Forced labor, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation: human trafficking impacts every community in the U.S. Hundreds of Ohioans, often minors, have been affected. Hundreds more refugees live in our communities as slaves. Learn how law enforcement is working to investigate and arrest traffickers, and how your advocacy can change lives.
If you are going into a nail salon, for example, look for sleeping bags that indicate employees are living in the same place where they work and that backrooms appear to be living space. You might notice workers at this salon are driven to the store in groups all at once.
When a worker answers casual questions, those answers seem scripted or rehearsed.
Workers may appear exceptionally young or fearful or particularly submissive.
If you are staying in a hotel or if you work at a hotel, you might see an older male checking in with a young female or females. You might see a young girl refer to that older man as her boyfriend or as "daddy," sometimes street slang for pimp. Look for a tattoo of a man's name, a slang name, or "daddy" on the girl's neck, leg, or shoulder. Does the guest have multiple cell phones, laptops, etc.?
Are the guests at the hotel frequent customers on weekends, but have a local address and identification?
Small children serving in a family restaurant.
Security measures that appear to keep people inside an establishment - barbed wire inside of a fence, bars covering the insides of windows.
Not allowing people to go into public alone, or speak for themselves.
