Today, many people are aware of the scourge of human trafficking, but in 2003, that wasn’t the case. That year, Mary C. Burke, Ph.D., professor of Psychology at Carlow University, watched a report of an undercover journalist as he was approached by children offering to have sex with him. This report shined a light on the despicable, shadowy world of human trafficking. The Program Director for the Doctoral Program in Counseling 
Psychology, Dr. Burke has concentrated her study on minority mental health, trauma, and human trafficking and stressed that she wasn’t doing scholarly research on this topic when she and her team came across the report. Their intent was to simply learn about human trafficking and gain a better understanding of the trauma and psychological effects and problems associated with it. “I was just trying to learn about human trafficking when I saw this report where children were offering sexual services, and I knew immediately, we had to not only learn more but also do something about human trafficking,” Dr. Burke said.
The Project to End Human Trafficking is Born
What Dr. Burke and some of her former graduate students did was to form the Project to End Human Trafficking in 2004. At that time, there were only two other organizations in the country working to end this problem. The PEHT, a nonprofit staffed by volunteers, began to educate the public about human trafficking. It is a credit to Dr. Burke and the work of the PEHT that more people than ever know about this issue and are working to put a stop to it. Dr. Burke has given more than 150 presentations on human trafficking, but she also credits others for helping to raise awareness. “Today, most people have at least heard about human trafficking. I think the media has done a good job exposing human trafficking too,” said Dr. Burke.
A Global Crime
Human trafficking, which is essentially modern slavery, takes two form: sex trafficking and forced labor. While many assume that this type of slavery takes place in large, urban areas, Dr. Burke said that is not the case. “Nearly every country and every county in the United States has a problem,” she said. And that includes Allegheny County.
According to the 2012 United Nations Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, it is estimated that people from 136 different nationalities have been trafficked in 118 different countries. The report also cites statistics from the International Labour Organization which estimates that 20.9 million people are human trafficking victims.
PEHT Expands Its Reach
Since its inception, the PEHT has opened a branch in Washington, D.C. and in Uganda and has developed a first-response team trained to deal with potential cases of human trafficking in Western Pennsylvania. Depending on the need, PEHT’s responders are well versed in investigating a reported tip, interviewing and assessing needs, and referring victims to services.
In addition to the PEHT, Dr. Burke founded the Western Pennsylvania Human Trafficking Coalition (formerly known as the Southwestern Pennsylvania Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition) to address the resources and services gap for victims and survivors of human trafficking. Social service agencies, nonprofit organizations, faith-based groups, universities, law enforcement agencies, professionals, and concerned citizens comprise the WPHTC.
Dr. Burke says it’s difficult to know how extensive human trafficking is in our area because the research work is greatly underfunded by the Federal government. “Research is all over the place, but we’ve identified 15-25 cases a year,” she said. And the types of trafficking vary from country to country. It is believed that 80 percent of all sex trafficking victims are U.S. citizens, while nearly all victims of labor trafficking are foreign nationals.
Why Human Trafficking?
One reason sex trafficking has become so prevalent is that it is very lucrative. It is estimated that it is a $150 billion industry worldwide. Many gangs have found trafficking in sexual slavery can make them more money. “Selling an illegal drug is a one-time transaction, but a sex slave can be sold numerous times a day,” said Dr. Burke.
The U.N. report finds that women account for 55-60 percent of all victims and combined with young girls, the number escalates to 75 percent. Young boys account for 10 percent of all victims with men representing an additional 14 percent. Traffickers are predominantly male and prey on the vulnerable like runaways and drug addicts and often lure or kidnap them into slavery.
How You Can Combat Human Trafficking
For those who would like to help Dr. Burke and the PEHT in its work to eradicate human trafficking and help victims, Dr. Burke suggests speaking out about the crime at your religious or social groups and to report any suspicious activity to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-3737-888. You can also join the WPHTC. To learn more about Dr. Burke, the PEHT, or the WPHTC, visit the website at: www.endhumantrafficking.org.
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