Human trafficking also referred to as trafficking in persons, has no place in this world. Human trafficking is both a grave crime and a human rights abuse. It jeopardizes national safety, undermines the rule of law, and also distresses the well-being of individuals and communities everywhere. If you have a case involving human trafficking in Ohio, a competent human trafficking lawyer can help you combat your offenders and secure justice in a court of law.
Labor trafficking is an offense of exploitation. The traffickers engaged in human trafficking in Ohio gain profit at the expense of their potential victims. They use threats to force the victim to conduct labor or to commit sexual acts all over the world.
Unfortunately, there is an extensive criminal record of human trafficking in Ohio. Ohio has huge urban centers and rural counties, a massive transient, and immigrant population, as well as five major highways with easy access to other states and Canada.
What is Human Trafficking?
The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of people, by use of threat, force, or any other forms of oppression, like abduction, fraud, deception, the abuse of power or a position of vulnerability, or by allotting or collecting payments or benefits to achieve the confirmation of a person for having full restraint over another person, for exploitation is human trafficking.
Unfortunately, Ohio is a prime destination for human trafficking. This is due to its ports, airports, industry, and rising immigrant populations.
Human trafficking in Ohio is the illegal trade of human beings for reproductive slavery, marketable sexual exploitation, or forced labor. Therefore, human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery. If you suspect human trafficking is happening, you can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline which will bring the Human Trafficking Task Force and the Human Trafficking Commission into action.
The National Human Trafficking Resource Center has all the information you need to help victims, including child sex trafficking victims. A human trafficking lawyer can help you seek justice against people involved in such illegal activities.
Different Types of Human Trafficking
The 3 most common types of human trafficking include sex trafficking, forced labor, and debt bondage.
- Trafficking for labor is also known as involuntary enslavement. Trafficking for forced labor services is a massive sector of trafficking in the world, based on the recent investigation records of the U.S. Department of State.
- Debt bondage is another form of human trafficking in which a trafficker uses threats to force a person to work to pay a huge debt.
- Sex trafficking disproportionately influences women and children and includes unintentional participation in commercial sex acts. In Ohio, any child under the age of 18 who has contributed to a commercial sex act is considered a victim of sex trafficking. Women and young girls make up 80% of the people trafficked transnationally. The traffickers subject 1 million children to sexual abuse each year in the commercial sex business.
Survivors of trafficking also encompass men and children, and these survivors suffered exploitation by any number of means.
Human traffickers may force victims into any of the following types of labor, among others:
- Domestic enslavement
- Agricultural labor
- Manufacturing
- Janitorial services
- Hotel employment
- Construction
- Health and elder supervision
- Hair and nail salons
- Prostitution
- Strip club dancing
Some of the survivors also include “mail-order” brides, who assume that they are going to a new country for marriage but instead suffer abuse or slavery. All kinds of nationalities and ethnic communities are susceptible to human trafficking. In other words, any given country might be a basis of constrained labor, a place of transit, or a destination.
Our human trafficking lawyers are endlessly fighting against child labor, hidden crime associates, traffickers involved in sexual activities, and more. We offer legal services to all, especially child victims.
What are Warning Signs of Human Trafficking
Some indications can help you determine whether a person may be a victim of human trafficking:
- Show hints that their actions are manipulated
- Have counterfeit identity or travel documents
- Not know their residence or work location
- Have no access to their revenue
- Be unable to intervene in working requirements
- Work extremely long hours over a long duration
- Have limited or no social exchange
- They have little to no contact with their families or with people outside of their immediate setting
- Have a large amount of debt
What are Ohio’s Statistics?
In 2019, Ohio was categorized as 14th out of all 50 states in terms of the amount of active criminal human trafficking cases submitted in the federal courts. According to the report by the Human Trafficking Institute, there were almost 145 new criminal human trafficking cases with 271 new defendants and 606 total functional cases. Consequently, 339 convictions were made in 2019, according to the report.
While Human Trafficking Institute in 2020 had Ohio as the second-highest state with almost 1087 cases coming from new offenders. The numbers for human labor trafficking, human sex trafficking, and also other human trafficking crimes seem to be rising drastically.
According to the Ohio Attorney General’s (OAG) office, it is “estimated that 1078 Ohio children are sex trafficked every year.” In addition, a human trafficking statistics study found that it is largely preteens and teens who are sex trafficked and suggested that “13 years old is the most common age in Ohio for youngsters to help victims of child sex trafficking.”
Of the study’s sample of 207 individuals, 49% were under the age of 18 at the time of trafficking, as per agency records. In addition, 91% of female victims suffered abuse from where they grew up, and 77% of female victims trafficked as a teen transitioned into adult prostitution.
However, at the same time, there is progress being made to solidify prevention efforts, anti-trafficking efforts, creating training programs, and so on.
Get The Help You Deserve From a Human Trafficking Lawyer in Ohio
If you are a survivor of human trafficking or an abusive relationship of this sort or suspect any kind of human trafficking in your community, we suggest you call us immediately to initiate legal proceedings against 1st degree trafficking, activity through trafficking, alleged sex trafficking ring, provision of services to trafficked (online chat, etc.), complicit adult entertainment services, complicit massage services, and so on.
We work with experienced professionals to counsel victims and survivors of human trafficking, throughout Ohio.
The Babin Law Firm has connections to child welfare agencies, anti-trafficking services, safe access to victim services, services offering awareness of trafficking, alcohol abuse treatment services, juvenile justice officials, and so on.
If you or a loved one were a victim of human trafficking, reach out to an Ohio human trafficking lawyer at our firm to discuss your legal rights.