Seminar
Although human trafficking—both sex and labor trafficking—is a growing national (and global) concern, it is ultimately a problem that will be identified at the local level. Ohio has several characteristics that some speculate may make it conducive to sex and labor trafficking. Media attention to prominent interstate cases involving teen prostitutes recruited from Toledo further fuel this fear. Yet, aside from various anecdotal accounts, there is little knowledge about trafficking in Ohio. This presentation provides context about human trafficking in Ohio based on research aimed at informing and shaping public discourse and practical responses to it. The analysis systematically explored human trafficking in terms of its existence and characteristics and in terms of how the criminal justice and social service communities have responded to it. The goal was to provide policymakers and practitioners with information to help improve their efforts to protect and provide services to victims and to bring perpetrators to justice. The study also sought to be of value to researchers seeking to better understand human trafficking and the social response to it.