Every day in Ohio and elsewhere, many victims of human trafficking come in contact with health-care professionals yet remain unidentified. This holds true even though victims present with a wide range of health issues, both physical and psychological.

The Health Care Subcommittee of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Human Trafficking Commission identified a knowledge gap within health-care settings:  the ability to safely recognize, treat and provide intervention to victims of human trafficking.

Hoping to close that gap, the subcommittee worked with Mount Carmel Health System to develop the two videos below and this accompanying Facilitator’s Discussion Guide to help train health-care providers statewide on how to identify trafficking victims and respond appropriately.

Victim Services Directory

New statewide guide to assistance eases search for human trafficking survivors.

Human Trafficking Initiative

Human trafficking is the illegal use of vulnerable people to make a profit. In other words, it is a scourge on society that is happening right now in Ohio’s cities, suburbs, rural areas — essentially everywhere. In fact, Ohio ranks among the top 10 states for number of calls made to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

Since taking office in January 2019, Attorney General Dave Yost has made the fight against human trafficking a top priority. He created the Human Trafficking Initiative with the goal of ending labor and sex trafficking in Ohio. The initiative works to build awareness, empower Ohioans to take action in their communities, strengthen victim services throughout the state and ensure that traffickers and “johns” are brought to justice.

But the Attorney General’s Office cannot fight this problem alone. To stop those preying on Ohio’s vulnerable populations, we urge Ohioans to report any information they have about human trafficking or any suspicious activity they come across.

Get help/Give help

To contact the Human Trafficking Initiative or request a speaker, email [email protected].