- Lehigh Valley Anti-Trafficking Week is a collective effort to fight human trafficking and empower survivors
- Participating organizations host events to raise awareness and amplify survivor voices
- Labor and sexual exploitation are two main types of trafficking
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A Lehigh Valley initiative will address the issue of human trafficking and give voices to survivors.
A collective effort, Lehigh Valley Anti-Trafficking Week will bring together events held by local nonprofit organizations committed to eradicating human trafficking.
The events are scheduled to run Nov. 2-11.
Participating organizations include the Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley, Bloom for Women, VAST (Valley Against Sex Trafficking) and Valley Youth House.
To raise more awareness, organizers say Lehigh Valley Anti-Trafficking Week will engage the community in events aimed at uniting government agencies, law enforcement and nonprofits in the fight against human trafficking.
They are:
Voices of Survivors Art Project ft. Hope: Stories of Survival Screening
When: 3:30-7 p.m. Nov. 2
Where: Lipkin Theatre at Northampton Community College
What: The project features a photo exhibit created by survivors, offering a visual narrative of their experiences. There also will be a screening of "Hope: Stories of Survival," a documentary that sheds light on the journey of human trafficking survivors. A discussion panel will follow.
Candlelight Vigil
When: 6-7:30 p.m. Nov. 6
Where: 2132 S. 12th St., Suite 203, Allentown
What: A ceremony dedicated to raising awareness about human trafficking and honoring the strength of survivors. The vigil will feature stories and poetry and is open to all, with light refreshments provided.
2nd Annual Human Trafficking Symposium
When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 8
Where: LVHN Center for Healthcare Education
What: With the theme "Addressing Gaps in the Anti-Trafficking Movement," it will feature keynote speaker Audrey Morrissey from My Life My Choice.
Survivor Breakfast Award Ceremony
When: 9-11 a.m. Nov. 9
Where: Centennial Space Catering and Conference Center
What: An event honoring survivor leaders and community heroes in the Lehigh Valley fighting against human trafficking. The ceremony will include keynote speaker Melissa Howley, victims assistance coordinator for the state Office of Victims Advocate.
More information and registration links are available at the LVAT Week website or its Facebook page.
Identifying human trafficking
Human trafficking, as defined by the Trafficking Victims in Persons Act, indicates acts that involve “coercing a person to provide labor or services, or to engage in commercial sex acts," according to the U.S. Justice Department.
"The coercion can be subtle or overt, physical or psychological. Exploitation of a minor for commercial sex is human trafficking, regardless of whether any form of force, fraud or coercion was used.”
“Our main goal is to increase the awareness of human trafficking through our week of events as well as other weeks through the year.”Nicholas Almonti of the Lehigh Valley Anti-Trafficking Week initiative
“Our main goal is to increase the awareness of human trafficking through our week of events as well as other weeks through the year,” Nicholas Almonti of the Lehigh Valley Anti-Trafficking Week initiative said.
In 2019, Lehigh and Northampton county executives declared the first full week of November as Lehigh Valley Anti-Trafficking Week.
Almonti said labor and sexual exploitation are two major types of trafficking.
Sexual abuse happens frequently in a family or through an intimate partner, while labor exploitation takes place mostly outside of one's inner circles.
In 2021, Polaris, an organization leading efforts to end human trafficking across the country, identified 16,554 victims of trafficking through the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
The overall number of victims is much higher now, according to Almonti. Visit here for more.
