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.
