According to the
Human Trafficking Institute, Pennsylvania ranked fourth in the United States for active criminal human tracking cases that made their way to federal court, and ninth in the country for new criminal human trafficking cases in 2019.
Cases have even been observed in State College, so in 2017, a Penn State student founded “Hope Here Hope Now,” the first-ever organization dedicated to increasing awareness and preventative measures at Penn State.
“I came up with this name during a middle school summer camp when instructed to create a website based on our future careers,” HHHN founder and Penn State alum Kerriana Moore said. “As someone who grew up misunderstood, struggled with self-esteem, and advocating for myself, I knew I wanted to bring hope to other girls who struggled with similar issues. I wasn’t sure in what context then, but I knew I would use that name one day.”