| |
|
| |
| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
| |
| SENATE RESOLUTION |
|
| |
| |
| INTRODUCED BY GREENLEAF, ORIE, FONTANA, ERICKSON, TARTAGLIONE, LEACH, STACK, O'PAKE, M. WHITE, PILEGGI, WASHINGTON, WILLIAMS, DINNIMAN, ALLOWAY AND RAFFERTY, FEBRUARY 26, 2010 |
| |
| |
| REFERRED TO JUDICIARY, FEBRUARY 26, 2010 |
| |
| |
| |
| A RESOLUTION |
| |
1 | Directing the Joint State Government Commission to establish an |
2 | advisory committee to study the problem of human trafficking |
3 | and to make a report to the Senate on the issue of human |
4 | trafficking, including a proposed State plan for the |
5 | prevention of human trafficking and any recommendations for |
6 | changes in State law, policies and procedures. |
7 | WHEREAS, Human trafficking is defined by Federal law to |
8 | include: |
9 | (1) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is |
10 | induced by force, fraud or coercion, or in which the person |
11 | induced to perform such an act is under 18 years of age; and |
12 | (2) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, |
13 | provision or obtaining of a person for labor or services, |
14 | through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose |
15 | of involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery; |
16 | and |
17 | WHEREAS, More generally, human trafficking is the modern-day |
18 | practice of slavery and is one of the fastest growing criminal |
19 | industries in the world, generating billions of dollars by using |
|
1 | force, fraud and coercion to subject United States citizens and |
2 | foreign nationals, both minors and adults, to sexual or labor |
3 | exploitation; and |
4 | WHEREAS, Human trafficking does not always involve movement |
5 | of victims but may encompass both transnational trafficking that |
6 | crosses borders and domestic or internal trafficking that occurs |
7 | within a country or a state; and |
8 | WHEREAS, According to Pennsylvania law enforcement, |
9 | prosecutors and numerous advocacy organizations at the national, |
10 | state and local levels, there is both sex trafficking and labor |
11 | trafficking in Pennsylvania and victims include children and |
12 | adults, United States citizens and foreign nationals; and |
13 | WHEREAS, Examples of sex trafficking include: |
14 | (1) runaway teenage girls who are preyed upon by pimps; |
15 | (2) adult women who are held against their will and |
16 | forced into prostitution; and |
17 | (3) women and girls from other countries who are |
18 | promised jobs as waitresses but instead are trafficked for |
19 | prostitution; |
20 | and |
21 | WHEREAS, Victims of labor trafficking are typically found in |
22 | domestic servitude, agriculture, service industries and other |
23 | low-wage labor industries, where they are threatened, beaten, |
24 | raped, starved, chained or locked up, isolated and manipulated |
25 | or psychologically tortured; and |
26 | WHEREAS, In 2006 the General Assembly enacted 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. |
27 | 30 (relating to trafficking of persons), making human |
28 | trafficking a second degree felony, unless the perpetrator |
29 | injures the victim or the victim is under 18 years of age, in |
30 | which case it is a first degree felony, and including forfeiture |
|
1 | provisions; and |
2 | WHEREAS, Since enactment, the 2006 law has not been utilized |
3 | because: |
4 | (1) there is a lack of knowledge by community members |
5 | and law enforcement on how to identify and respond to human |
6 | trafficking cases; |
7 | (2) there is no centralized venue to convey information |
8 | on responding to the crime of human trafficking for law |
9 | enforcement, victim service providers and the public; and |
10 | (3) traffickers keep victims highly isolated from |
11 | society, attempting to ensure that the victims do not find |
12 | out where to turn for help; |
13 | and |
14 | WHEREAS, While there are existing coalitions to combat human |
15 | trafficking in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and York, there is a |
16 | need to create a comprehensive Statewide approach to ending this |
17 | brutal crime through the prosecution of traffickers, the |
18 | identification of victims, providing services and significantly |
19 | enhancing community awareness; therefore be it |
20 | RESOLVED, That the Senate direct the Joint State Government |
21 | Commission to establish an advisory committee to study the |
22 | problem of human trafficking; to propose policies and procedures |
23 | to assist in the prevention and prosecution of human |
24 | trafficking; and to make recommendations on how to strengthen |
25 | State and local efforts to prevent human trafficking, protect |
26 | and assist human trafficking victims and prosecute offenders; |
27 | and be it further |
28 | RESOLVED, That the advisory committee be comprised of |
29 | approximately 30 members and include persons representing all |
30 | relevant aspects of the criminal justice and social welfare |
|
1 | systems, including representatives of governmental agencies and |
2 | nongovernmental organizations, especially those specializing in |
3 | human trafficking, those representing communities |
4 | disproportionately affected by human trafficking, agencies |
5 | devoted to child services and runaway services and academic |
6 | researchers dedicated to the subject of human trafficking; and |
7 | be it further |
8 | RESOLVED, That the advisory committee make a report to the |
9 | Senate on the issue of human trafficking, including a proposed |
10 | State plan for the prevention of human trafficking and any |
11 | recommendations for changes in State law, policies and |
12 | procedures; and be it further |
13 | RESOLVED, That the advisory committee shall report to the |
14 | Senate no later than two years from the date that this |
15 | resolution is adopted. |
|
