Human Trafficking 101
By Julia A. Keirns
(This article was written for one of the local newspapers and published in July, 2018)
Jamie Evans, Director of Victim Services at the YWCA educated several members of the community on human trafficking Monday night in the basement of the First United Methodist Church.
“It is important to know what human trafficking looks like here in Van Wert County,” she began. “Because it is not the way it might look in the bigger cities. It does look different, and that is why a lot of people in the community think we do not have human trafficking right here in Van Wert.”
Anyone can be a victim – all ages, races, rich, poor, men or women. Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labor or sex. The Van Wert YWCA deals mainly with domestic victims of sex trafficking, while the larger coalition in Lima sees more International victims of sex and labor trafficking both.
Labor trafficking in the immediate area comes mostly in the form of migrant farms, where immigrants are promised a better life, and then are not given the best housing situations or paid as much as they should be. Labor trafficking can be found in restaurants, nail salons and massage parlors. Mail order brides and domestic servants are more common in the area than most people realize.
Statistically, in 2016, there were 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally. 10 million of those were children, and only 70% were women and young girls. It is a common misconception to believe that men and young boys are not victims.
In 2016, 20,000 children were reported missing in Ohio alone, and 1,000 children were being sexually exploited at any given time. And locally in 2016, crime victims’ services based in Lima serviced 95 survivors of human sex trafficking from Northern Ohio.
“After drug dealing, which we all know is massive,” stated Evans, “human trafficking is tied with the illegal arms industry as the second largest crime industry in the world today, and it is the fastest growing. Google, Starbucks, and Nike are huge companies, but the human trafficking industry makes more money than all three of them combined. That just blows me away.”
“Human trafficking is not going to be seen on the corner of Main and Washington Street in downtown Van Wert. But it is occurring through the back door and in the back bedroom of the house next door,” she warned.
Just like anyone can be a victim, so can anyone be a trafficker – man, woman, any race. There is a huge correlation between the drug industry and human trafficking.
Anti-trafficking coalitions work together to help victims of human trafficking recover. They have strong networks, and they want to train and educate anyone who might encounter a victim.
“Everybody has probably come in contact with a victim at some point in their life,” she said, “and just didn’t know it. The victim could easily be the person sitting right beside you.”
“What we can do is be aware,” she told the group. “Be very aware of your surroundings and teach your children to be smart. Make sure your kids know that they can come to you with any situation. Have open conversations and talk to them regularly about making smart choices.”
“So many people think this is not a problem in Van Wert, but it is. If they don’t think it is a problem, then they don’t think they need to know the signs or be on the lookout. Most people think it is not going to happen to them or their family, but yes it can. It absolutely can happen to anyone,” she said. “There is definitely human trafficking going on right here in Van Wert County. It is here!” she ended.
Northwest Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition meets in Lima. Their mission is to end sexual relation trafficking by enhancing public education, survivor recover, and justice response. Anyone is welcome to attend. For more information contact the YWCA.
The YWCA rape crisis / human trafficking hotline is available 24/7. Free confidential help is available to anyone by calling 567-259-9501.