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Across the United States, the societal plight of human trafficking continues to receive more attention than it has in previous years. This goes for both the general public and law enforcement. However, this iteration of modern-day slavery still requires much more work before its total eradication occurs. Today, human trafficking continues to impact the lives of countless individuals. It exists in every nation in the world, along with across all 50 American states. Though in Cleveland, Ohio, grassroots work is taking place to raise awareness and educate the general public.

A closer look at Cleveland's stand against human trafficking

In Ohio, the Survivor Advisory Council Collaborative to End Human Trafficking is making a huge difference in the Cleveland community. Heading this council is program coordinator Rachel Socorro. Socorro stands today as a survivor of labor trafficking that lasted 15 years. The nightmare began for her at just 19 years old. Now, Socorro's mission is to use her experiences to change the current narrative about human trafficking, which nowadays has so many holes. In real-time, many people remain under the mistaken impression that human trafficking involves someone dragging young women into white vans and outside of the United States. Until the general public understands the exact, pervasive nature of human trafficking, it will continue causing problems across communities. The following crimes each fall under the umbrella of human trafficking:

• Forced marriage
• Sex trafficking
• Labor trafficking
• Debt bondage
• Organ harvesting

Every city across the nation could use grassroots advocates willing to work in ways they are able to educate about human trafficking. Furthermore, communities need access to the knowledge and tools that will help them combat human trafficking, crack down on its demand, and hold perpetrators accountable, while rescuing survivors.

Human trafficking in the greater Ohio area

Since June 2022, Ohio exists as the state that's the fifth highest in the country for cases of human trafficking. Moreover, its human trafficking rate stands at the fourth highest. This means for every 100,000 individuals, about four known victims of human trafficking exist. Of course, the on-the-books numbers documenting cases and victims of human trafficking do not account for every single case that has yet to be reported or documented. Anyone who wishes to report what they believe to be human trafficking can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline via phone at 1 (888) 373-7888 or by text at 233733.