A new report shows that the number of human trafficking victims continues to increase in Ohio. Since 2014, when the state began compiling data, Ohio has moved from fifth-place to fourth in the nation for the number of cases. California, Texas and Florida make up the top three.
Susan Laird is executive director of the Northeast Ohio Coalition Against Human Trafficking. She says the increase is “a double-edged sword,” since it involves the number of reported cases.
“I was originally very disappointed, and I thought, ‘what are we doing; we’re not making an impact?’ And our Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force said, ‘no, you don’t understand. People are talking about this now. They’re calling for information. We’re getting reports and tips. This is a good thing.’”
The statistics are released every January in conjunction with Human Trafficking Awareness month. The report from the state’s Human Trafficking Task Force can be viewed here.
