January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and state public health officials said it is important to recognize the warning signs and risk factors of exploitation. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are more than 25 types of human trafficking spanning numerous industries, from sex trafficking within escort services to the labor trafficking of farmworkers. .
Modern-day slavery exists in the form of human trafficking, and Ohio is among the top states with high rates of the crime. Traffickers use force or fraud to compel both children and adults to provide commercial labor or sexual services. Rosa Beltré, president and CEO of the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence, explained five major highways with easy access to Canada and the Midwest position Ohio as a hub for human trafficking. .
A bilingual and multicultural health center offering affordable health care to uninsured residents in the Charlotte region is now expanding its services to include more Spanish-language .