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Assistant DA warns of trafficking in Blair Co. | News | huntingdondailynews.com

 

Blair County First Assistant District Attorney Nichole Smith and Kerm Alwine, owner of P91 Protection, presented a human trafficking and situational training seminar at Grace Baptist Church last Tuesday evening, Feb. 21. About 50 were in attendance.

While many have preconceived ideas of how human trafficking looks with images of men in large white vans or box trucks luring or smuggling their victims inside, Smith presented the facts about actual trafficking cases that have been prosecuted in Blair County.

Smith challenged the audience with several different local scenarios, asking by a show of hands which of them were cases of human trafficking. Among the scenarios, a 17-year-old victim began obtaining drugs from a new friend, who eventually required her to perform sexual acts for him and others in exchange for the drugs. In another, an adult woman asked a 14-year-old girl, a friend of the family, to pose with her in nude photographs and videos that she could then send to her 27-year-old boyfriend. And in yet another instance, a group of men sold methamphetamine to women. The women were addicted to the drug and sometimes passed out at the mens' home, where then the men and others performed sexual acts on them while they were unconscious.

Smith explained that all of the scenarios she presented were examples of cases of human trafficking that were prosecuted or are currently being prosecuted in Blair County.

Smith said that human trafficking in this area doesn't look like it does in the movies. “Probably the most singularly important thing that people can understand is that we have this idea that … it is girls who are physically abducted, physically smuggled into some kind of container; or it is immigrants of some kind who are trafficked over the borders; … it can certainly be those things; but what it looks like in our community, in our county, aren't really those things. It is this.”

Smith explained that even just asking or soliciting people to perform sexual acts or photos/videos constitutes a crime under Pennsylvania law. The request does not need to be successful in order for a crime of human trafficking to be committed.

Smith advised that once photos are shared , there is no way to completely remove them from the internet. They are out there forever.

Often the crimes are committed on cell phones over through various different applications and private messaging systems. Smith warned that parents should be very vigilant about what their children are doing on their phones. And both children and adults should be very cautious of who they accept as “friends” on social media, as that is often where the pathway to trafficking starts. Other red flags include asking for photos or requests to move to a different communication platform online.

Following Smith's presentation, Alwine shared tips of how people can protect themselves through situational awareness. Awine said it is “a lifestyle that you can pick up and embrace so that you can be aware of your surroundings and how to prevent bad things from happening to you.”

ABOUT

PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.

More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.

 

This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.

ABOUT PBJ LEARNING

PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.

More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.