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.
Recent News
The Collaborative’s Viewpoint – When the System Falls Short: What the Combs’ Case Reveals About Human Trafficking
The recent headlines surrounding Sean “Diddy” Combs (from trafficking allegations to shocking video footage, followed by no criminal conviction for human trafficking) have left the public confused, divided, and in some cases, dismissive. For those of us working every day to prevent human trafficking and support survivors, this moment is not about one man. It’s about what the public still doesn’t understand about what trafficking is and isn’t.
Let’s be clear: Human trafficking doesn’t always look like what people imagine. More often, it looks like coercion — subtle, persistent, and psychological.
The Land: How the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking is trying to end modern day slavery in Northeast Ohio
May was a big month for the Collaborative, Northeast Ohio’s anti-trafficking advocacy agency. On May 28, Kirsti Mouncey testified before the Ohio Senate Finance Committee. The president and CEO of the Collaborative joined other advocates and allies for survivors of human trafficking as they lobbied to preserve $4.5 million in state funding in Ohio’s 2025–2026 budget. This funding gained even greater significance due to cuts in federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds and will ensure that essential services for survivors remain uninterrupted.
Cuyahoga County’s Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition Launches Leadership Council
In a significant step forward, the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking announces the formation of the Leadership Council for Cuyahoga County’s Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition, a major milestone in advancing our community’s shared mission to prevent and end human trafficking. This Council brings together visionary leaders from across sectors—public health, government, law enforcement and nonprofit—each committed to aligning our strategies, amplifying survivor voice, and building a more coordinated response to human trafficking in our community.
Upcoming Education & Training
Learn the Fundamentals. Help End Human Trafficking
FREE July Fundamentals
Tuesday, July 15 | 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
RSVP Now
FREE August Fundamentals
Tuesday, August 16 | 11:30 PM – 1:00 PM
FREE September Fundamentals
Tuesday, September 16 5:30 PM – 7:00PM
Join this free, 90-minute virtual training to learn how to recognize, respond to, and prevent human trafficking in your community. Perfect for individuals, teams, educators, civic groups, and professionals across sectors. This session earns 1.5 CEUs. Nearly 3,000 people in Northeast Ohio have already participated in 2025. Don’t miss this chance to become informed and empowered. Led by Carolyn Arny, Director of Education & Training and member of the Survivor Advisory Council, this session combines lived experience with practical tools for action.
Ethical Storytelling: The Power & Responsibility of Stories
August 6, 2025 via ZOOM
11: 30 AM – 12: 30 PM
Join Us for a FREE Learning Session
In the anti-trafficking movement, stories are often used to raise awareness, shift public opinion, and influence policy. But when storytelling is not done ethically, it can cause real harm. This session will introduce the core principles of ethical storytelling and explore the historical patterns of re-exploitation and revictimization that have occurred when lived experiences are used without incorporating practices of ethical storytelling. Participants will gain practical tools for implementing ethical storytelling practices within their organizations, campaigns, and communications. The session will also address media and imaging considerations, including how to responsibly represent survivors in photographs, videos, and digital platforms. Through voices of lived experiences and interactive reflection, we will explore how to shift from extractive narratives toward storytelling that honors dignity, agency, and the complexity of lived experience.
Session leader ALICIA LEY wears many hats within the anti-trafficking sector, where she has worked for the last decade. She is currently the Senior Programs Officer at Survivor Alliance, a global organization dedicated to equipping and empowering survivors to be leaders in the anti-trafficking movement. There, she provides leadership training to survivors and manages their Fellowship programs. This employment pathway enhances survivor representation in the anti-trafficking sector while equipping organizations to create a trauma-informed and inclusive workplace. Alicia has spent the last decade advocating and building holistic, healing-centered spaces to support survivors as they journey toward becoming their whole, healthy selves. She has the privilege of connecting and collaborating with survivor leaders worldwide who are leading grassroots anti trafficking efforts in their communities. It is these face-to-face relationships that fuel her fiery passion to address systemic injustices and bring survivors and allies together in the fight for economic equity and meaningful survivor inclusion within the global anti- tracking movement.
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Our Mission
