PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — With an expected influx of visitors to Philadelphia in 2026, one hidden consequence could be an increase in human trafficking. City officials and nonprofit leaders began work Tuesday on an anti-trafficking campaign they hope will prevent such a spike.
City Council included $500,000 in this year’s budget for a citywide strategy for preventing human trafficking, which was especially timely because of the big events scheduled for 2026, including the FIFA World Cup and the celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
Councilmember Nina Ahmad oversaw the first meeting of stakeholders, promising more to come — but she said trafficking is a crime that’s often misunderstood.
“Trafficking does not begin with a dramatic abduction,” she said. “It begins with vulnerability, with grooming, with manipulation, with someone gaining trust in order to exploit it.”
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel says he began to grasp the magnitude of the problem a decade ago when he began working with juveniles.
“A young lady said, ‘Your policy for runaways is you take us home but you never ask us what we’re running away from,’” said the commissioner.
Juvenile runaways are among the prime targets for traffickers, as are people trapped in addiction, people in abusive relationships and immigrants whose non-citizen status can allow employers to exploit them. Bethel said there is a law enforcement task force for trafficking that includes federal partners but he agreed with the goal of a citywide response that includes multiple layers.
“It really tears at my heart to understand the complexities and what is necessary,” he said.
Indeed, Heather LaRocca, director of the Salvation Army’s “New Day to Stop Trafficking” program, said 60% of victims are trafficked by someone they know and 26% are trafficked by a family member.
“We do need a systemic response. We need to identify and respond to trafficking and we need trauma-informed, victim-centered services that can help survivors on their journey of healing and that journey is a lifetime,” she said.
Visit Philadelphia President and CEO Angela Val said the hospitality industry has played a key role in disrupting trafficking — and that the World Cup cities have worked together on a prevention plan.
“Ensuring strong protocols to identify and report suspicious activity is not just an aspiration,” she said, “it’s a mandate.”