Crusader Harold D’Souza Indian American international inspirational survivor-advocateis invited by the Summit County Collaborative Against Human Trafficking (SCCAHT) to share his breath-taking story of slavery in Land of Lady Liberty America to freedom.
SCCAHT will be hosting survivor leaders Harold D’Souza and Rachel Socorro from the Survivor Advisory Council of the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking serving Cuyahoga County. These survivor leaders will be answering commonly asked questions about labour trafficking and how we can combat this issue in our communities and beyond.
Man, with a mission. Harold D’Souza spoke to the press, “Human Trafficking is a $150 Billion Dollar industry after drugs. The risk factor in labour or sex exploitation is thin, but the profit margins are thick. In human trafficking out of ten perpetrators – 9 do not get prosecuted. The script will flip soon. More traffickers are getting prosecuted. When you save one victim you save one ‘Survivor’, but when you prosecute one ‘Perpetrator’ you save hundreds of victims”.
The mission of the Summit County Collaborative Against Human Trafficking is to increase our community’s knowledge on human trafficking and build a strong continuum of care for survivors to access trauma-informed services in Summit County.
Harold D’Souza President of Eyes Open International (EOI) a non-profit organization registered under 501 (c)3 in America is focused to open branches in fifty countries across the world. Harold said, ‘America is the destination, but countries like Mexico, Guatemala, India, Nepal, Ghana, Pakistan, Bangladesh and various countries are the source’. Cultivating prevention at the source country is my passion. Protecting the vulnerable population is my purpose in life’.
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, human trafficking is second largest criminal industry in the world. Locally, Ohio is among the top six states with highest call volume to the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888.
In order to lift survivor’s voices and experiences to the forefront, the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking appointed Harold D’Souza to the Survivor Advisory Council whose work and expertise will help inform and improve the ways in which organizations can respond to human trafficking and provide services to victims.
Suicide or silence is not a choice, option or solution said Harold D’Souza a native of Bajpe, Mangaluru, now residing in the United States of America.