On the news and social media we constantly see children, wives, husbands, sisters, brothers and friends that have gone missing. The difficult question is, did they go missing on their own, or is someone to blame? Isabella Rodriguez, a junior, explained, “Human trafficking is something that truly scares me as I constantly see survivors stories online. But, I feel no one ever wants to face up to it and talk about it.” Human trafficking is a topic many people do not like to discuss; however, it is one that must be as it is alive in the world today. This is especially true for the state of Ohio. 

During October, the U.S. Marshals Service Offices and Southern Ohio and Southern West Virigina, in conjunction with the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Force, participated in operation “Autumn Hope.” It is believed to be the largest anti-human trafficking operation in state history. The operation was a multi-agency raid for human trafficking and the search and raid of missing and exploited children. The operation was successful in recovering 45 missing children and 100 more survivors. In total, 179 individuals were arrested. Thankfully, the survivors were able to go back to their families.