Law enforcement discusses extent of human trafficking

Human trafficking expert Ken Lawson, of the Columbus Division of Police, gives a lecture on the subject during a seminar held at Pat OBrien Chevrolet in Medina on Friday morning. (ANDREW DAVIS / GAZETTE)

Caseworkers, law enforcement, elected officials and interested residents from across Northeast Ohio gathered Friday in Medina to discuss a widely misunderstood criminal industry: human trafficking.

Mead Wilkins, director of Medina County Job and Family Services, said the seminar is a crucial way to educate caseworkers and court workers on the law and how to recognize human trafficking.

In Medina, the nonprofit Child Advocacy Center deals with child welfare issues. Many times through their work with sexual assault victims, they find a new layer to the story.

This is such a natural gateway to finding exploited children, he said. It is happening here. There are children in Medina County who are being sexually exploited and it happens more often than you think.

Wilkins said that anyone suspects human trafficking should contact Job and Family Services or the Sheriffs Office.

Part of it is if you are not aware of it, you are not going to see it, he said.

The seminar, held at Pat OBrien Chevrolet, featured Ken Lawson, a Columbus police officer and human trafficking expert, as the keynote speaker.

We have to change from seeing these people as criminals to seeing them as victims, he told the crowd of more than 80 people. When we do that, we will be able to provide the atmosphere where they can thrive.

According to Lawson, as late as 2002, law enforcement and health services across the nation were not equipped with knowledge to identify someone who has been the victim of human trafficking. Instead, the person would have been charged with prostitution and most likely released to her abuser.

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Law enforcement discusses extent of human trafficking