The mission of the Bucks Coalition Against Trafficking is to eradicate human trafficking in Bucks County through victim identification, community education, enhancement of arrests and prosecution of traffickers, changes to legislation and a coordinated response of victim services.
***NEW FEATURE*** Meet a BCAT Member Corner - Patti Cullen & Eileen Connor
Eileen Conner (top) and
Patti Cullen (bottom)
Fighting human trafficking and aiding its victims is a team effort for BCAT members Patti Cullen and Eileen Connor of the Indian Rock chapter of Soroptimist International. They've worked together on Soroptimist projects to help improve the lives of women and young girls for more than 20 years, and their new effort dovetails nicely with BCAT's goals. Patti, Eileen and their fellow chapter members are using a $1,300 grant Patti received from Soroptimist to create "human trafficking victim care kits," providing essential personal care items to recently rescued HT victims in Bucks County.
"We are partnering with the Bensalem police department's HT task force," Patti said. Bensalem police estimate they'll need at least 50 kits per year to offer victims whom they've identified, so the group plans to start by constructing about 100 kits, she said. Fabric pouches made from donated fabric and constructed by a local quilting group, the kits will contain small- or sample-size soaps, shampoos, lotions, deodorant, lip moisturizers, makeup wipes, and toothbrushes and toothpaste, in addition to T-shirts and socks. Indian Rock Soroptimist is currently collecting the care kit items-which they hope people will drop off at NOVA's Jamison office-and will assemble the first kits for Bensalem police before the end of this year. Patti and Eileen hope BCAT members will spread the word within their own organizations and in the community to solicit the items.
Patti and Eileen have been BCAT members since its inception. Patti is a 21-year member of Soroptimist International; Eileen has been a member for 25 years and is currently president. Soroptimist is a global women's organization whose members volunteer to improve the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social and economic empowerment. For more information, visit www.soroptimist.org or www.soroptimistindianrock.org.
Working together is something both Patti and Eileen say they love. "That's so much of the joy of this friendship," Eileen noted. "We have an opportunity to work together to make a meaningful change for people who really need it."
Would you like to be part of the BCAT Outreach Sub-Committee?
The BCAT Outreach-Sub Committee wants your involvement! The Outreach Committee works to spread awareness to the community and provides tools to prevent and address human trafficking in Bucks County. We are planning events for Human Trafficking Awareness Day (January 11, 2017) as well as events during the month of January. The committee meets monthly on the fourth Monday of the month at 5:30 PM, NOVA office in Jamison PA. Contact Deirdre Blackburn at deirdre@novabucks.org for more information.
Two Romanian nationals who operated two massage parlors in Morrisville and Warminster, were sentenced August 31 to serve three to 10 years each in state prison. Read More...
The Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are offering "Stop. Observe. Ask. Respond" human trafficking training through September Read More...
The Villanova Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE Institute) has collaborated with the Valley Against Sex Trafficking (VAST) to publish a best practices guide Read More...
Don't miss the last BCAT meeting of 2016!
The next BCAT meeting is October 12, 5PM at the Doylestown United Mennonite Church. We will have two presenters: Christina Dominguez, Executive Director of VAST Coalition (Valley Against Sex Trafficking) and Obed Almeyda, Chairman of the Montgomery County Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition (MCAT)
