The Polaris Project describes human trafficking as a “modern-day slavery” in which victims, mostly women and children, are captured, transported, and sold into forced labor or into the commercial sex industry.  These victims, mostly women and children, are intimidated into obedience by violence, rapes, and other kinds of abuse.

Ohio is one of the “dirty dozen” states with high rates of trafficking because of weak penalties for traffickers. Toledo has some of the highest numbers of arrests and investigations related to the trafficking of children in the sex trade, and the city is considered to have the highest rate of these crimes per capita in the nation.

What you can do:

Become informed about the problem by reading the articles linked above and  the AAUW Ohio public policy e-newsletter, including the PowerPoint presentations given by Senator Teresa Fedor at the Ohio Leadership Conference. Find out more about the global issue of human trafficking at the Polaris Project

Write your statehouse representative in support of H.B. 493 and to your Ohio state senator in support of S.B. 235.  You can search for your these officials’ addresses at the State Assembly website.  Personally-written letters are the most effective way to convince legislators that Ohioans care about protecting victims of human labor and sex trafficking, many of whom are children.

Attend the presentation by Cecilia Williams on September 28.