Collaborative to End Human Trafficking

We had a great time at Pride in the CLE over the weekend, especially catching up with some of our partners!

Cleveland R**e Crisis Center
Bellefaire JCB
MetroHealth
The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio
LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland

Our May Awareness to Action Spotlight provided a snapshot of the month, including:
🟠 What we’re seeing right now
🟠 Survivor panel discussion
🟠 Save the date for our community luncheon
🟠 Upcoming human trafficking 101 and 102 sessions

Read it here: https://skzin.mjt.lu/nl3/wakPQ8NqPX5WzHkxvZbGZQ?hl=en

Subscribe to our emails here: https://collabtoendht.org/newsletter/

In Human Trafficking 102 training participants gain tools they can immediately put into action, including:
✔️ The GUARD framework, a clear, trauma-informed way to respond
✔️ The chance to learn directly from a survivor
✔️ How to recognize less obvious signs of trafficking
✔️ Real-world case scenarios and role play

This is what turns awareness into action. We hope you can join us on June 18. Register here: https://collabtoendht.coalitionmanager.org/eventmanager/trainingevent/details/85

Data reveals patterns. Patterns invite questions.

Ohio's new Drivers of Demand report offers important insights into the role demand plays in sustaining exploitation. As a coalition, we're particularly interested in the questions it raises about prevention, accountability, healthy relationships, social norms, and the conditions that allow exploitation to persist.

If demand fuels exploitation, what fuels demand?
Understanding that answer may be one of the most important opportunities before us as we work together to create communities where exploitation is less likely to take root.

We appreciate Attorney General Yost and the Human Trafficking Initiative team for contributing this important research and helping advance the conversation.

Worth the read!

www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov

While reflecting on the council’s first year of work together, Leadership Council member Joe Savarise from the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association shared that he believes there’s still more work to be done, especially when it comes to involving industries beyond the usual spaces engaged in this work.

Learn more about Cuyahoga County’s Anti Human Trafficking Coalition Leadership Council ➡️ https://collabtoendht.org/cuyahoga-countys-anti-human-trafficking-coalition-launches-leadership-council/

We hope to see you on Thursday, July 30 in Columbus for the 2026 Human Trafficking Summit in recognition of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. We’ll be there presenting a workshop about navigation ownership and coordination challenges in anti-trafficking systems. We’ll address the most persistent barriers to effective anti-trafficking responses: unclear roles, system overlap, and ownership challenges across partners. Participants leave our workshop with a clearer understanding of their role within a coordinated response as well as strategies to build trust, alignment, and accountability across sectors.

Hosted by The Ohio Attorney General's Human Trafficking Initiative, this annual summit brings together healthcare professionals, survivors, victim advocates, law enforcement, attorneys, and other stakeholders to foster an exchange of knowledge, experience, and best practices that attendees can employ in their professional roles and their communities.

Early bird registration rates are available through June 15 and the deadline for registration is July 6. A limited number of scholarships are available for students, survivors, individuals, or organizations with financial barriers to attending. The scholarship application deadline is June 5.

More information and registration for the summit here: https://ohioattorneygeneral.regfox.com/2026-human-trafficking-summit
*Be sure to sign up for our workshop (12) during registration!

👏 Welcome to Cuyahoga County’s Anti Human Trafficking Coalition, Judge Sydney Strickland Saffold!

During our May coalition meeting we were honored to welcome Judge Strickland Saffold of the Cleveland Municipal Court and celebrate her leadership in revitalizing the THRIVE (Total Holistic Recovery Inspiring Victim Empowerment) Human Trafficking Specialized Docket.

Specialized dockets like THRIVE are critical because survivors of human trafficking often face complex barriers that traditional court systems were never designed to address. A trauma-informed, survivor-centered approach recognizes that healing is not linear and that lasting recovery requires support, connection, and opportunity—not punishment.

The THRIVE docket helps participants access:
🏠 Housing and employment support
💙 Trauma-informed clinical services
⚖️ Expungement assistance
🤝 Community resources and counseling
💵 Emergency financial assistance
📈 Long-term stabilization planning

By reducing barriers created by criminal records and connecting survivors with individualized support, THRIVE is helping people move toward safety, stability, and self-determined futures.

We look forward to partnering with Judge Strickland Saffold and the THRIVE team as they continue expanding this innovative model across Cuyahoga County.

At the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking, we work to:
✔️Expand prevention education in schools
✔️Train professionals across sectors and organizations to recognize trafficking
✔️Strengthen cross-sector partnerships
✔️Center survivor leadership
✔️Advocate for policies that protect survivors

Help prevent exploitation before it begins. Please donate today: https://collabtoendht.org/donate/

Learn more at: https://skzin.mjt.lu/nl3/ntVoyvWQEOMeuKYScEcgFg?hl=en