Dr. Burke is a Professor of Psychology at Carlow University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she is faculty in the doctoral degree program in Counseling Psychology and in the master’s degree program in Counseling.  In 2004, she founded the Project to End Human Trafficking (www.endhumantrafficking.org), an all-volunteer United States based non-profit group that works regionally, nationally, and internationally to raise awareness about the enslavement and economic exploitation of people. Dr. Burke has begun anti-trafficking coalitions in Pennsylvania and Virginia and consulted on the development of coalitions in other regions. In addition, she has spoken to various state and regional elected officials in Pennsylvania and Virginia regarding this issue and has worked on legislation in these states in support of strengthening human trafficking laws. Dr. Burke served on Pennsylvania’s Senate Resolution 253 Advisory Committee, which was established for the purpose of making recommendations to the State’s General Assembly regarding human trafficking in Pennsylvania.  Her current international work is focused in Uganda where she and her team work collaboratively with citizens to prevent trafficking through school and community based programming.

Dr. Burke described, during her interview for the film, the landscape of, and trends related to, human trafficking in Western Pennsylvania.  In addition, she spoke about how the Western Pennsylvania Anti-Trafficking Coalition is a great example of organizations and individuals coming together to educate the community about human trafficking; supporting agencies conducting investigations into human trafficking crimes; and efficiently and quickly providing for the specific needs of survivors. Dr. Burke also described the impact that changes in the business and industrial landscape can have on human trafficking crimes.  For example, the growth of the fracking industry in Western Pennsylvania has created an influx of temporary workers and jobs, which, in turn, can fuel demand.  The Coalition works not only to deal with trafficking crimes after they occur, but also to be proactive in trying to anticipate these kinds of changes and mitigate human trafficking crimes through education and other efforts.

Dr. Burke’s wealth of expertise and knowledge about human trafficking, on the local, national and international levels, are assets to the fight to end human trafficking and to help survivors, and it was a privilege to interview her.

When a victim or survivor of human trafficking is identified in Western PA, local law enforcement, the FBI, the Coalition, and The Project to End Human Trafficking work together to utilize and coordinate the services and resources available through the Coalition members to meet the needs of the survivor.

Erica shared with us stories about the work that the Western PA Anti-Trafficking Coalition has done to serve the specific needs of survivors, including their delight in helping a pregnant woman with gifts for her baby.  She also explained how the members of the Coalition have worked out a system that has become so efficient in meeting the immediate needs of survivors, it has been said they have never had a need that they could not meet within 48 hours.

Erica is a great example of how a person with a passion for the issue of human trafficking can join others in making a tremendous impact in their own communities, and it was a pleasure interviewing her.

Among those who are most vulnerable to being targets for sex traffickers are Individuals who identify as LGBTQ according to experts.  Sarah is the Director of Community Programs for the PERSAD Center, which is a human service organization whose mission is to improve the well-being of the LGBTQ communities.  During her interview, Sarah explained some of the factors that are specific to LGBTQ boys, girls, men, and women that make them easier targets for those who would prey upon them such as traffickers.

We appreciated Sarah taking time to open our eyes to the vulnerabilities of this community to sex trafficking crimes, which can be overlooked in efforts to address this social justice issue and crime.

Dr. Van Beck Hall, University of Pittsburgh history professor and author of Politics Without Parties: Massachusetts, 1780-1791, shared his extensive understanding of the fascinating history of western Pennsylvania and the role that people in the area played in the fight against slavery in the 1800s.  Given the geopolitical environment and demographics of the area during that time, abolitionist activities were similar in some ways to the activities of people in the Philadelphia area, but very different in other ways.

It was a privilege to spend time with this treasured historian.

Mary Frances Bowley is the President/Founder of Wellspring Living, an organization fighting childhood sexual abuse and exploitation since 2001. She has been a leader in bringing the fight against child sex-trafficking to Atlanta and is a founding member of the Georgia Statewide Human Trafficking Task Force.  Mary Frances was appointed to the Governor’s Commission on Domestic Violence in 2010. She was awarded the Martin Luther King Community Service Award and the AKA Humanitarian Award. She is also the author of A League of Dangerous Women, The White Umbrella, and Make It Zero.

Wellspring Living is devoted to safeguarding and empowering domestic sex trafficking victims and those at risk to develop the courage to move forward and the confidence to succeed.  Through life-giving residential and community-based programs, girls and young women are provided the opportunity to live and dream again.

