Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked in countries around the world, including the United States.
It is happening right now in Northeastern Pa. Pennsylvania ranks within the top 10 of the United States on how often it happens, in addition, Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties are considered hot spots.
Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Human trafficking is a hidden crime as victims rarely come forward to seek help because of language barriers, fear of the traffickers, and/or fear of law enforcement.
The main focus of the Human Trafficking Awareness program will be on sex trafficking. Eryka Vargas, the Manager of Prevention and Community Services at Victims Resource Center will discuss statistics, signs of sex trafficking, ways to stay safe, and how to respond to disclosures.
The program will be held on Wednesday, June 26 at 6:00 at the Marian Sutherland Kirby Library located at 35 Kirby Ave., Mountaintop. Registration is requested by calling the library at 570-474-9313 or emailing info@kirbylib.org.
VRC is a nonprofit that provides services to Luzerne, Carbon, and Wyoming Counties for victims and survivors of crime. All services are free of charge as well as confidential including the 24/7 hotline (570-823-0765), accompaniment to medical and legal procedures, individual counseling, support groups, prevention and psychoeducational programs, and assistance with victim’s compensation. For more information on Victims Resource Center’s services, visit www.vrcnepa.org or call 570-823-0765 in Luzerne County.
