Children
in Ohio as young as six years old have been sexually trafficked by their own
parents in return for drugs, rent and cash. The Ohio Network of Children’s
Advocacy Centers has revealed that 51 minors from all over the state were
potential trafficking victims over the space of nine months, with five of them
below the age of six. “The network had a state contract to screen children
referred by law enforcement, children’s services agencies and others, to
determine whether they may have been trafficked.” With the exception of those
who were below the age of six, the minors reported were between the ages of
13-18, with only one of them being male. The minors came from both urban and
rural areas of the state. “I’m most shocked that families are doing this to their
own children,” said the director of the advocacy center that originally
detected cases involving the youngest children. She cannot be named for the
children’s safety and due to the ongoing legal proceedings. “We think it
happens to young girls who are runaways. But with these youngest kids, it’s
their actual families who are trafficking them” she continued. The suspected
victims have been referred for help to law enforcement, children’s services,
mental-health providers and other agencies. Officials in Ohio estimate that
1,100 children are forced into the sex trade each year, with 13 being the most
common age for victims.
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