Modern slavery

“1,078 children are recruited or trafficked in any given year in Ohio,” said Celia Williamson, a criminal justice and social work professor. “27 million people worldwide are affected by what is now deemed as modern-day slavery.”

According to Williamson, the average age of those trafficked in Ohio are between the ages of 14 and 15, and nationally it is 12 to 14. In June of this year, The Ohio End Demand Act was made into law. The law states that those who purchases sex from a minor, the charge will no longer be a misdemeanor, it will now be a felony.

The law was meant to reinforce the Safe Harbor Act, established in 2012, that will provide a safe place and services for the victims. The SHA also increased the punishments for traffickers.

Human trafficking and prostitution has been a problem in Ohio for quite some time, though Ohio has dropped down to eighth in the nation of youth trafficking, it is still a problem.

Pete Swartz, a detective with the Toledo Police Department and member of the FBI Child Exploitation Taskforce, has been actively conducting investigations since 2006 to help bring an end to human trafficking in Toledo.

According to Swartz, TPD has 10 full-time detectives who coordinate undercover operations — called stings — to help combat the issue.

TPD and the FBI are not the only ones taking charge of eliminating this modern-day slavery.

The University of Toledo will host the 11th annual Human Trafficking, Prostitution, and Sex Work Conference Sept. 18th and 19th in the Student Union.

The conference is free to all UT students, staff and faculty and $30 a day for those who don’t attend UT. Williamson said that students must register for the conference, which can be done online at traffickingconference.com, or on-site at the conference.

Williamson founded the conference in 2004 to raise awareness for this issue, and it is now one of the oldest academic conferences in the nation.

“The conference brings awareness that we need in the community,” Williamson said. “This is something that not many people are aware of and could be happening in their very county, and they don’t know.”

According to Williamson, the registration process will begin at 7:30 a.m., then a continental breakfast will be served to all attendees from 7:30 to 8:30.

There will be a short welcome at 8:30, then the hour-long sessions begin at 9 and end 5 p.m.

Williamson said that one of the goals of the conference is to present all three sides: trafficking, prostitution and sex work. With the help of the 73 speakers who will be present, she hopes each side will be thoroughly examined. The speakers for the event will include survivors, researchers, doctors, sex workers and Michigan senator Judy Emmons.

“People need to be aware of this because, yes, it is a problem,” Swartz said. “People need to know that this is happening, and it’s important that they know it’s not just adults — it’s minors, too.”

Part of the reason for the conference is that there are students and community members that may not know of this problem.

“It really concerns me that this is going on in Toledo, that I could be at risk,” said Brittany Lay, a first-year pharmacy student. “I didn’t even know that this was happening right in Toledo.”

Lay is hoping that this conference could help her better understand the warning signs of trafficking and possibly become active in the effort to put an end to trafficking.

“It bothers me that the only thing Toledo is really known for is this,” said Alex Beckman, a third-year chemistry major.

According to Swartz, if students would like to get involved, they can visit the Lucas County Human Trafficking Coalition website or sign up to be a part of local block watches. The internet is also a good way to learn more.

“There’s always information on the internet,” Swartz said.

Williamson said her and her team are putting together an effort to have a workshop on human trafficking, prostitution and sex work in freshman orientation classes.

However, there is much debate over whether a class regarding this topic is necessary or not.

“I think that they shouldn’t teach that in orientation,” Beckman said. “I don’t think that some people are mentally prepared for that and wouldn’t be able to handle it, and it shouldn’t be forced upon people.”

Although some oppose introducing students to this topic in orientation, others support the idea.

“It’d be great if they could teach something like that in orientation,” Lay said. “I believe people should know more about it.”

If students have questions or concerns about the conference, Williamson said to contact her, co-chair of the conference Sandy Sieben, or send an email to [email protected]