The Chester County Historical Society will be the site of a Call to Action on Wednesday to end human trafficking.
Senator to host forum on legislation that would facilitate prosecutions
Legislation to end human trafficking is the impetus for a bipartisan Call to Action on Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Chester County Historical Society.
The purpose of the program is to garner public support for Senate Bill 75, said state Sen. Andy Dinniman, a co-sponsor of the legislation to improve and better define human trafficking laws. State Senator Stewart Greenleaf, the bill’s prime sponsor, will discuss the need to tighten the definition of human trafficking and make it easier for prosecutors to more effectively charge traffickers, said a news release from Dinniman.
“It is estimated that more than 100,000 American citizens are trafficked within the U.S. each year. Worldwide, the number of victims of human trafficking is estimated at 12 million. Our region is not immune to this epidemic. In fact, Philadelphia has been identified as one of the major hubs of human trafficking in our nation,” Dinniman said in the release. “We have defined the problem. Now it is time for us to come together to demand a solution.”
Speakers at the event will include The Rev. Dr. Dan Williams of New Life in Christ Fellowship Church in Coatesville; Carol Metzker, activist and author of Facing the Monster: How One Person Can Fight Child Slavery; Dr. Ellyn Jo Waller, Ed.D. of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia; Dr. Tonya Thames Taylor, a professor at West Chester University and president of the Coatesville NAACP.
“More than 150 years ago, our region was very much the center of the abolitionist movement and the center of the Underground Railroad. If we are to fully respect that history and the work of those who came before us and the rich Quaker heritage of Chester County, we have an obligation to commit ourselves to the end of slavery,” Dinniman said. “Please join us to help put an end to human trafficking and relegate slavery to the annals of history once and for all.”
The event is free and open to the public. The Chester County Historical Society is located at 225 N. High Street in West Chester. For more information contact Dinniman’s West Chester Office at (610) 692-2112, or e-mail acirucci@pasenate.com.
