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Trafficked

Trafficked

Written by: WYSO
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 State and local leaders across the country have made human trafficking a priority. Public concern about the issue is growing, along with wild conspiracy theories propped up by groups like QAnon. But even the agencies tasked with fighting trafficking regularly repeat misleading claims. In Trafficked, a podcast from WYSO Public Radio, reporter Leila Goldstein weaves together the voices of advocates vying for limited resources, exasperated researchers trying to correct falsehoods and trafficking survivors who have made their way out. The series cuts through the misinformation about human trafficking to find out what happens when we get the story wrong.Series art by Kayla Freeman-Haynes Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Trafficked: Stings

    Trafficked: Stings
    Oct 18 2021
    The Ohio Attorney General’s office says police sting operations rescue human trafficking victims. But the people called victims in press releases often end up with criminal records. Rescue in Ohio can look like handcuffs, spit hoods, jail time or court dates. In the final episode of Trafficked, Leila Goldstein looks at what rescue means for the rescued. A warning, this story includes profanity and descriptions of violence.
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    16 mins
  • Trafficked: The View From The Street

    Trafficked: The View From The Street
    Oct 6 2021
    When police arrest people for selling sex, it’s sometimes described publicly as an anti-human trafficking effort. Some Ohio officials say arrests are a way to identify and help survivors. But there are also experts who argue that this approach incorrectly conflates sex work with human trafficking and can even make people more vulnerable to being trafficked. In the fourth episode of WYSO’s Trafficked, Leila Goldstein reports from the streets of Columbus, Ohio.
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    11 mins
  • Trafficked: Harold’s Story

    Trafficked: Harold’s Story
    Sep 29 2021
    While state leaders have put an emphasis on fighting human trafficking in Ohio, one form of the crime, labor trafficking, continues to get less attention from media and law enforcement. In fiscal year 2020, less than 4 percent of federal trafficking convictions focused on labor trafficking, according to the U.S. Department of State. In the third episode of WYSO’s Trafficked, reporter Leila Goldstein looks at how labor trafficking gets left out of the conversation.
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    10 mins
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