The Project to End Human Trafficking

Carnegie Mellon University students Jessica Dickson Goodman, Ismail Smith-Wade-El and members of the Project to End Human Trafficking assisted Pittsburgh City Councilman Doug Shields in developing a bill aimed at licensing massage parlor employees in the city of Pittsburgh. The bill would  force businesses to open their books to auditors and create a means for police to uncover any possible illegal activities, the bill also includes a list of operational requirements for massage parlors.

"Councilman Shields is committed to ending human slavery in Pittsburgh, and this bill is a testament to his dedication," commented Project director Mary Burke. "We truly appreciate the attention that he has brought to this issue and his recognition that this is a problem in Pittsburgh; we can no longer turn a blind eye to the fact that this is happening in our city."

Details of the press conference on April 18, 2011, including an audio interview with the Project's Jamie Turek , can be found here.