Jocelyn, Molly, and Robin are here to wrap up Season One of the Tusc Against Trafficking Podcast. They're answering some questions from listeners and providing some additional information about how to get involved to help fight against human trafficking in Tuscarawas County and the surrounding counties.

1. Ohio has been ranked 4th or 5th in the nation in regards to human trafficking reporting. What factors contribute to the high human trafficking numbers in Ohio?
2. What legislation is currently in the house waiting to be passed?
3. What is being done in the community to help survivors?

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We just want to thank everyone who tuned into this podcast. Human trafficking is a criminal activity that has been happening for a long, long time and is currently gaining traction in the media. There's a lot of misleading and false information being spread, and this podcast will help you understand the truths about human trafficking.

Together, we can educate and equip ourselves, our families, and our community to help fight human trafficking.

WE STILL WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!

As you journey through the season, please send any questions and/or feedback you have to [email protected], or visit the website at tuscagainsttrafficking.org/podcast.

We're always here, ready to answer any questions you have.

Thank you, and together we can end human trafficking in our community!

Jocelyn, Molly, and Robin are back to discuss what the community can do to fight back against human trafficking. First, Robin is joined by Kelli Cary, Vice President of Programming at Rahab Ministries. Kelli kicks off the conversation with examples of what community members can do to aid the anti-trafficking efforts.

Your first thought might be, "I can't go out and rescue people from human trafficking." But that's not what the community needs you to do. The community needs you to participate in practical steps that help raise awareness and spread correct information.

You can join the coalition, attend meetings, and donate to the cause. Invite Tusc Against Trafficking into your organization or business to give a presentation on human trafficking. Seek correct and true information to educate yourself about the problem. Start talking to your kids at a young age and educate them too. All these actions help equip the community to fight against human trafficking.

Another key action people can take is investing in intentional relationships. Establishing good, healthy connections with others opens the door for safe communication and mentoring to take place.

WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!

As you journey through the season, please send any questions and/or feedback you have to [email protected], or visit the website at tuscagainsttrafficking.org/podcast.

On the final episode, we will do a Q&A session based on the responses we gather throughout the season.

Thank you, and together we can end human trafficking in our community!

Robin Bowdish is joined by Angel Dague on this episode of the Tusc Against Trafficking podcast. Angel is a program coordinator at Rahab Ministries, helping women who are trapped in the life that Angel once found herself in.

Angel explains what people in the community need to be aware of regarding human trafficking. Traffickers aren't the creepy men in windowless vans; traffickers develop relationships with broken people - largely women and children - to lure them into a counterfeit trust that can then be exploited. Traffickers are smart, and we must arm ourselves with as much knowledge and information as possible.

Angel recounts her history with substance and sexual abuse, explaining how she became connected to her trafficker at a young age. She talks about the false promises her trafficker made and the vulnerabilities he exploited. She talks about the physical and mental abuse that was used to control her. She talks about being forced into cars, waking up in motel rooms having been raped, and seeking solace is drugs and alcohol.

For many years, Angel struggled with drug addiction and feelings of worthlessness. She found herself in and out of jail, and that's where she met a women who explained the truth of Jesus. Angel decided it was time to pursue God's love and discard the lies of the world.

It wasn't easy; pursuing freedom in God meant facing her past and accepting that, despite everything she had done, God was still waiting for her with open arms. It wasn't quick; after a life of false love, counterfeit relationships, and constantly being told she was worthless, it took time to truly believe in a love that great.

And now she's the inspiration for others.

WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!

As you journey through the season, please send any questions and/or feedback you have to [email protected], or visit the website at tuscagainsttrafficking.org/podcast.

On the final episode, we will do a Q&A session based on the responses we gather throughout the season.

Thank you, and together we can end human trafficking in our community!

Welcome to another episode of the Tusc Against Trafficking Podcast. On this episode, Jocelyn is joined at the table by Rick Arredondo and Sam Yoder to discuss drug addiction and pornography as they relate to human trafficking.

Learn about the Ezekiel Project and how it's designed to help recovering drug addicts regain and develop the skills they need to reenter the work force. Through creative means, the Ezekiel Project provides resources and opportunities for addicts to express themselves in a creative fashion.

Traffickers often utilize substance abuse to manipulate and control their victims. When a victim becomes dependent on a substance, they also become dependent on the trafficker who provides that substance. Drug addiction becomes a quick trap for human trafficking victims.

