Attorney General Yost Launches New Human Trafficking Training Scenario for First Responders

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — On Monday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced the launch of a new training scenario for EMS workers, the fourth in a series of videos designed to help health-care professionals and first responders identify and respond to situations involving human trafficking.

“Human trafficking is a crime that hides in plain sight, and training is key to helping first responders recognize the signs,” AG Yost said. “As a victim’s first medical contact, emergency medical workers’ ability to identify and report trafficking could be the difference between a victim’s continued suffering and their path to freedom.”

The video series is based on real-life scenarios created by the Healthcare Subcommittee of Yost’s Human Trafficking Commission. The newest video focuses on a local fire department EMS unit responding to a call about a female having an asthma attack. After arriving on scene and observing physical and verbal queues, the first responders sense that something is amiss, ultimately suspecting that the patient is being trafficked.

The scenario examines for first responders:

• Physical indicators of human trafficking at the scene.
• Health-related indicators that a person who is being trafficked may present with.
• Care-related considerations in dealing with possible trafficking victims.
• The importance of communicating all indicators with hospital staff upon the patient’s arrival by EMS transport.

The video is accompanied by a Facilitator’s Discussion Guide, which is intended to assist training groups in their education and discussion of the scenario.

Also on Monday, Yost announced a new “best practices” guide for raising public awareness of human trafficking among adolescents and teenagers.

The publication – “Human Trafficking 101: Best Practices Guide to Educating Youth of Middle- & High-School Age” – was developed by the Public Awareness Subcommittee of the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Commission. It is intended as a “how to” resource for anti-trafficking coalitions and community leaders statewide.

“Knowledge is the first line of defense and a powerful tool in breaking the cycle of exploitation,” Yost said of the guide. “Every opportunity we have to educate young people about human trafficking is a step toward ending this crime.”

The youth guide, available through the AG’s website, addresses the high-level essentials of human trafficking education, myth vs. fact, credible resources, and checklists for trainings.

It also explains in depth the risk factors for youth, including:

• Entry points for human trafficking.
• The grooming process.
• The dangers of social media and online gaming.

To help encourage a message of hope for youth, the guide also includes tips for building resilience and understanding adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

Attorney General Yost created the Human Trafficking Initiative in 2019 to build awareness, empower Ohioans to take action in their communities, strengthen victim services throughout the state and ensure that traffickers and “johns” are brought to justice.

The AG is set to deliver opening remarks at the initiative’s fifth annual Human Trafficking Summit, scheduled for Aug. 7 in Columbus.