On November 10, the Ohio Statehouse will host Human Trafficking Advocacy Day: Prohibit Modern Slavery. Participants will gather to support passage of S.B. 235 and its companion bill, H.B. 493. Participants are invited to schedule appointments with their legislators on November 10 to tell them how important it is to stop human trafficking. For more information, click here.
Can’t attend the Advocacy Day? Learn more about how to get involved.
What is Human Trafficking?
Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. Victims of human trafficking are young children, teenagers, men and women. Many victims of human trafficking are forced to work in prostitution or the sex entertainment industry. But trafficking also occurs in forms of labor exploitation, such as domestic servitude, restaurant work, janitorial work, sweatshop factory work and migrant agricultural work.
Did you know?
Human trafficking is a rapidly growing and under-reported problem affecting both inner cities, rural communities, and affluent suburbs. The FBI has named Toledo a top recruitment city for child sex trafficking victims for the last several years. Traffickers set up shop where laws are the weakest, and currently Ohio has no laws preventing human trafficking. Unless legislation is adopted, Ohio will become the most vulnerable state in America.
Why Is S.B. 235 Needed?
It is estimated that hundreds of children are trafficked to and from Ohio each year. This legislation will put Ohio’s human trafficking definition and stand-alone felony in line with the Trafficking in Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and the Department of Justice’s definition. (At this moment, 44 other states have a human trafficking definition and stand-alone felony similar to the TVPA and DOJ definition.) SB 235 and HB 493 will help Ohio become more successful at apprehending and prosecuting traffickers. Currently most of Ohio’s cases are referred to the federal government, slowing the prosecution of traffickers and continuing the criminalization of victims.