As you may know, January is the month where we focus on International Human Trafficking Awareness, and January 11th is selected for International Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Senator Cris Dush works with many international and state renown organizations that have been fighting Human Trafficking for years. His recently enacted legislation, Pennsylvania Act 39, depicts his desire to improve victim support and provide the legislation necessary for law enforcement and social services to better assist those who have been trafficked. Furthermore, Senator Dush’s background in law enforcement has allowed him to effectively fight those who are responsible for trafficking innocent children throughout the years. Act 39, signed into law by Governor Shapiro in December 2023, allows victims to now receive social services without having to identify (for whatever reason) their traffickers, protecting victims and helping them to receive assistance and move away from this deadly environment.
In recognition of this important month, Senator Dush will be presenting short synopses of interviews he recently completed with not only victims of Human Trafficking, but also benchmark organizations that are currently fighting Human Trafficking in Pennsylvania and around the world.
Below is his schedule of interviews for January 2024:
Today, Senator Dush will be interviewing…
Brad Ortenzi
Lancaster County’s Human Trafficking Task Force coordinator
ZOE International
Brad Ortenzi serves as the Eastern USA Regional Director of ZOE International, a multi-national organization that has 20 years of success in rescuing and restoring children and youth who have been trafficked. Responsible for the expansion and growth of operations of ZOE on the East Coast, based in Pennsylvania.
Brad has a background in both domestic and international law enforcement and was a active duty US Marine from 1990-1994. His work in Lancaster County includes Special County Detective (homicide, violent crimes, sexual exploitation, etc) and is currently the Coordinator of Berks and Lancaster County Human Trafficking Task Forces. Brad’s global work included US Federal Law Enforcement teams to Thailand to include Director of Child Rescue – ZOE International.
For more information, the complete interviews can be viewed here.