Also, Sam Yoder talks about his experience helping people - mostly men - overcome their addictions to pornography. Sam understands the deeper underlying problems with pornography. The addiction is not on the surface, rather, the addiction is the result of a void in a person's life. His quote says it all, "When a man knocks on the door of a brothel, he's actually in search of God." Men often fall into the mind trap of thinking they're the only ones struggling with pornography and there's no way out. And that couldn't be further from the truth.

But pornography doesn't just affect men. Listen as we discuss how the number of women battling pornography addiction has increased over the years.

Molly and Robin join Jocelyn to recap the conversations and discuss what parents can do to help their children understand appropriate content versus inappropriate content. The average age that children are first exposed to pornography is 9 years old - so it's never too early to start talking to your kids.

WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!

As you journey through the season, please send any questions and/or feedback you have to [email protected], or visit the website at tuscagainsttrafficking.org/podcast.

On the final episode, we will do a Q&A session based on the responses we gather throughout the season.

Thank you, and together we can end human trafficking in our community!

On this episode, Jocelyn, Molly, and Robin discuss the importance of taking the time to understand victims of human trafficking and other physical or mental abuse. As we learned earlier in the season, victims experience trauma that can plague them the rest of their lives. When we actively try to understand the full story of a person, we can begin to understand them on a deeper level.

Human trafficking victims are human beings. Oftentimes, people will label a victim without any true knowledge of that person's situation. But if we take the time to learn, listen, and understand the person as a whole, we can help make society a safer place for the victim to exist.

Sometimes people see a woman selling her body for money and think, "Well she chose that life." Sometimes people see a kid falling asleep in class and say, "Well he just doesn't care." But maybe there are bigger circumstances taking place for these people that we don't see. Almost 80% of women in what looks like adult prostitution were trafficked as young girls. For them, that sort of life might be the only thing they know.

Familial trafficking can happen for generations. When families traffic their children, those children are more likely to grow up and traffic their own children. Not necessarily because they want to but because those were the precedents set in their own lives. When healthy relationships are not taught in childhood, it's difficult for people to have a true understanding of healthy relationships in adulthood.

Listen as we discuss what an intentional relationship is and how to establish healthy, positive relationships with people. You'll also learn why it's not bad if you have to mark time on your calendar to spend with someone else. It all goes back to intentional relationships.

Also, what are push-pull factors? How do these things increase a person's vulnerability and put them at risk for human trafficking? And what can we do to better understand the difficulties that victims are experiencing in life?

All this and more on this episode of the Tusc Against Trafficking Podcast!

WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!

As you journey through the season, please send any questions and/or feedback you have to [email protected], or visit the website at tuscagainsttrafficking.org/podcast.

On the final episode, we will do a Q&A session based on the responses we gather throughout the season.

Thank you, and together we can end human trafficking in our community!

Welcome to the next episode of the Tusc Against Trafficking podcast. On this episode, Jocelyn Hamsher sits down with two professionals to discuss a topic that's relevant to practically every single home in our country: Internet and online safety.

You'll hear from Suzanne Lewis-Johnson, CEO at Rahab Ministries, who previously served for 10 years as an FBI agent, largely investigating online crimes against children. You'll also hear from Detective Sergeant Adam Fisher from the Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office.

The online realm is the first and most-active place child predators are grooming their victims in the world today. How do parents equip themselves and their children to guard against online predators? Parents need to utilize the same "stranger danger" rules online as in the real world. If you wouldn't let your child play with a strange person on the playground, you shouldn't let them play with strangers in Fortnite or any other online game or platform.

How do parents educate themselves on the new and ever-evolving advances in social media and technology? What steps can parents or kids take if they feel they've been contacted by an online predator?

We had a previous episode on grooming and red flags, but now hear some specific examples of grooming seen from the Sheriff's Office point of view in our county. Also, hear first-hand experience with cyber bullying and how that can affect children. The way parents react when kids confide in them will impact the future trust kids have in their parents. If parents react negatively or act as though the child is fabricating stories, it could lead the child further into a predator's grasp.

How should parents respond when - not if - their children are exposed to inappropriate content on the internet? Parents need to remember that more times than not, children aren't actively searching for inappropriate content; rather, they stumble upon it accidentally.

Learn the truths about all these questions and more on this episode!

WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!

As you journey through the season, please send any questions and/or feedback you have to [email protected], or visit the website at tuscagainsttrafficking.org/podcast.

On the final episode, we will do a Q&A session based on the responses we gather throughout the season.

Thank you, and together we can end human trafficking in our community!

On this episode, Jocelyn Hamsher sits down with two special guests and experts to discuss the trauma that human trafficking victims face. Kristina Drummer is the Program Manager/Counselor at COMPASS Rape Crisis Center, and Brandi Ankrom is the Director of Community and Youth Services for OhioGuidestone.

