What is human trafficking?
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Human trafficking is the illegal exploitation of individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of labor, services, or commercial sex. Victims are manipulated or controlled—often through threats, deception, or violence—and forced to work against their will for the financial benefit of others.
The Collaborative to End Human Trafficking began in 2007 and was built on the understanding that a multifaceted human rights and public health issue like human trafficking cannot be solved by one organization or system alone.
We recognized that only when we bring people together to unlock our collective potential can we create solutions that break the cycle of human trafficking.
Upcoming Education & Training
Learn the Fundamentals. Help End Human Trafficking.
Monday, June 17th from 11:30AM to 1PM, join us for a FREE learning session on human trafficking via Zoom. This training earns 1.5 CEUs.
Human trafficking affects every community—including ours. Awareness is the first step toward prevention, and knowledge is power. That’s why more than 2,000 people across Northeast Ohio have taken part in our Fundamentals of Human Trafficking training in 2025 alone.
This 90-minute virtual session is engaging, empowering, and designed to equip individuals and organizations with the tools to recognize, respond to, and prevent human trafficking. Whether you’re part of a workplace, school, community group, or just showing up as an informed citizen—you have a role to play in creating safety and change.
Perfect for individuals, teams, HR departments, classrooms, and civic groups, this training encourages shared learning and action. Bring a colleague, invite your students, or attend with your organization.
Led by Carolyn Arny, Director of Education & Training at the Collaborative and a member of the Survivor Advisory Council, this session offers both professional insight and lived experience—making it both practical and personal.
Together, we can build a more trauma-informed, prevention-focused community where trafficking is recognized, interrupted, and ultimately prevented.
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Recent News
May Spotlight: Caring for Ourselves, Strengthening Our Communities
At the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking, we believe that supporting mental health is essential—not just for individuals, but for the strength and sustainability of our collective work. If we are not well, our systems and collaborations cannot thrive.
This May for Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re spotlighting the importance of mental wellness in building resilient communities and sustaining the work to end human trafficking.
The Land: How one Cleveland professor’s innovative research is fighting sexual assault around the nation
By Christopher Johnston – The Criminology Research Center (CRC), one of Cleveland’s most effective crime-fighting tools, is a bit of a secret weapon because most Clevelanders don’t know it exists.
However, the Cleveland Division of Police, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, Collaborative to End Human Trafficking and Cleveland Rape Crisis Center know it well.
Located at Cleveland State University, the CRC was founded in 2008 and is led by Rachel Lovell, Ph.D., who was recently promoted to associate professor with tenure in the Department of Criminology and Sociology. Her nationally recognized team performs and publishes comprehensive, in-depth research pertaining to a range of crimes and public safety issues, including car jackings, gun violence, human trafficking, rape and sexual assault.
The Roots of Human Trafficking: Child Abuse, Sexual Violence & the Need for Prevention
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month—two deeply connected issues that lie at the heart of our work to end human trafficking.
Human trafficking doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It thrives on unaddressed trauma, system failure, and societal silence. Research and lived experience confirm what survivors have long said: childhood sexual abuse and early trauma are among the strongest predictors of future exploitation. To end trafficking, we must address its roots.
Our Mission
