University of Toledo receives funds to support human trafficking victims

Maryam Jawaid, Staff Reporter

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The issue of human trafficking remains prominent in the area, as Ohio ranks fifth-highest among the states in total reported human trafficking cases, per the U.S. Federal Bureau of Information Crime Reports. Additionally, Toledo has been identified as the fourth-highest ranking city in the nation for recruiting victims into the illegal trade.

Recently, to help battle this issue, the Toledo Community Foundation awarded $75,000 to the University of Toledo to support the Partners Against Trafficking in Humans project.

“In our PATH project, we are connecting victims of human trafficking with care coordinators to provide them with systems of care,” said Fanell Williams, lead project coordinator in the UT College of Social Justice & Human Service.

Williams said that the project aims to assist victims of human trafficking and is being coordinated by the Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute at UT.

The PATH project is a modified replica of the Pathways model used by the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio to address low birth outcomes in Ohio, according to Williams. Adapted in August 2016, PATH is the first of its kind.

“Our end goal is for it to be an evidence-based model so that other cities, counties, states and places can use the model to assist their victims in human trafficking,” Williams said.

The victims of human trafficking are diverse and include men and women, both adults and children, as well as foreign nationals and U.S. citizens in the United States, according to the Human Trafficking Hotline.

“There is no single profile for trafficking victims; trafficking occurs to adults and minors in rural, suburban or urban communities across the country,” states the Human Trafficking Hotline.

The program functions through collaborative efforts with the Lucas County Human Trafficking Coalition and several agencies, Williams said. Currently, the project serves 27 clients. Williams estimates that it will grow to 50 clients by 2019.

An important aspect of PATH is to train professionals in the community about human trafficking and trauma so that they can better understand the victims’ situations. Thereby, they can implement the most effective methods to serve the clients, according to Williams.

After receiving training, the agencies sign a memorandum of understanding and provide a trained contact person from their agencies to interact with care coordinators.

“We’ve trained about 800 or more professionals in the Lucas County community on this issue,” Williams said. “We have 19 agencies that are PATH-approved.”

Care coordinators of the program perform an initial assessment of the clients to establish their basic needs, from food, support systems, education, life skills and healthcare to injury. Then, the clients receive the appropriate services corresponding to their needs, such as mental health appointments or legal facilities, Williams said.

The clients are given incentives to complete their appointments and move forward in their process.

“Through this process, hopefully they’re able to see the benefits of getting their lives on track and controlling their lives,” Williams said.

PATH defines a series of stages for the client: from victim to survivor and, lastly, to thriver. The PATH project aims to assist the clients in achieving self-autonomy.

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University of Toledo receives funds to support human trafficking victims