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The
Vindicator...
Opening a coordinated
attack on human trafficking in Ohio
Wed, April 4, 2012
Ohio is in the forefront of states seeking to identify the extent of
human trafficking and to attack the problem on multiple fronts.
Last week Gov. John Kasich signed an executive order that directs state
agencies to work together to identify the most effective ways to rescue
victims, get them help, and prosecute those who abduct and exploit them.
The governor‘s task force is an expansion of the Ohio Human Trafficking
Commission overseen by the office of Attorney General Mike DeWine.
It’s easy to pretend that human trafficking is not an issue in this day
and age anywhere in the United States, much less Ohio.
But the human trafficking commission, which was created by DeWine’s
predecessor, Richard Cordray, issued a report in 2010 report that cited
Ohio’s weak laws on human trafficking, its growing demand for cheap
labor and its proximity to the Canadian border as factors in a growing
problem. The commission estimates that 1,000 American-born children are
forced into the sex trade in Ohio every year and about 800 immigrants
are sexually exploited and pushed into sweatshop-type jobs.
There’s bipartisan support for taking action. The Associated Press
reports that State Rep. Teresa Fedor, a Toledo Democrat, has introduced
legislation setting up safe havens for victimized teenagers and calling
for tougher laws and more funding to fight the problem. She said her
city has been identified as having the highest rate in the state for
underage girls recruited into the sex trade.
Recruiting girls into the sex trade has been a local issue raised by
the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative and the Mahoning Valley
Rescue and Restore Coalition. One point of concern is the proliferation
of recreational massage parlors in Warren. A website that keeps track
of such things as massage parlors that traffic in sex says Ohio has 23
such establishments, 10 of which are in Warren.
Warren City Council passed legislation that places greater restrictions
and inspections on massage parlors, but the law is being challenged by
parlor owners in court.
But massage parlors are not the only establishments in which underage
girls may be caught in a web that allows them little chance for escape.
DeWine’s office has a website that lists some of the signs of human
trafficking that the public should be alert to. The presence of
sleeping bags and food deliveries at a nail salon, for instance, or the
apparent inability of a service worker to engage in a normal
conversation without appearing to resort to a script. DeWine has a hot
line for victims, and he urges people who see signs of human
trafficking to call local police or his office.
Kasich’s order calls for a coordinated effort to investigate and
prosecute human trafficking and to provide the services and treatment
necessary for victims to regain control of their lives.
No child should have the prospect of a normal life stolen by human
traffickers, and the success of this effort will be measured in lives
saved.
Read this and other articles at The Vindicator
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