Cleveland Rape Crisis Center: Services for Minor Victims of Sex Trafficking in Cuyahoga and Ashtabula County, Ohio

Cleveland Rape Crisis Center’s (CRCC) proposed project has a goal to provide direct services to minor victims of sex trafficking in Cuyahoga and Ashtabula Counties to improve victim safety, access to justice, and self-sufficiency. At the same time, this project seeks to improve identification, responses and referrals for victims at a community level.
    Activities for this project include legal assistance and criminal justice advocacy for minor victims and their non-offending family members, to ensure rights and options under the law are understood, with added guidance and supports in navigating the criminal justice system. This project also includes supportive activities for minor victims, such as crisis intervention, case management, mental health counseling, life skills training and more to be offered by CRCC.
    In addition to direct services for minor victims, this project also collaborates with local partners to improve community responses to human trafficking. Partners include the Ohio Department of Youth Services, Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court and Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Office. These agencies will work with CRCC to refer identified minor victims in need of services to CRCC, with training from CRCC for their professional staff to better understand the characteristics and elements of sex trafficking.

    Finally, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center will launch an awareness campaign on minor sex trafficking to educate and connect trafficked youth in the community to services at CRCC. Deliverables for this project include the following: 

Serve 65 minor victims of sex trafficking a year in conjunction with DYS and the Court
85% of minor victims served exhibit improved mental health/anxiety and stress levels
Provide 3 trainings a year to Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court
Provide 3 trainings a year to Ohio Department of Youth Services
Provide 1 training per year to the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Office
90% of trainees will report improved understanding of the characteristics and elements of human trafficking as it relates to minor victims
100% of minor victims identified are referred appropriately to CRCC
20% increase in 24/7 Crisis Hotline Calls for human trafficking
25% increase in traffic to CRCC’s Human Trafficking Drop-In Center