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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| State Rep. Lawrence Curry |
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Curry resolution condemns human trafficking
HARRISBURG, Jan. 25 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Monday unanimously passed H.R. 529 introduced by Rep. Lawrence Curry, D-Montgomery/Phila.,which recognized Jan. 11, 2012 as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Pennsylvania.
House Resolution 529 calls on all levels of Pennsylvania government to be vigilant against all forms of human trafficking and stopping it before it destroys more lives.
Human trafficking is not just an international issue; it has become a Pennsylvania issue. The first two Pennsylvanians convicted under a new human trafficking law each pleaded guilty last week in Media Courthouse, Delaware County.
Pennsylvania’s location, near major airports, and criss-crossed by major interstates makes it both a pass-through and destination state, favoring the truck stops and rest areas as locations to make quick money as they move their human cargo around the country.
“I believe all people have the right to control their own destiny,” Curry said. “Too many young people have their lives stolen from them by these traffickers before they are even aware of choices they may have.”
In addition to the resolution, Curry is joining with State Sen. Daylin Leach and the Montgomery County Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition to present a free film and panel discussion on the topic from 11 a.m. till 1 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Bryn Mawr Film institute, 824 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr. For additional information on the coalition, contact Leza Perkins at (215) 572-5210
The film, “Not My Life,” narrated by Glenn Close, which was filmed over a four-year period, shares the tragic stories of children captured and placed into slave situations, as both laborers and sex workers. The film follows efforts to track down the traffickers, arrest them and free the children.
“As president Lincoln once said, ’If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong’,” Curry said.
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