Human Trafficking Prevention Month: Connecting the Dots. Strengthening Communities. Preventing Trafficking.

PA Courts data | Vacatur law | Resources

(Jan. 21, 2025)

How to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline:

https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en

Call: 888-373-7888 | Text: 233733 | TTY: 711

During National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, Legal Aid of Southeastern PA takes a closer look at resources, Pennsylvania data, the vacatur law, and how LASP may be able to help survivors in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.

Human Trafficking Prevention Month in January 2025 focuses on a holistic approach to prevent trafficking by recognizing connections to other forms of violence and abuse, such as online harassment and abuse, labor exploitation, domestic violence, and more. The U.S. Office on Trafficking in Persons announced the 2025 theme, “Connecting the Dots. Strengthening Communities. Preventing Trafficking.”

In information released Jan. 10, PA Courts noted that in the past five years, 1,235 human-trafficking offenses were filed, connected to 366 cases across Pennsylvania. In LASP’s service area, Delaware, Chester, and Montgomery counties were in the top 10 PA counties with human trafficking cases.

National Human Trafficking Hotline ~ Pennsylvania data

Human Trafficking in Pennsylvania infographic (1-page JPG), published Jan. 10, 2025 by PA Courts.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline website shares information about signals and cases by state in 2023. Signals are defined as phone calls, text, web chat, online tips, or emails. Pennsylvania had 606 signals received, with 220 cases identified and 2.29% of total cases. Of the 606 signals in PA, 141 were from victims or survivors of human trafficking.

Since its inception in 2007, the Human Trafficking Hotline has identified 2,308 cases of human trafficking in PA. 4,806 victims were identified in these cases.

The Human Trafficking Hotline has received 8,751 signals since its inception. The vast majority were hotline calls (6,455), but reports also were received via SMS (texting): (874), online (746), email (570), and web chat (10).

To report human trafficking, contact:

National Human Trafficking Hotline

Pennsylvania State Police Tipline

  • Call: 1-888-292-1919

What is human trafficking?

The Unified Judicial System (UJS) of Pennsylvania, or PA Courts, website provides a Human Trafficking webpage outlining key aspects, how to identify it, and signs to look for. It states:

“Human trafficking is a type of human rights abuse where people profit from the exploitation of others – mainly through the use of force, fraud or coercion to manipulate victims into engaging in sex acts or labor/services in exchange for something of value. All persons under age 18 who exchange sex for something of value are human-trafficking victims, regardless of whether force, fraud or coercion is involved. Human trafficking is a crime at both the Federal and State levels.”

Identifying human trafficking

The PA Courts website notes, “Anyone can be trafficked, but it is no coincidence that traffickers recognize and take advantage of people in vulnerable situations.”

People might be vulnerable to trafficking if they:

  • Are facing poverty or are having trouble paying for basic needs

  • Are in an unstable living situation

  • Have a history of domestic violence victimization

  • Have a caregiver or family member with a substance use issue

  • Are a runaway, foster care system, or juvenile justice involved minor

  • Have unstable immigration status

  • Are a member of the LGBTQ+ Community

  • Have prior criminal convictions, especially for prostitution and related offenses

  • Are a survivor of sexual abuse

  • Are facing substance use issues

  • Have unaddressed mental health needs

  • Have a cognitive and/or physical disability that impacts daily functions

  • Are isolated from family and friends

Vacatur law in Pennsylvania helps with criminal record clearing for human trafficking survivors

The Villanova Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE Institute) published “A Legal Guide for Vacatur Motions in Pennsylvania” in January 2024. The gude states,

“The Pennsylvania vacatur law exists solely to provide criminal record relief to victims of human trafficking. Vacatur not only involves expunging criminal record information, but it also serves as a judicial recognition that the individual should not have been criminalized in the first place. Vacatur provides much stronger protections than sealing and expungement. Vacatur differs from expungement in that it is available only to trafficking victims and it only applies to convictions for six enumerated crimes. Unlike expungement, which simply erases criminal information, vacatur erases criminal information and declares the survivor factually innocent of the criminal activity and eliminates the vacated offense’s associated fines and costs. In practical terms, that means that it is unnecessary to pay any remaining court costs and fines prior to filing a vacatur motion. Also, any costs and fines that have already been paid should be refunded to the client if the vacatur motion is granted.”

The CSE Institute’s 2024 Annual Report outlines elibibility for vacatur in Pennsylvania. Trafficking survivors must be show

  • They were convicted of one of the six enumerated offenses eligible for the remedy,

  • Status as a victim of human trafficking,

  • There is a nexus between the conviction and their status as a trafficking victim. AND

  • The prosecuting attorney consents to the motion seeking vacatur

How LASP may be able to help

Legal Aid of Southeastern PA helps people with low incomes clear criminal records through expungement, sealing petitions (Clean Slate 3.0), and pardons. LASP’s service area includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. Record-clearing helps improve opportunities for jobs, education, and housing. Survivors of human trafficking may be eligible for additional relief under the Pennsylvania vacatur law.

  • Contact LASP’s Helpline at 877-429-5994, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m, or

  • Call the following LASP Domestic Violence Helpline: 855-980-6924, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

  • Visit LASP’s Expungements webpage.

  • Check out LASP’s information about Clean Slate 3.0.

Local resources

State resources

National resources

ENGLISH National Human Trafficking Hotline flyer (1-page PDF: read, print download, share)

Marion Fraley