Trumbull County Resiliency Summit focuses on human trafficking problem
Human trafficking cases are more common in the Valley than you might think, and these cases are often very complex.
The problem is so prominent in the Valley that it was the topic of the 2024 Trumbull County Resiliency Summit at the Eastwood Event Centre.
At the event, multiple speakers emphasized he importance of human trafficking awareness.
"We can recognize when there's a child that's hurting, and is being abused. That we know what the signs are so we can do something about that," said Karen Vadino, motivational speaker.
Signs of human trafficking can be be as simple as a behavior change, isolating from other people or evidence of harm, like bruises.
Outside of the event, multiple valley organizations set up tables. Amy Bordonaro, executive director of FreeThree, said putting information out about human trafficking is extremely important.
"It's so necessary for this area. Many people in our area do not know that not only is Ohio fifth in the entire country for human trafficking, but most people in our valley do not know what really human trafficking is," said Bordonaro.
One of the speeches at the summit focused on the investigator's perspective in a human trafficking case. It can take years to put a case together, with many people and mountains of evidence to piece together. With new technology, these cases continue to become more complicated.
"All of those elements complicate the investigative process because they need to figure out who’s sending, who’s receiving, where’s it coming from, and they have to find a way to collect the digital evidence which is very different than collecting physical evidence," said Susan Laird, Youngstown State University professor and Summit planning committee member.
A human trafficking survivor also spoke about her experience. Other speakers focused on human trafficking signs, education and the importance of awareness.
Laird said especially because of the complexity of these cases, you should never ignore potential warning signs of human trafficking. It could make the difference in helping someone break free from the cycle.