The Prevalence of Human Trafficking in Pennsylvania

Promised $500 a month, free room and board and legal immigration to the United States, they thought they had found the American Dream. What awaited them once they started their journey was far from this dream. Their new job was to work 16 hours a day cleaning private homes, office buildings and stores. Instead of receiving $500 a month, victims were provided little to no pay to support them or their family back in Ukraine. Their free room and board was revealed to be dirty matresses in a room shared with five others. As their hopes crumbled, victims were kept from leaving through beatings and threats to their families. The story of the survivors of the Pennsylvania trafficking case against Mykhaylo Botsvynyuk, and Yaroslav Botsvynyuk is not unique .

This year, in honor of National Human Human Trafficking Awareness Day, Nationalities Service Center would like to share data gathered from the National Human Trafficking Hotline to help shed some light on human trafficking in Pennslyvania.

To learn more, click here.