Philadelphia is ramping up efforts to combat human trafficking. City council, as part of the fiscal year 2026 budget, is allocating $500,000 to the city's first-ever Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Campaign.

Councilmember Nina Ahmad, who has spearheaded the effort, made the announcement from the Independence Visitor's Center Tuesday morning.

"This campaign will create what Philadelphia needs, a unified, citywide approach," Ahmad said.

Ahmad says that while great work has been done to combat trafficking, it was often done in silos. The effort brings together lawmakers, law enforcement, advocates who have worked in this space for decades and survivors of human trafficking.

Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel says his department already has a human trafficking task force that it runs with the FBI. But a key component of this new initiative is what he called "the gap": efforts to raise public awareness.

"It could be playing out in front of you and you won't even know," Bethel said. "I think the goal to bring about awareness is critical."

The group of dozens met Tuesday to start the process of laying out what the campaign should look like. Among them was Elly Jo Waller, first lady of the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, who has for decades worked to support survivors of human trafficking.

She says an important step is stressing that these kinds of activities are not as far away as many people think.

"What it'll do is help people understand we're not talking about far away. We're not talking about the Hollywood version. It's not 'Taken,'" Waller said. "It's people who every day are being victimized."

Leaders say traffickers tend to target those who are vulnerable, people dealing with substance abuse or experiencing homelessness. Immigrants are also often preyed upon, according to officials.

But Waller says in her years, she's seen survivors from all walks of life. Many of them, she says, have long been groomed by their traffickers.

"I've seen young people who will say, 'Well, we're in love and we're doing this so we can get money,'" Waller said.

Ahmad specifically mentioned online gaming as a concern.

"Our children are sitting safely at home, parents are thinking, and they're talking in real-time with people on their gaming platforms. And that's where predators are lurking," Ahmad said.

But advocates stressed that much of this activity starts with people a victim knows.

"We also know from studies that 26% of trafficking victims were trafficked by a family member. And over 60% by someone that they knew," Heather LaRocca, with the Salvation Army, said.

Officials say it's also important to let survivors know they can come forward and be protected. It's something Bethel said concerns him, particularly when it comes to Philadelphia's immigrant community and the current national discourse over immigration.

"It was a hard for us to make our immigrant community to report. And now with things going on, I have great concerns, and that's my personal concern, that they are not going to be reporting some of the activities," Bethel said.

Leaders say what the campaign will look like is still being discussed, and they didn't have an exact date for when it would debut. But they are working quickly to get it out there ahead of next year's America 250 celebrations and events that will draw millions to Philadelphia.

"When you have these events, particularly large, international events, you will see potentially a surge in trafficking," Bethel said.

The police commissioner says his department is working with its federal partners ahead of events like the World Cup, MLB All-Star Game and more set for 2026.

But Ahmad says they plan to continue the campaign far past next year's events.

"This is about building an infrastructure to protect people every single day," Ahmad said.