Human Trafficking Summit

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost hosts his annual Human Trafficking Summit to provide education and resources for combating and ending human trafficking. The summit brings together survivors, social workers and victim advocates, police officers, lawyers, prosecutors, judges and other community stakeholders to learn how different areas of the state are succeeding in the fight against trafficking. The summit serves to inspire and motivate participants to help fill regional gaps in services.

More than 1,400 people registered to attend the attorney general's second annual Human Trafficking Summit, which amounted to intense growth from the initial summit. The Jan. 14 event was held virtually due to COVID-19 concerns, and the agenda included:

• AG Yost celebrating the strides made in the human trafficking fight in 2020.
• A presentation from Nationwide Children's Hospital doctors about how trafficking affects young victims and how health-care and other systems can work together to reduce the toll.
• Fifteen workshop options with valuable information and resources, including "The Illicit Massage Industry: A Quick Look at the Chinese Supply Chain," "First Responses to Human Trafficking," "When Parents Are Pimps," "Considering a Dedicated Docket for Juvenile Human Trafficking? The Triumphant and Turbulent Tale of One Ohio Court’s Response" and "Lessons from Statewide Partnerships To Improve Outcomes for Children and Youth Victim Services."

The event was presented via the Whova app, and all summit presentations will continue to be available for three months on the web app and six months on the mobile app.

If you have questions, contact HTI@ohioattorneygeneral.gov. For technical issues with the app, contact support@whova.com.
 

The 2020 summit

Seven hundred people registered for the Ohio Attorney General’s inaugural Human Trafficking Summit on Jan. 9, 2020, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Speakers included Dr. Elaine Richardson, a survivor and Ohio State professor; state Sen. Teresa Fedor; and Attorney General Dave Yost. Workshops focused on labor trafficking, specialty court dockets, the story of how a nonprofit established safehouses and the importance of multidisciplinary teams in helping victims.