A study as disturbing and heartbreaking as it is important was highlighted in the Washington Post and across the country examining the shocking prevalence of child prostitution in Ohio and the country.

From the Post:

About 1,000 American-born children are forced into the sex trade in Ohio every year and about 800 immigrants are sexually exploited and pushed into sweatshop-type jobs, a new report on human trafficking in the state said Wednesday.

Ohio’s weak laws on human trafficking, its growing demand for cheap labor and its proximity to the Canadian border are key contributors to the illegal activity, according to a report by the Trafficking in Persons Study Commission.

“Ohio is not only a destination place for foreign-born trafficking victims, but it’s also a recruitment place,” said Celia Williamson, an associate professor at the University of Toledo who led the research.

Formed last year by Ohio Attorney General Richard Condray, the commission also found that hundreds more in the state are at risk of being forced into sex trafficking or to work against their will in fields, restaurants, sweatshops or constructions sites.

The Blade and the Dayton Daily News also quote Dr. Williamson.

Interviewed a number of times on national news programs and regularly on regional and local media, Dr. Williamson has been an aggressive advocate for these children and women to help them break away from those essentially holding them as slaves.

She’s also an expert informing law enforcement about an issue it can be difficult to believe still exists. It is thanks to people like Dr. Williamson that this issue is not able to be swept quietly under the rug.

Jonathan Strunk is UT's media relations manager, a graduate of UT’s College of Arts and Sciences, a student in its College of Business Administration and a man constantly wary of his cell phone ringing. With the media having only so much space and so much time to tell a story, Jon has reserved this space on the World Wide Web to highlight, analyze, complain, lobby, beg, apologize and comment on media coverage of UT and higher education.
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This entry was posted on Thursday, February 11th, 2010 at 12:46 pm and is filed under Uncategorized.
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