Are you or someone you love a survivor of sex trafficking in need of legal support? You should know that you are not alone, and you deserve justice. The trauma of sex trafficking can leave lasting emotional, physical, and financial scars, but you have the right to take legal action. A legal claim can help you regain control of your life and hold those responsible accountable.
The trial lawyers at Eisenberg, Rothweiler, Winkler, Eisenberg & Jeck, P.C. can provide the guidance and representation you need. We can take action against traffickers and others who profited from your suffering, work to protect your privacy, and guide you through every step of the legal process with care and respect. Our legal team has won substantial verdicts and settlements against sexual abusers and those who have profited from sex trafficking, including a $2.4 billion settlement in the Boy Scouts of America case for sexual abuse survivors. Our team understands the challenges survivors face and is committed to fighting for your rights in court. Contact our team today for a free, confidential consultation to discuss your legal options in a safe and supportive setting.
What Is Human Sex Trafficking?
Human sex trafficking happens when someone forces, coerces, or tricks another person into commercial sex acts. Traffickers use violence, threats, deception, or manipulation to control victims. Many victims are minors, vulnerable adults, or people in difficult financial or personal situations, including immigrants who are lured to the United States with the promise of a brighter future. Others are runaways or kidnapped, forced into the illegal sex trade. Victims of human trafficking are often transported to other locations and forced to perform sexual acts for days at a time.
Sex trafficking victims often cannot leave their captors because traffickers take their identification, isolate them, or threaten harm. Some sex traffickers also use drugs to control victims.
Sex trafficking victims often show signs of being controlled, fear, or restricted movement. They might appear anxious, avoid eye contact, or show signs of physical abuse. Other signs of sex trafficking include victims not knowing their location, having inconsistent stories, or appearing afraid to speak freely.
Sex Trafficking Statistics
Human trafficking is a massive industry that generates an estimated $150 billion globally each year. Sex trafficking is a large component of this industry and affects millions of people worldwide. According to one estimate, 40.3 million people are experiencing modern-day slavery across the globe. This includes nearly 5 million victims of forced sexual exploitation. Children make up more than 20 percent of that number. Women and girls account for 72 percent of all trafficking victims. An estimated 15.4 million people are also in forced marriages worldwide. These numbers highlight the scale of the problem and the need for stronger efforts to hold traffickers accountable and support survivors.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline reports that it has identified 100,891 cases of human trafficking and 197,000 victims of human trafficking since its inception. It has received 432,902 signals since its inception, which includes calls, texts, online chats, and tips. In one recent year, it received 30,162 signals, 7,380 of which were from victims or survivors of human trafficking. 606 of these signals were from people in Pennsylvania.
Despite this high number of signals and pleas for help, statistics regarding sex and human trafficking cases are hard to come by. Sex crimes are notoriously under-reported. Many advocacy organizations consider human trafficking a national epidemic.
What Is the Sex Trafficking Law in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania has strict laws against sex trafficking. Anyone who recruits, entices, solicits, harbors, transports, provides, obtains, or maintains a person for sexual abuse commits a first-degree felony. In 2014, the Pennsylvania legislature passed a specific bill on sex trafficking, allowing victims to bring civil lawsuits against the business establishments (hotels, motels, clubs, etc.) for ignoring and/or allowing this type of criminal activity to take place on their property.
While criminal charges can help seek justice against the actual traffickers, civil claims can help victims recover damages for their medical expenses, counseling, pain and suffering, and other damages from these establishments, ensuring they are held liable for permitting criminal activity on their premises. Pennsylvania has a five-year time limit for most sex trafficking lawsuits. The sex trafficking statute of limitations also gives victims who were minors when the trafficking occurred until their 30th birthday to sue.
State law also prohibits involuntary servitude. This includes forcing victims into sexual exploitation by threatening harm, using physical restraint, kidnapping, fraud, extortion, or controlling their access to basic necessities. Taking or withholding a victim’s identification documents to restrict their movement is also a crime, as is patronizing a sex trafficking victim.
Pennsylvania law protects trafficking victims during prosecution. Courts must keep victims’ identities confidential in these cases. Additionally, victims of human trafficking who are charged with prostitution or other minor offenses related to their trafficking can have their charges expunged. Certain legal defenses are prohibited in sex trafficking cases. For example, defendants cannot claim a victim’s consent as a defense if coercion, force, or fraud were involved.
Victims of sex trafficking have the right to recover compensation. Traffickers must return stolen property and pay for the value of the victim’s forced labor. Restitution covers lost wages based on minimum wage laws or the trafficker’s profits from the victim’s forced work. Courts also impose fines on convicted traffickers, with money directed to funds that support trafficking victims.
Types of Sex Trafficking
Sex trafficking takes many forms and happens in a variety of settings. Some trafficking operations are large and organized, while others involve a single trafficker. Below are some of the most common types of sex trafficking:
- Forced prostitution
- Online exploitation
- Escort and massage businesses
- Strip clubs and adult entertainment venues
- Domestic servitude and sex trafficking
- Familial trafficking
- Gang-controlled trafficking
- Sex work in hotels and motels
Who Can Be Held Responsible for Sex Trafficking?
Pennsylvania law allows criminal and civil actions against anyone involved in sex trafficking. Traffickers who recruit, transport, or exploit victims can face felony charges. Anyone who profits from trafficking, including business owners or landlords who knowingly allow sex trafficking to occur on their properties, can also face legal action.
Buyers who engage in sex acts with trafficking victims can be charged under state law. If they knew or recklessly disregarded that the person was a trafficking victim, they could face felony charges.
Hotels, clubs, and online platforms that knowingly allow trafficking activity or fail to take action can also be held liable. Pennsylvania law allows trafficking victims to pursue financial recovery from those responsible by filing civil lawsuits. Survivors can seek compensation for medical expenses, lost income, emotional distress, and other harm caused by traffickers and those who enabled them.
How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help If You’re a Victim of Sex Trafficking
Sex trafficking survivors often face significant legal and personal challenges. Many survivors struggle with financial losses, criminal records from offenses committed under duress, and emotional trauma. If you are a survivor, a lawyer can take legal action on your behalf while treating you with the dignity and compassion you deserve. Below are several ways a sex trafficking lawyer can help you:
- Discussing your legal rights in a safe setting
- Filing a lawsuit against traffickers and those who profited from the trafficking
- Seeking financial recovery for lost income and emotional distress
- Keeping your identity confidential throughout legal proceedings
- Working sensitively and compassionately on your case to reduce additional trauma
- Identifying businesses that enabled the trafficking and taking legal action against them
- Connecting you with victim support services and resources
- Filing claims for restitution from convicted traffickers
- Gathering evidence and working with experts to build a strong case
- Representing you in court and advocating for your rights while seeking justice
Contact Us for a Free and Confidential Consultation
If you are a survivor of sex trafficking, a trial lawyer from Eisenberg, Rothweiler, Winkler, Eisenberg & Jeck, P.C. can fight for you. We are a recognized leader in this arena and have successfully recovered record-breaking results for sex abuse survivors. Contact us today for a free, confidential consultation to learn how we can help you take the next steps toward justice.
BUSINESS INFORMATION
Eisenberg, Rothweiler, Winkler, Eisenberg, & Jeck, P.C.
1634 Spruce St, Philadelphia, PA, 19103
Phone: (215) 585-2814
Email: info@erlegal.com
