TOLEDO, Ohio — Human trafficking across Ohio is hard to track because it happens in the shadows, but a team at the University of Toledo, in partnership with the Ohio Attorney General's Office, is soon going to change that narrative.
For the last three years, The Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute at the University of Toledo has been developing a screening tool for children who may be at risk or involved in human trafficking. Executive Director Celia Williamson said it’s ready to launch and goes beyond improving statewide reporting.
“What is helpful about that is it will help us to identify intervention strategies because we will know who, where, what,” said Williamson. “It will help take very limited money, time, and resources and spend it in smarter ways.”
Williamson said it’s difficult to know exactly how many victims are being trafficked in the state, and this new screening tool will help gather more accurate data.
“We haven't been able to characterize, in an accurate way, the problem because we just haven't developed or designed reporting tools that are either statistically valid or that people are willing to do,” Williamson added.
The screening tool will be comprised of 10 to 12 questions at a 5th-grade reading level. It will soon be distributed to schools, hospitals, social services, and correctional facilities across Ohio for teachers, counselors, social workers, case managers, and even law enforcement officers to administer.
“This tool is easy to use, so the kids can take it themselves,” Williamson said. “The person can ask the questions, they can flip the tool to the backside, and it will tell you exactly what to do, how to score it.”
Depending on a child’s score, high-risk or trafficked children will then be directed toward interventions or care plans. Donisha Greene with the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center said a tool like this will help make a big difference in survivors healing journeys.
“The stakes are high. It’s critical to give survivors the response they deserve and hold more offenders accountable,” said Greene.
An adult version of the tool is being developed and will be ready in the next 6 to 12 months. Williamson said she hopes this screening tool doesn't just stop at human trafficking but will eventually expand into domestic violence, abuse, and chronic runaway screening and prevention plans.
“I think this is going to be groundbreaking, and it's going to move us forward in good ways and leaps and bounds,” said Williamson.
