Of the more than 23,500 endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 2019, 1 in 6 was a likely victim of sex trafficking.
Human trafficking is a multimillion-dollar industry that steals the lives of children, teens and vulnerable men and women. Traffickers employ force, fraud and manipulation to compel their victims to sell sexual activity or labor, but the traffickers are the ones who keep the profit.
The Special Victims Unit assists in efforts to fight human traffickers, locate child and adult victims, and connect the victims with social services.
Tips to recognize sex trafficking
The potential victim:
- Appears submissive, fearful or nervous.
- Is not in control of identification documents or money.
- Has inconsistent or well-rehearsed story about where he/she lives, the relationship with the person he/she is with or how he/she traveled to the current location.
- Is inappropriately dressed for weather, location or age.
- Is in presence of an overtly controlling or concerned male or female friend or boyfriend/girlfriend.
- Is in possession of multiple hotel key cards, prepaid credit cards or cellphones.
- Shows signs of physical, mental or emotional abuse.
- Is unable to come and go as he/she pleases.
Tips to recognize labor trafficking
The potential victim:
- Appears to live at the place of employment.
- Is transported in a group by the employer or someone who is part of employer’s organization.
- Experiences restricted or monitored movement.
- Is not in control of identification documents.
- Earns wages below the state’s minimum wage.
- Is constantly indebted to the employer.
- Shows signs of physical abuse, isolation and starvation.
- Works long hours in poor conditions.
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The Special Victims Unit helps local law enforcement agencies investigate criminals who victimize children, including those involved in sexual abuse, pornography and other violent crimes, such as homicide, shaken-baby trauma or abusive head trauma.
BCI agents involved in investigating these cases are specially trained to interact with child victims and child witnesses. Intelligence analysts are available to collect, process and analyze data to help solve and prosecute such crimes.
Tech Help
The Special Victims Unit offers local authorities expertise in:
- Undercover online chat.
- Peer-to-peer file sharing.
- Sex offender warrant enforcement.
Find out more here.
Child Abduction Response Team Program
On any given day, dozens of Ohio children are reported missing to law enforcement. Thankfully, most return to their families quickly and unharmed. In cases when a missing child is thought to be in immediate danger, though, this program assists local law enforcement by providing resources and specially trained agents.
Used in Ohio since 2006, the CART Program emphasizes preparing staffing, training, equipment and other resources so that all are ready to be deployed in the event of a crisis. When a child is critically missing through abduction or other means, a specially trained CART coordinator advises the responding law enforcement agency during the search and recovery operation.
For more information:
Tips for Parents/Guardians
Lessons for your kids:
- Teach your children their full name, address and telephone number.
- Make sure your children know your full name and how to reach you by cellphone or at work.
- Teach your kids how and when to call 911.
- Make sure your children always have a trusted adult to call if they’re scared or have an emergency.
- Instruct your kids to keep doors locked when they are home alone and not open them to anyone.
- Know who your children are communicating with on social media.
- Know your children’s passwords to their electronic devices.
- Talk with your children about how the people they meet on social media are not always who they say they are.
- Discuss with your children how they should answer the telephone when you’re away.
- Choose caregivers and babysitters with care. Seek referrals and check references. Drop in unexpectedly to see how things are going. Ask your children about their experiences.
- Make sure your children understand that there is safety in numbers. When they are playing or walking to school or elsewhere, have them do so with friends
If a loved one is missing:
- Immediately file a report with law enforcement.
- Limit access to your home until investigators have the opportunity to collect evidence.
- Do not touch anything in the home.
- Give investigators all requested information, including a complete description, photos and facts related to the disappearance, social media accounts and cellphone numbers.
- Be prepared to provide fingerprints, dental records and DNA to help find your loved one.
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Partnering With Criminal Intelligence
The Special Victims Unit often partners with BCI’s Criminal Intelligence experts, who run several Missing Persons Unit programs that help law enforcement and civilians throughout Ohio. The programs are:
- Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse: Compiles statistics and information about missing children throughout the state and serves as an investigative resource to help law enforcement and families locate children (read the latest Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse annual report on this webpage)
- Missing Persons Database: Lists all of the people — children and adults — who have been reported missing in Ohio and whose cases remain unsolved
- Project LINK: Works to collect DNA from biological family members of missing individuals in hopes of giving names to unidentified remains
- Attorney General’s missing persons hotline: Fields questions from law enforcement, parents, community members and the media at 800-325-5604 and is available 24 hours a day
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The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 1 in 9 Americans 60 or older suffers abuse every year. For each case reported to authorities, five others are thought to go unreported. The Special Victims Unit works with the Attorney General’s Elder Justice Unit to protect older Ohioans from physical and financial abuse and to investigate scams targeting this population.
Be Alert to Common Scams
- Impostor scams: Someone pretending to be from the IRS or another government agency may call, demanding payment and threatening arrest if payment is not made.
- Romance scams: Someone may “meet” you online or over the phone, and then, after developing a relationship, the scammer asks you to send money.
- Grandchild scams: Someone pretending to be a grandchild says he or she is in trouble and needs money immediately. The scammer asks you to keep the request a secret.
- Sweepstakes/lottery scams: Someone falsely claims that you have won a sweepstakes or lottery and says that, before collecting the winnings, you must pay taxes or a fee.
Warning Signs of Fraud
- Unexplained withdrawals from your bank account, charges to your credit card or missing cash
- Calls regarding unpaid bills
- Requests to sign over your power of attorney or make changes to your will
- Requests to keep conversations or relationships a secret
- Requests to send money via wire transfer, gift card or prepaid money card
- Pressure to act immediately
- Guarantees to make money
- Attempts to isolate you from your family and friends
- Threats of harm, neglect, abandonment or removal from your home
Protect Yourself Online
- Never disclose personal information – passwords and credit card numbers included – when using a public Wi-Fi connection.
- On email, never respond to unexpected requests for your personal information, even if the sender appears to have some details about you or your account. Scammers have pretended to be from banks, credit card companies and government agencies, so it is important to always verify requests by calling the real institution. Use contact information from a legitimate source (such as the back of your card), not the questionable email.
- When on social media, change privacy settings to meet your needs. Understand that when you leave your account “public,” anyone can see information about you, including your pictures and names of your family members and friends.
- Use a secure website whenever you purchase items online. Secure web addresses begin with “https” rather than “http.”
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