Blair County ranks 28th in population among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, but owns the questionable distinction of ranking sixth in number of prosecutions for human trafficking, according to a local expert who spoke to the Blair County Prison Re-entry Coalition this week.

Human trafficking prosecutions, which aren’t easy to prove, began here in 2018, with arrests in connection with a child pornography ring, according to Tory Schwarze, senior counselor advocate for Family Services Inc.

It’s a practice based on exploitation of victims’ “vulnerabilities,” including substance use disorder, hunger, homelessness, family dysfunction, mental health issues, poverty and youth, according to Schwarze.

Many victims are children, and many are unaware

that they fit into the trafficked category, Schwarze said.

Altoona’s location on I-99 is among the factors that make this area attractive for perpetrators, as is Altoona’s proximity to State College, which is also on the interstate, and which is a venue for the “big-time sporting events” where trafficking often occurs — coupled with Altoona’s being between Philadelphia and Harrisburg to the east and Pittsburgh to the west, Schwarze said.

I-99 is “the perfect corridor,” Schwarze said. “It’s easy to jump on 99 and leave.”

Yet the human trafficking here is little like it’s portrayed in the movies, according to Schwarze and Family Services Executive Director Lisa Hann.

It’s not like people are being kidnapped, grabbed out of stores and hustled into vans that drive off to distant places, Hann said.

Much of it rather is home-grown, she said.

There are families trafficking children — fathers, mothers, aunts and uncles who may themselves be addicted to drugs, prostituting children to obtain the drugs they crave, she said.

Or sometimes to obtain money, sometimes to put food on the table, Hann said.

There are adults trafficking other adults who themselves are addicted to drugs, with traffickers keeping their victims high, so they do what is wanted — providing sex for money, according to Schwarze.

Food insecurity has been increasing, especially with the recent reduction and threatened stoppage of SNAP benefits, due to the federal shutdown, which increases the vulnerability of many to trafficking, Schwarze and Hann said.

“We’ve seen (young teens) trafficked for two Sheetz hot dogs,” Schwarze said.

One of the attractions for perpetrators is that a particular batch of drugs can be sold just once, while human beings can be sold time and again, Schwarze said.

There are two basic types: trafficking for sex and trafficking for labor, Schwarze said, noting that officials aren’t aware of trafficking for labor in this area at this point.

In 2018, local authorities put together a coalition called the Human Anti-Trafficking Response Team, which is designed to provide victims a place where they can get counseling and be directed to rehabilitation, housing, support in court and other resources, Schwarze said.

The organization holds periodic awareness events, like the Red Sand Project.

HART participants include the district attorney’s office, police departments, Blair Drug and Alcohol Partnerships, Blair Health Choices and other agencies, Schwarze said.

Overall, human trafficking is a $150 billion global industry, she said.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888 or by texting “BeFree” to 233733, according to online sources. It’s available 24/7/365 and is confidential. The website is humantraffickinghotline.org.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.