The Van Wert County Courthouse

Thursday, Mar. 28, 2024

YWCA provides human trafficking info

VW independent/submitted information

World Day Against Human Trafficking is this Thursday, July 30, and the YWCA of Van Wert County Victim Services Department is offering a virtual learning event from July 27-31 to bring awareness to human trafficking. This event is being held in lieu of the Human Trafficking 101 training that typically takes place in July. 

YWCA Outreach Coordinator for Victim Services Julie Schaufelberger indicated that, just like other businesses, the YWCA has had to be creative in how it makes people aware of its services through COVID-19.

“We thought it was in the best interest to cancel the in-person HT 101 event for the safety of our staff and attendees; however, we believe we have come up with a creative way to still get information to our community,” Schaufelberger said.

The YWCA social media platforms (Facebook and Twitter) and the YWCA website (www.ywcavanwert.org) will be used to disperse information that may have been covered in the HT 101 training. Links to interesting articles and documentaries will be added. At the end of the week, social media followers can answer questions based on the information that was posted and be entered to win YWCA swag. Those who don’t follow social media have the option of finding the resources on the YWCA website and to answer questions via email.

 “The documentaries and articles primarily focus on information related to the Ohio area and will show our followers the strides being made to help victims in their shift toward being empowered survivors thanks to programs such as CATCH court and Survivor Ink,” Schaufelberger said. 

Ohio ranks only behind states such as California, Texas, and Florida in human trafficking crimes. According to PolarisProject.org, Ohio had 898 trafficking victims who were identified in 2018. 

“This was only the number of victims identified — there are many more who don’t understand they are being trafficked who have yet to saved,” stated YWCA Director of Victim Services Jamie Evans. “Ohio is one of the leading states in the nation in human trafficking crimes. Due to the major highways which cross through Ohio, people can easily be trafficked from one location to another; however, trafficking doesn’t just happen in big cities; it can happen in our small town neighborhoods.” 

Polaris operates the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline and leads the way in connecting more than 50,000 victims and survivors to help and support. By using data and the expertise of survivors, Polaris’ primary focus is to bring awareness to and end human trafficking. 

No registration is necessary for this event. Interested individuals should follow the YWCA’s Facebook or Twitter page. Information will also be available via the YWCA website (www.ywcavanwert.org). The YWCA is a not-for-profit organization supported by United Way and the Van Wert County Foundation

POSTED: 07/28/20 at 6:49 am. FILED UNDER: News