Human trafficking is a crime that takes on different forms, and with January being National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, efforts both statewide and locally are being done to help combat this particular issue.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol spent a week this month teaming up with Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois State Police as well as the organization Truckers Against Trafficking to train and educate those that may be more likely to spot human trafficking, like commercial truck drivers or employees at rest stops. Information cards about human trafficking and what to look for were also passed out by those participating.
Locally, there are also things being done to keep an eye out for human trafficking; Crime Victims Services provides special training for different groups in the area all year round - not just during the month of January.
"Some of the trainings that we do you are with law enforcement, with health providers, mental health professionals, educators, and then we also work with students as well, letting them know about the situation and what to look for in terms of red flags," said Ryn Farmer, Supervisor of Rape Crisis and Anti-Human Trafficking at Crime Victim Services.
Those with Crime Victims Services say that all that training pays off.
"We've found that over the years, as we've provided more education within our community, we’ve actually seen an increase in the number of referrals that we’ve seen," Farmer said. "One of the things that we’ve been focusing on more recently is training individuals to look for labor trafficking situations as well as individuals from other countries that are being trafficked here for labor, and we've seen an increase in referrals for that for specific population since we’ve been focusing on it."
According to Crime Victims Services, they were able to help over 70 survivors of human trafficking in a 16 county area last year.
The Northwest Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition will also be holding a "paint and partake" event on Monday, January 29th, at the Lima Knights of Columbus. All proceeds go towards helping survivors of human trafficking. You can register online at Eventbrite - the event can be found by searching for Lima events.
