Human Trafficking – What It Is and How You Can Help

A Fight for Change

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month and Ohio is home to one of the highest case numbers in the nation with 3,337 cases from January 2014 to December 2020.

A Fight for Change

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month and Ohio is home to one of the highest case numbers in the nation. Ohio is the fourth-highest in the nation behind California, Texas, and Florida. Statistics from the Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force report 3,337 cases from January 2014 to December 2020. Sadly, 31% of those reported cases involved minors. However, this number does not account for unreported or ongoing cases.

As awareness continues to build, so do case filings and arrests. In fact, 2020 was a record-breaking year for Southern Ohio districts. Officers also arrested 93 traffickers in a multi-day sting in April alone. In October, the U.S. Marshals rescued 45 missing children and charged 177 traffickers in one of Ohio’s largest sting operations in state history. Additionally, officers reported and rescued 109 women through the year 2020.

Know the Signs

According to the Human Trafficking Hotline, victims of Labor Trafficking may show the following signs:

Feel pressured by their employer to stay in a job or situation they want to leave

Owe money to an employer or recruiter or not paid fairly

Do not have control of their passport or other identity documents

Are living and working in isolated conditions, largely cut off from interaction with others or support systems

Appear monitored by another person when talking or interacting with others

Threatened by their boss with deportation or other harm

Are working in dangerous conditions without proper safety gear, training, adequate breaks, or other protections

Are living in dangerous, overcrowded, or inhumane conditions provided by an employer

According to the Human Trafficking Hotline, victims of Sex Trafficking may show the following signs:

Want to stop participating in commercial sex but feel scared or unable to leave the situation

Disclose that they were reluctant to engage in commercial sex but that someone pressured them into it

Live where they work or transported by guards between home and workplace

Are children who live with or are dependent on a family member with a substance use problem or who is abusive

Have a “pimp” or “manager” in the commercial sex industry

Work in an industry where it may be common to be pressured into performing sex acts for money, such as a strip club, illicit cantina, go-go bar, or illicit massage business

Have a controlling parent, guardian, romantic partner, or “sponsor” who will not allow them to meet or speak with anyone alone or who monitors their movements, spending, or communications.

Keeping Hope Alive

A sense of hope grows stronger each year that one day this crime will come to an end. Law enforcement officials can’t do it alone, they need your help in identifying potential victims and abusers. Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888 or text “HELP” to 233733 to report any suspicions. These services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Contact us using the form below to learn more about how this tragedy affects your community and to help our continuing effort of serving survivors and their families.