BUCYRUS — Human trafficking was the topic of the latest Crawford Conversation at the Trillium Event Center on Thursday.
In preparing for the event, Erin Stine of the Crawford Partnership said she noticed on the map of human trafficking coalitions that are highlighted in red, Crawford County was white.
“Crawford County did not have a coalition, so we fixed that,” Stine said.
The Partnership is working with Central Ohio Rescue and Restore to create a coalition to combat human trafficking in the county in conjunction with the Crawford County Public Safety Coalition, Crawford County Public Health and Community Counseling Services.
Amanda Friesel of Central Ohio Rescue and Restore said a coalition in the county will help in raising awareness as to what human trafficking really is and what can be done to keep people safe and secure.
“It’s not just about someone being snatched and thrown in the back of a van,” Friesel said. “There are many ways that human trafficking occurs.”
Two videos were shown during the two-hour event that more than 100 people attended.
One video showcased a labor trafficking case that occurred in Marion County a few years ago in which immigrants had their paperwork withheld by their employer and were working and living in inhumane conditions. They were convinced that if they sought help, they would be deported.
The other video focused on a recovering addict who did not realize she was working in the sex trafficking industry since she was addicted to drugs and blamed herself.
A panel of experts included Jomel Aird, victims advocate for the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force; Tabitha Woodruff, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Columbus; Maria Busch, anti-trafficking program assistant at the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Office of Criminal Justice Services; and Quincy Brook-Grimes of the Salvation Army of Central Ohio Delaware County Human Trafficking Services.
Aird said sex and labor traffickers prey on the vulnerable.
“Drug addicts are at risk and some dealers will even throw a person into withdrawal to make them have to work for their drugs,” Aird said.
Busch said her agency works with each person all the way through their case process.
“We help them set goals and break down barriers to reaching their goals,” Busch said.
Part of what a coalition does for an area is to provide law enforcement with a toolbox they can use to levy additional charges on defendants that include sex or labor trafficking. For more information, visit