Trauma is a difficult diagnosis to determine because it can look completely different from one person to the next. It can remain hidden for years before resurfacing. People who experience trauma from sexual abuse lose trust in people and struggle to find intimacy in future relationships. Even though a trafficking victim is removed from a bad situation, the trauma remains.

Equally difficult to navigate is how family and friends should handle a situation in which their loved one has experienced trauma. What can you do as a loved one or simply as a community member to help those dealing with trauma?

You'll also learn how trauma affects children and what problems they can experience in their development. Statistically, childhood trauma most often comes from someone the child knows, which leads to confusion and guilt because the child trusts and/or loves that adult.

These are not easy topics to discuss, but they present powerful information we can use to help improve our community.

WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!

As you journey through the season, please send any questions and/or feedback you have to [email protected], or visit the website at tuscagainsttrafficking.org/podcast.

On the final episode, we will do a Q&A session based on the responses we gather throughout the season.

Thank you, and together we can end human trafficking in our community!

Former Tusc Against Trafficking coordinator MacKrea Larue joins Robin Bowdish on this episode to discuss the dynamics of labor trafficking in our community. With years of knowledge and experience, MacKrea brings information that explains how traffickers execute control over their victims. These stories will change how you view labor-trafficked people and the life they're experiencing right here within our community.

Labor trafficking is very prevalent in Tuscarawas County and the surrounding areas. This type of trafficking largely affects our Guatemalan population. Listen to this episode to better understand the situation for Guatemalans living in our community.

One thing to keep in mind as you listen is this: for many Guatemalans, coming to America to be human trafficked is better than living in Guatemala. Just consider a situation where you would rather be trafficked in another country than live in your own country. Now that's an eye-opening and scary situation.

Also, learn why children in the foster care system are at risk for labor trafficking and how we can help support these children as they grow and mature.

WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!

As you journey through the season, please send any questions and/or feedback you have to [email protected], or visit the website at tuscagainsttrafficking.org/podcast.

On the final episode, we will do a Q&A session based on the responses we gather throughout the season.

Thank you, and together we can end human trafficking in our community!

In this episode, the ladies discuss what human traffickers do to groom their victims. They also talk about red flags to look for and how to handle a potential human trafficking situation.

What's the typical profile of a human trafficker? How do they determine who to target? What vulnerabilities do they look for and what techniques do they use to capitalize on those vulnerabilities? We need to understand that grooming can happen anytime, anywhere. It can even occur unknowingly within our own homes and families. Many times, traffickers aren't the ones doing the grooming; they can utilize associates or even other victims to groom new victims. Also, you'll learn why students going off to college are already naturally primed to be targets of human trafficking.

What should you do if you notice something strange or suspect human trafficking activity? What red flags might indicate suspicious activity? And how do you respond in a way that's safe for both you and the victim?

Get the answers to all these questions and more on this episode of the Tusc Against Trafficking Podcast.

WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!

As you journey through the season, please send any questions and/or feedback you have to [email protected], or visit the website at tuscagainsttrafficking.org/podcast.

On the final episode, we will do a Q&A session based on the responses we gather throughout the season.

Thank you, and together we can end human trafficking in our community!

Jocelyn, Molly, and Robin are here to explain what human trafficking actually looks like in Tuscarawas County. What do traffickers look for in a victim? What makes a person vulnerable? Human trafficking is not the creepy guy in the white van; human trafficking is a $150 billion criminal activity, and traffickers are very sharp. They study their victims closely so they can prey on the vulnerabilities.

Learn how you might help someone you suspect is being trafficked. Helping a trafficking victim is difficult because they are trafficked through force, fraud, and/or coercion, and victims experience loss of trust in people. They're also fearful of threats made by the trafficker if they confide in anyone. Also, the victim may not even realize they're being trafficked because the trafficker has successfully convinced the victim that the activities taking place are normal.

Learn about dangers for unaccompanied minors. Learn about boyfriending. Learn how internet safety is crucial; 3/4 kids who have any online accounts (gaming, social media, YouTube, etc.) have been in contact with a trafficker in one way or another, knowingly or unknowingly.

All these topics and more are explored in this introductory episode of Season One of the Tusc Against Trafficking Podcast.

WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!

As you journey through the season, please send any questions and/or feedback you have to [email protected], or visit the website at tuscagainsttrafficking.org/podcast.

On the final episode, we will do a Q&A session based on the responses we gather throughout the season.

Thank you, and together we can end human trafficking in our community!