Columbus holds session to fight human trafficking

COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Throughout the country, human trafficking is an ongoing issue and Ohio is ranked fourth for human trafficking.

Saturday, officials were trying to do what they can to inform the public.

They were reaching out to the Latino community to make them aware and educate them on what to be on the lookout for.

Franklin County Coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz said the Latino population is targeted by human traffickers.

“The traffickers will target populations of vulnerable people and the statistics are really hard to get,” she said. “For 2018, the listed top risk factors were runaway youth, homeless, people with housing difficulty, substance use, and immigrants.”

Out of all the cities in the state, Columbus ranks number four for the most human trafficking.