Pittsburgh

High-resolution image

The Pittsburgh Division honors Dr. Mary Burke, an international activist for adult and child victims of human trafficking and the founder of the non-profit organization Project to End Human Trafficking.

Dr. Burke is a faculty member in the Department of Psychology and Counseling at Carlow University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 2004, she founded the Project to End Human Trafficking, an all-volunteer group that works regionally, nationally, and internationally to raise awareness about the enslavement and economic exploitation of people. She has begun anti-trafficking coalitions in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia and has consulted on the development of coalitions in other regions. In addition, she has spoken to various state and regional elected officials in Pennsylvania and Virginia and has worked on legislation to strengthen human trafficking laws in these states.

In 2005, Dr. Burke founded the Southwestern Pennsylvania Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition, in which she collaborates with colleagues in the FBI Pittsburgh Division. Currently, the coalition comprises approximately 70 members, including concerned citizens, social service agency representatives, health and mental health care professionals, and law enforcement officers from the region. This group works to raise awareness about human trafficking and provides for the basic needs of domestic and international victims of trafficking in the greater Pittsburgh area. Dr. Burke is a member of the American Psychological Association Task Force on the Trafficking of Women and Girls and has worked in a number of countries to help communities prevent human trafficking of children and young adults.