In the wake of allegations that Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, solicited a prostitute, the director of The University of Toledo Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute is available to speak with reporters over the phone about the criminal world of “modern day slavery.”

“We need to focus on the demand-side of sexual exploitation,” said Dr. Celia Williamson, professor of social work at The University of Toledo. “There are sometimes powerful people involved, and they are not above the law.”

Williamson is a leader in the fight against human trafficking, defending the rights of women and girls on a local, national and international level through education, research and advocacy. Her work since 1993 has advanced the understanding of a horror that leaves victims suffering and hiding in plain sight.

She has consulted on anti-trafficking policies for the Ohio Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Commission and the Ohio Governor’s Human Trafficking Task Force.

Williamson hosts the oldest academic Human Trafficking Conference in the nation that in its 15^th year welcomed more than 1,700 people – including 500 high school students – from 42 states and 30 countries.

UT’s Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute serves as home of the Lucas County Human Trafficking Coalition, a collaboration between the University, law enforcement and social service organizations to educate the community and provide a continuum of care to survivors of trafficking.

Contact Christine Billau at 312.805.3001 or christine.billau@utoledo.edu to connect with Williamson.