Kayla Belcher

242 West 18
th
Ave, Suite 218
Columbus, OH 43210
(614) 292-5555

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition Accepting Volunteers
Columbus, Ohio, August 4, 2014 Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition is accepting
volunteers to help end human trafficking.
Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition volunteers are able to assist the organization through
advocacy, public awareness, and directly servicing trafficked individuals.
As stated on the Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition website severe forms of trafficking
in persons is defined by sex trafficking and labor trafficking.
According to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) the two categories of
human trafficking can be identified as followed.
Sex trafficking is described as the recruitment, harboring transportation, provision or obtaining
of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act, in which a commercials sex act is induced
by force, fraud, or coercion or in which the person forced to performed such an act is under the
age of 18 years.
While labor trafficking is classified as the recruitment, harboring transportation, provision or
obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the
purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery.
Both sex and labor trafficking are the equivalent to modern day slavery. Victims consist of
women and men of all ages.
Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition offers a seminar, Human Trafficking 101 Training. It
is held quarterly on a Wednesday at the Salvation Army from 9 a.m. to noon. Interested
individuals should register for the training here to learn more about human trafficking.
The Unlocking the Chains Conference is Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalitions annual
June conference. The conference is designed to allow potential volunteers to understand the
details surrounding human trafficking directly from experts. Attendees are expected to discover
their specific skill sets, and use these skills to assist the victims in their community.
Volunteers are always welcomed. The Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition has several
opportunities for interested individuals to contribute to the organization.
Christina Conrad, the Anti-Human Trafficking Clinical Specialist for The Salvation Army in
Central Ohio, said volunteering, especially hands on helps human trafficking become less of a
foreign concept. Volunteering helps women being exploited through sex become very real. It
encourages individuals to stop letting it happen, as well as, fully understanding the impact the
industry has on women and girls.
The 24/7 Hotline is constantly looking for new staff members. Volunteers can serve as a hotline
operator. The hotline is intended to assist victims of trafficking by providing the appropriate
information and resources. In addition the hotline can potentially assist individuals who may
know possible victims.
Operators are responsible for answer every call that occurs during their shift, as well as,
assessing the content of the phone call. In the incidence of an emergency calls are reported to and
taken care of by the Salvation Army. In order to volunteer as an operator every individual must
attend a half day training session. Interested individuals should register for a training session
here.
Caroline Moore, the Anti-Human Trafficking Victim Advocate for the Salvation Army and the
Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, said the volunteers we have with our coalition
help us immensely by bringing support to vulnerable and exploited women.
An additional opportunity for potential volunteers is for individuals to join the Salvation Armys
street outreach. Trained volunteers unite with staff members of the Salvation Army, and search
for trafficking victims who are forced into prostitution on the streets of Columbus. There are
three different methods of volunteering, street team, donation squad, and prayer pack.
Street teams consist of both men and women. Every team consists of at least one male. Female
volunteers exit the van and hand out gift bags, while males drive the van and provide security.
Training to become a street team volunteer occurs on a monthly basis. The session takes place at
the Salvation Army, and is held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the second Monday of every month.
The donation squad does not have a particular funding supply. The proceeds are completely
reliant on the donations of volunteers. Individuals can network to gather donations for gift bags.
Items that are constantly needed can be found on the website.
The Salvation Army firmly believes that prayer is a important component in street outreach.
Individuals or a group of individuals are given prayer cards. These prayer cards have the name of
a victim and a prayer request.
Any donation or volunteer services are greatly appreciated. The victims of human trafficking are
in dire need of assistance once rescued.
Anti-Human Trafficking Case Manager, Lauren Nutter said she tries to give them anything they
may need or want, if it is a GED, college, an apartment, food, ID, social security card, health
insurance, each woman has different needs.
About Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition
The Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition is the 21
st
organization to be established in the
United States under the guidance of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to assist
victims of human trafficking. The organization rescues human trafficking victims through an
increase of public and law enforcement awareness, as well as, restoring lives through social
service support.
The Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition was founded in 2007, and has gained over 90
members in the past seven years. The organization comprises five focus areas, including public
awareness, social services, law enforcement, demand reduction, and legislation and advocacy.
Their mission is to end human trafficking through public awareness, service to trafficked
persons, advocacy, demand reduction, and resource and training support to law enforcement.