Page 13 - ODJFS Human Trafficking Response Summary 2018-2019

Juvenile Court Staff to elevate capacity related to Safe harbor implementation. This in conjunction with the Ohio Supreme Courts advisement to lower courts that Safe harbor must be applied in all cases of youth trafficking where the legal definition of ‘reason to believe’ has been met for potential trafficking - regardless of severity of related crimes. Furthermore, education has been provided regarding how diversion and rehabilitation can be implemented in all juvenile courts even in the absence a of a formal special docket. Despite these efforts law enforcement and juvenile courts still may not be implementing Safe Harbor effectively and continued advocacy is vital to ensure youth victims are not treated as criminals.
Vulnerable Populations Update:
Along with the populations previously identified last year, it is becoming increasingly clear how language barriers and cultural accessibility may be limiting the populations referred for services. ONCAC is taking an active role in addressing this issue through its ONward initiative which seeks to provide support to our CACs to ensure they are connecting and communicating with populations that are underserved or have unmet service needs. These initiatives work both within CACs themselves and in the larger communities they serve to build a more inclusive system of care.
Internet Crimes Against Children:
As addressed earlier in this report our ONtarget Webinar series focused on addressing the role technology plays in the exploitation of children and what instruments are available to combat this evolving form of trafficking and exploitation.
Final Summary and Next Steps:
The data we have collected over the past 2 Years demonstrates the drastic growth in response to trafficking that our Network of CACs have been able to undertake as well as areas that still need to be addressed on the road ahead. Through this grant, CACs are demonstrating greater outreach to high-risk youth, stronger partnerships with statewide agencies, and transformative roles in community and professional education. Moreover, the data collection implemented under this grant has illuminated previous unknown domains in which future improvements can be made and in certain cases specifically how vitals responses can be strengthened.
The Road Ahead:
Our continuing mission, over the next year, will continue to work to enhance identification of both potential youth victim/survivors of human trafficking, as well as, youth with circumstances commonly targeted by traffickers. We will also be working to reduce recruitment risk-factors for DYS-involved youth. All this will be done while promoting the CAC-model and enhancing linkage of identified victim/survivors to the full array of quality CAC services. Among the goals identified by CACs are: