how we can help victims of human trafficking and support laws to help end it. Also, learn more about Covenant House's Sleep Out: Young Professional Edition on March 18.

    by John Ducoff
    Published 

Today's guest blogger is John Ducoff, Executive Director of Covenant House Pennsylvania. This is the third and last in a series on human trafficking.

Last week, we encouraged you to stop the victim blaming that often comes with human trafficking. Now that Human Trafficking Awareness Month has wrapped up, I want to share some things you can do to help.

All across America, thousands of young people are victims to human trafficking. Just last year, 75 human trafficking cases were reported in Pennsylvania in 2015 through September. Next to drug dealing, it's the second largest criminal industry in the world.

Covenant House Pennsylvania not only rescues thousands of young people from a life on the streets, but also advocates for laws that will ultimately put an end to child trafficking. Covenant House has helped move both International Megan's Law and Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2010 through the house, but we still need your help to pass these and other initiatives.

Here are some things you can do to help:

  1. Make a donation to Covenant House Pennsylvania or other organizations fighting against human trafficking. Even the smallest donation to Covenant House can help us work towards our goal of passing laws and helping keep these kids off the street by providing them a place to stay.

  2. If you see someone you suspect is a victim of human trafficking, we urge you to call the police and our shelter. Our street outreach team can also go to the area and see if there are any other victims we can encourage to come to our shelter.

  3. Act now and sign our petition to help stop human trafficking.

  4. Sign up for our webinar series that happens each month to learn more.

We also want to encourage young professionals to sign up for our Sleep Out: Young Professional Edition. On March 18, professionals in Philadelphia will sleep out on the street to help raise awareness for homeless youth, some of whom have survived human trafficking. You'll meet our youth and hear their inspiring stories about how they've overcome homelessness.  Then we'll provide you with a cardboard box, a sleeping bag, and a piece of pavement outside our shelter so you can experience – for just one night – what life is like for a homeless young person.

So far, we've raised over $14,000 for the Sleep Out, but want to reach our goal of $100,000. This past November we held our Sleep Out: Executive Edition where local business leaders came together and slept out to raise money and awareness for these youth. We were able to break our record and raised more than $275,000 to help homeless youth in Philadelphia. Please help us break our record for the Sleep Out: Young Professionals Edition.

We must work together to abolish child trafficking. To learn more, visit the Covenant House website.

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