Wellspring Living also mentors aftercare program leaders and staff along their journey to establish residential programs aimed at helping victim survivors heal and pursue their dreams.  Several aftercare home leaders in Pennsylvania, including Jen Sensenig, have participated in Wellspring Living’s mentorship program and/or training sessions.

During her interview with Jen at the Harbor aftercare home in Lancaster, Mary Frances described some of the lessons that she and her staff learned along the way as they served survivors over the years–lessons that have shaped the programs offered today.  In addition, she shared compelling arguments and data around the costs to society if long-term care residential services are not available to survivors.

It is clear how much Mary Frances cares deeply for the girls and women, like Gabby Humphries, who have become life-long members of the Wellspring Living “family” as well as for those like Jen, who are also passionate about, and dedicated to, serving survivors along their journeys to restoration.

We were all mesmerized, heart broken and deeply moved by the love that came through while listening to David tell us about the journey he and his wife have been on during their marriage of over 30 years, as they fell in love, got married and had children, and his discovery over a period of time that his wife had been trafficked by a group when she was younger.  He shared some of his wife’s story, including that she did not self-identify as a sex trafficking victim for years (which is common) and that the trauma that she suffered affected her many years into her adult life.  To hear the perspective from a man who loves a woman who has been trafficked about buyers of sex is a sobering reminder of the need to address demand and share stories like this in the hopes that society’s view of buying sex as a victimless transaction will change.  To hear about the pain and anger this has caused in their children, who are all boys, as they have come to learn the truth about their beloved mother’s past, helps drive home the very important point that victimization has a ripple effect on future generations.

As heart-breaking as it was to hear about David, his wife and their children’s painful journey to healing, it was equally remarkable how this husband and wife have come together united in their mission to share her, his, and their story to help educate others and bring about change.

JoAnn’s interview provided an important perspective on the debated issue of whether or not victim survivors should be incarcerated based on her experience working in the prison systems as a Chaplain.  Given the recidivism rate that occurs in prison systems, JoAnn realized that a common contributing factor was the lack of hope for the future that many survivors seemed to accept and the lack of services that are provided to help these women plan for, and transition into, a life of their dreams.  JoAnn is now dedicating her work to developing and implementing programs to help women find the hope that can make the difference between continuing to cycle in and out of prison, or helping them to break that cycle.  JoAnn has also been an activist in Montgomery County, bringing experts together to educate the community on the reality of sex trafficking and what can be done to address it.

We were moved by JoAnn’s stories and our eyes were opened to the realities of victim survivors in prison.

We interviewed Dr. Ralph Riviello, Vice Chair, Clinical Operations and Director of Forensic Emergency Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine and Founder of Philadelphia Sexual Assault Response Center (PSARC), Michael Boyle, Program Director, Drexel University College of Medicine, PSARC, and forensic nurse, Francina Pendergrass, who has treated more than 500 survivors of sexual assault with some of those patients being trafficked persons.  They have seen first hand and described in heart-breaking detail how this crime ravages the human body and destroys the soul.

Nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers who are educated about sex trafficking and what signs to look for can be powerful forces to identify potential victims and help them get the help they so desperately need, and these three medical professionals are a great example of that.

The interview with the 2015 Norm Maleng Minister of Justice Award honoree Pearl Kim, was very informative, and her passion for justice, especially for the most vulnerable, is inspiring.  Pearl Kim is an Assistant District Attorney, Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, in the DA’s Special Victims and Domestic Violence Unit, handling Protection From Abuse, child physical and sexual abuse, domestic violence, rape, and Internet Crimes Against Children cases.  Kim is also Chief of the Human Trafficking Unit and designated as the Asian Outreach Liaison.  She shared stories about her complicated experiences working with victim survivors who are taken into custody during investigations with no immediate options for safe temporary housing, the complexities of investigating and trying to prosecute cases against illegal massage parlors (especially Asian massage parlors), and the help the DA’s office has gotten from community members who provided invaluable tips and information.

Kim, who was also named the 2015 Government Lawyer of the Year by the Pennsylvania Bar Association Government Lawyers Committee for “a government lawyer who has made a significant singular contribution or has dedicated his or her career to outstanding service to the profession for the benefit of the public or a government entity,” was a member of the panel that assisted in the state legislature’s overhaul of Pennsylvania’s human trafficking legislation and has been credited with being the first Pennsylvania prosecutor to pursue a case and secure a conviction under the human trafficking statute.