NEO Collaborative Discusses Human Trafficking with Sen Portman

A coalition of Northeast Ohio groups and Ohio Senator Rob Portman met in downtown Cleveland today to address human trafficking in Northeast Ohio.  

Law enforcement, social service organizations, businesses and religious organizations have been working together for the past decade as part of the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking.  The group’s CEO Karen Walsh says educating people who might encounter victims of human trafficking – hotel workers or doctors in ERs, for example -- is a top priority. 

“What you really want is for those personnel who are health care professionals to understand the crime of human trafficking and then to use their health care expertise to recognize victims and then know exactly what you would do in that situation,” says Walsh.

On Capitol Hill, Senator Rob Portman recently introduced legislation that would allow prosecution of websites that carry ads for prostitution.  Opponents worry the bill would limit internet freedoms, but Portman says the bill is narrowly crafted to hold accountable websites that “knowingly” advertise prostitution.

“Our issue is not a First Amendment issue.  Our issue is about groups online who knowingly intentionally are involved in sex trafficking.  That was never meant to be protected,” says Portman. 

Under the federal Communications Decency Act, websites that post content from third parties are immune from prosecution.