Fighting Human Trafficking
Caitlin Miller wins 2013 Ohio Liberator Award
By Kathy Magoto 

Last month Caitlin Michele Miller was recognized at the first ever Ohio Liberator Awards held in Dublin, Ohio.  The Ohio Liberator Awards were created by Doma International and S.O.A.P. to highlight the efforts of Ohioians in the fight against Human Trafficking.   Caitlin received her award as a radical abolitionist in the category of volunteer for all her efforts to raise public awareness of the slavery problem.  

Caitlin first learned about human trafficking several years ago and started volunteering for Gracehaven, a non-profit organization in Columbus, dedicated to building a residential shelter to provide a safe, secure and stable environment for underage rescued victims.  Ms. Miller began travelling to other churches and giving talks on the subject and eventually decided to raise awareness and funding by holding a Christian Concert at the Beavercreek Church last fall.  The concert benefited Gracehaven and featured bands“Leeland” and “Radiant”.  Trafficking survivor, Theresa Flores agreed to tell her personal story at the concert, as well as join Caitlin as she spoke at Dayton Christian school.

The task of waking the public to the reality of human trafficking is monumental.  In our world today, an estimated 27 million people live in slavery. Though most people hold the belief that we already abolished slavery in this country, there are more slaves now than at any point in history. Human trafficking—the illegal trade of human beings for commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor—is the second largest international crime industry, generating profits of $32 billion a year. 

Each year around 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S., and between 300,000-500,000 American-born children are coerced into child prostitution; with approximately 1,000 of these children from Ohio annually.  For more information regarding this inhumane crime visit   http://www.domaconnection.org or http://www.traffickfree.com online.