Human trafficking: globally, nationally, and in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Background: \ud Human trafficking has no geographic boundaries and affects a large number of people across the globe. Human trafficking is of significant public health relevance because it negatively affects the health of men, women, and children of many races, ethnicities, and social classes. The crime of human trafficking has been occurring for many years, but was addressed by policy only recently. Despite the creation of anti-trafficking legislation, human trafficking still occurs globally, nationally, and in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. \ud Methods: \ud For this paper, anti-trafficking policies in Pennsylvania were reviewed along with the primary international and national anti-trafficking policies. The key concepts that inform anti-trafficking policies were also reviewed and compared. \ud Results: \ud The US and the UN adopted a three-tiered approach to anti-trafficking policy, which includes protecting victims, prosecuting offenders, and preventing trafficking in the source country. Following the creation of national anti-trafficking legislation, several states developed policy to combat trafficking, including the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Despite international, national, and state adoption of anti-trafficking policy, the key concepts that inform these policies differ greatly. Additionally, there is inconsistency across policies about what acts constitute human trafficking. Furthermore, anti-trafficking policies still lack provisions important for protecting victims, prosecuting traffickers, and preventing human trafficking. \ud Summary: \ud Human trafficking is a global problem with a significant health burden. As a result, there is a need for the creation and implementation of comprehensive, evidence-based anti-trafficking policies, specifically global policies with a standard definition of human trafficking. US policies and state policies, such as those in Pennsylvania, also need to be expanded to include comprehensive definitions and explicit victim protections. By improving anti-trafficking policy at the global, national, and state levels, victims will be protected and progress will be made towards the end goal of eradicating human trafficking. \u