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What is human trafficking?
- Human trafficking is when a person forces, tricks, or intimidates someone into selling sex or doing a job that they don’t want to do.
- Anyone can experience human trafficking. Trafficking happens to people regardless of their gender, sexuality, race, age, or immigration status. Traffickers target people with vulnerabilities to manipulate them easily.
- Minors who have exchanged sex for something of value have experienced sex trafficking. “Something of value” can be money, a place to sleep, food, etc.
- Human trafficking is a crime. There are resources to help victims and survivors of trafficking.
24/7 help for victims and survivors of human trafficking
- In an emergency or if someone appears to be in immediate danger, call 911.
- If you are not sure what to do, call the Salvation Army New Day to Stop Trafficking at (267) 838-5866. They are a local Philadelphia organization who will help you navigate the situation.
- To report tips to the Philadelphia Police Department, call 911.
- To report tips anywhere in the United States, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888. Interpreters are available in 170+ languages. They will advise on next steps and provide further assistance.
- If you suspect a minor is being trafficked, call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children hotline at 1 (800) 843-5678.
- If you have experienced sexual assault, you can get evaluated at a hospital or by a specialized nurse. A Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) is a specialist nurse. They complete forensic sexual assault examinations.
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- Adults can go to any nearby hospital for a physical exam for injuries. Then they will offer a connection to a SANE.
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- Adults who do not want to go to a hospital can go to the Philadelphia Sexual Assault Resource Center (PSARC). At PSARC, a SANE will complete the examination.
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- PSARC: 300 E. Hunting Park Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19124. Call 215-800-1589 for information during business hours. On-call SANE: 215-425-1625.
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- Children (under 18) can get a physical examination and SANE examination at the following locations:
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- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: 3401 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, 19104. Call (215) 590-3480.
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- Saint Christopher’s Hospital for Children: 160 E Erie Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19134. Call (215) 427-5000.
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Legal help for victims and survivors of human trafficking
- Legal cases related to trafficking can be complicated.
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- If your trafficker was arrested, there may be an investigation or criminal trial. Contact the Salvation Army New Day to Stop Trafficking program. They can direct you to the correct information. Call (267) 838-5866.
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- If you were arrested for something related to your trafficking experience, you can get legal help. Villanova’s Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation helps with this. Call (610) 519-7183.
- Immigrants and non-citizen victims and survivors of human trafficking can access legal help. Some organizations may have limited capacity. You may have to call more than once to different organizations.
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- Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS PA) helps low-income non-citizen victims and survivors of human trafficking. Call (215) 832-0900.
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- Justice At Work helps low-wage workers in Pennsylvania, including victims and survivors of labor trafficking. Call (215) 733-0878.
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- Nationalities Service Center (NSC) helps low-income immigrant victims and survivors of human trafficking. Call (215) 893-8400.
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- Catholic Charities helps low-income, non-citizen victims and survivors of human trafficking. Call (215) 854-7018.
Housing Resources for victims and survivors of human trafficking
- For adults (or adults with children):
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- Visit a city-funded intake center to get help with housing.
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- Contact Dawn’s Place for transitional housing for trafficking victims and survivors. Call (215) 849-2396 or email info@ahomefordawn.org.
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- The 24/7 Philadelphia Domestic Violence Hotline assesses for emergency shelter. Call (866) 723-3014.
- For young people:
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- Covenant House PA serves homeless and runaway young people ages 18-21. Go to 31 East Armat Street, Philadelphia, PA 19144, or call 215-951-5411. The Covenant House Street Outreach team serves young people 21 and younger. The team can be reached by call or text at (267) 235-4239. Please note this number is not monitored 24/7.
Professionals can learn about Human Trafficking
- Watch a webinar recording about Human Trafficking & Service Providers in Philadelphia.
- Access the Shared Safety Provider Toolkit on working with victims and survivors of human trafficking.