{"id":37933,"date":"2023-01-12T09:14:31","date_gmt":"2023-01-12T14:14:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=37933"},"modified":"2023-01-12T09:14:32","modified_gmt":"2023-01-12T14:14:32","slug":"commissioners-declare-january-as-human-trafficking-awareness-and-prevention-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=37933","title":{"rendered":"Commissioners declare January as Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Michelle Kichline proclaimed January as Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month at the first public Commissioners\u2019 Meeting in 2023. The proclamation acknowledges the dedicated work of social service agencies, counselors, law enforcement, and modern-day abolitionists for caring for survivors, arresting and prosecuting offenders, and preventing new victims.<\/p>\n

Also recognized in the proclamation are the Chester County Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition, Thistle Hills, and JusticeRain, organizations that support survivors transitioning from exploitation and bondage to freedom and self-sufficiency.<\/p>\n

The Commissioners said, \u201cProclaiming January as Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month and shining a blue light on the Historic Courthouse are reminders to us all to remain vigilant in protecting the most vulnerable in our community. Too often, they become victims of this atrocious crime and endure unfathomable injustices to their bodies and minds. It is our duty to raise awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chester County Sheriff Fredda Maddox and Carol Metzker, community outreach for the Chester County Sheriff\u2019s Office (CCSO) and an ally for human trafficking survivors, presented each Commissioner with a blue lapel pin to help spotlight the issue. Metzker told the Commissioners, \u201cThe little blue ribbon speaks out against a big issue \u2013 human trafficking. When our community rises to fight it, we put a stop to traffickers and the trauma that hurts all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking against human trafficking is everyone\u2019s business in Chester County,\u201d said Maddox. \u201cIf you encounter a situation that doesn\u2019t feel right, report it to law enforcement or the National Human Trafficking Hotline.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year the CCSO hosted an educational program about human trafficking prevention. It also partnered with the Chester County Library system to post the National Human Trafficking Hotline numbers in library bathrooms throughout the county.<\/p>\n

District Attorney Deb Ryan said, \u201cIn 2020, Chester County saw one of the worst cases ever of human trafficking involving two young victims who were held against their will and forced to have sex for money. Residents were shocked that it took place in their community. But that\u2019s one of the tragic facts of human trafficking \u2013 how it seemingly happens under the radar and victimizes vulnerable individuals.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy office got justice for both victims last year by sending the three defendants \u2013 Dimas Omar Hernandez, Franklin Rivera-Mendieta, and Josue Sibrian-Sanchez \u2013 to prison for lengthy periods of time. The victims\u2019 lives are changed forever, but the sentences allow them to begin to move forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cChester County will never stand for human trafficking. We will vigorously investigate, arrest, and prosecute anyone who traffics another human being and, by doing so, rescue victims.\u201d<\/p>\n

The National Human Trafficking Hotline is available 24\/7. Call 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Michelle Kichline proclaimed January as Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month at the first public Commissioners\u2019 Meeting in 2023. The proclamation acknowledges the dedicated work of social service agencies, counselors, law enforcement, and modern-day abolitionists for caring for survivors, arresting and prosecuting offenders, and preventing new victims. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[138,2502,14284],"class_list":["post-37933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-chester-county","tag-commissioners","tag-human-trafficking-awareness-and-prevention-month"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37933"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37933\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37934,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37933\/revisions\/37934"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/37932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}