Ohio Legislature passes human trafficking bill

COLUMBUS (AP) — Human trafficking would be a felony crime in Ohio under a bill on its way to the governor’s desk.

The Ohio House voted unanimously on today to make human trafficking a stand-alone felony punishable by up to eight years in prison.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Ted Strickland says he will sign the bill into law.

Ohio is among a handful of states without a separate human-trafficking law.

One advocacy group — the Washington, D.C.-based Polaris Project — has listed Ohio among its “dirty dozen” states it says have failed to adequately address modern-day slavery.

A February report found about 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.