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U.S. Representative John Boehner
Cracking Down
on Human Trafficking
My wife Debbie and I raised two daughters, and, like any parent, the
stories of suffering and pain that follow from human trafficking crimes
weigh heavily on me.
Unfortunately, we see and hear the local stories about human
trafficking nearly every day.
According to a recent article in the Dayton Daily News, “During the
past 12 months, 26 child advocacy centers across state identified 65
minors and seven adults who are potential victims of human trafficking,
including the six children younger than 7.”
The paper also reports, “More than 1,000 Ohio children are victims of
human trafficking annually and 3,000 more are at-risk of becoming
victims in one of the fastest-growing criminal enterprises in the
world.”
These are kids right here in our home state – in our communities.
The fact that such heinous and despicable crimes are happening in our
local area is simply horrifying. While our state and local
officials, law enforcement, and community outreach leaders are doing
great work to help address the issue, we should all be compelled to
take action.
It’s why House Republicans have passed more than a dozen bills to
make our families safer, bring modern slave traders to justice, and
give victims the comfort, counseling, and care they need to reclaim
their lives. Providing law enforcement and human services personnel the
tools, resources, and training they need to prevent trafficking and to
better support its victims is critical to addressing this issue.
I was also pleased to hear about the local leaders and law enforcement
in Clark County who recently came together and created a human
trafficking task force to help victims and prosecute offenders.
And just last month, our governor signed into law a bill that protects
our children by further cracking down on human trafficking crimes
against minors.
From the local level on up, we must do all we can to protect the most
vulnerable and provide law enforcement with the resources they need to
combat human trafficking. As a father, I will continue doing
everything I can to prevent one more victim from being robbed of his or
her most basic human rights. These crimes are particularly
monstrous and must be stopped.
Boehner represents Ohio’s 8th District, which includes all of Butler,
Clark, Darke, Miami, and Preble counties, and the southernmost part of
Mercer County. He was first elected to Congress in 1990.
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