Thursday 4/22, the Club welcomed GISELLE KNOBLAUCH, from the Montgomery County Anti Human Trafficking Coalition, who gave us an eye-opening presentation on human trafficking in the U.S. and in particular , the Norristown area. Speaking mostly about the subject of sex trafficking, Giselle also pointed out that there are two other areas of concern in labor trafficking and the lesser known area of organ trafficking.
The organization, MCAT, was founded in 2011 with the mission of educating, increasing awareness, and fostering prevention measures in our county. They point out that this is really a modern form of slavery. Human trafficking is the second largest criminal enterprise in the world, behind drugs, with about 25- 40 million people enslaved. She spoke of existing laws against this crime, how people are entrapped, and how we can spot trafficking when we encounter it. Sex trafficking can take many forms from prostitution and stripping to massage parlors and private parties.
It was pointed out that in Pennsylvania, the King of Prussia area is one of the hot spots for trafficking, the other being the Lancaster area. Access to transportation up and down the coast, makes these spots attractive to traffickers.
Giselle provided contact information for reporting suspected sex or labor trafficking activities, and where you can learn more about this growing issue in our area.
NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE:
1-888-373-7888
Their website: www.mcatpa.org
They can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.
MCAT works with The Laurel House for donations- send for them C/O Laurel House.
Thank-you Gisselle for this informative talk.