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by Jennifer John
Human trafficking is a topic I had only a vague understanding of, but I have learned more about it recently. It’s a much bigger and more complicated problem than I had realized. You might also be uncertain of what exactly it is. According to the government, “Human trafficking is the exploitation of a person through force, fraud, or coercion for labor, services, or commercial sex. Under U.S. law, causing anyone under 18 to engage in a commercial sex act is trafficking.” The traffickers control their victims in many ways, such as giving them false promises of love or a better life, including fake job offers, making them pay back a debt, threatening them with acts of violence, and/or applying psychological pressure. I had thought part of trafficking involved moving the victims from one place to another, but transportation isn’t required. Human trafficking is about exploitation, not movement. Some people are trafficked in their own hometown. (1) Who is at risk for human trafficking? According to the Polaris Project National Survivor Study, “Prior to their trafficking, survivors reported experiencing other vulnerabilities at alarmingly high rates.
Another disturbing statistic from The Counter-Trafficking Data Collaborative is that globally, 25% of human trafficking victims are children. Among these individuals:
According to The Community Policing Dispatch website, the following groups are at a higher risk of becoming a victim.
Who are the traffickers? What are their demographics? From the Bureau of Justice Statistics Human Trafficking Data Collection Activities, 2024, “Of the 1,070 defendants charged with any of the three types of human trafficking offenses in U.S. district court in fiscal year 2022, 91% were male, 58% were white, 20% were black, 18% were Hispanic, 95% were U.S. citizens, and 71% had no prior convictions.” (5) During this research, I found an article in the Times Leader from January 11, 2025. It’s an article called “Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Region Designated a ‘Hot Spot’ for Human Trafficking.” The author of the article had interviewed Tammi Burke, chief program officer at the Victims Resource Center, and Mackenzie Jennings, the agency’s human trafficking advocate. The team at the Victims Resource Center works every day to identify survivors and connect them to safety and support. From 2023 to 2024, the number of identified victims in their care jumped by nearly 50%, and new cases are coming in daily. Sex trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and traffickers are in it for the money. Unlike drugs or guns, a victim can be sold repeatedly. Traffickers sometimes push victims into crimes like theft, prostitution, or drug possession — crimes committed under threat, which often lead to the victim’s arrest while the trafficker remains free. Reporting trafficking is complex. Many victims don’t see themselves as victims — some develop a trauma bond with their trafficker, while others fear the police, blame themselves, or have been told their families will be hurt if they try to escape. These layers of fear, manipulation, and dependency are exactly why awareness matters so much. By learning the signs and speaking up, communities can play a powerful role in helping survivors break free and begin to heal. Nationally, Pennsylvania ranks ninth in the number of human trafficking cases reported. There are several hotspots in Pennsylvania. Ranked in the top 10 are Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, the Poconos, and Bloomsburg. I was shocked to learn that traffickers can make as much as $125,000 per victim per year. Jennings and Burke said later in the article, “Many traffickers work together — they have their own victims, but also sell victims to one another. Traffickers throughout Luzerne County could have 2 victims or as many as 20.” Right now, Luzerne County has no safe shelter for survivors. Learn the signs. Speak up. You could save someone’s life. If you suspect trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888 or text “HELP” to 233733. (6) In the additional resources below is a three-minute YouTube video you might want to check out from the “Alliance to End Human Trafficking.” References:
Additional resources:
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The Social Action Minute
One of the most popular features of our Sunday services is our Social Action Minute. During this time, a member of the Social Action Committee speaks on a topic of their choice in order to bring awareness and a call to action to the members of our Congregation. These are the archives of the Social Action Minutes presented at our Sunday services. If you missed a service, or are interested in the topic, you can revisit it and get information here. Archives
November 2025
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