Ohio House approves tougher penalties for human trafficking

May 23, 2012 at 12:00a.m.

COLUMBUS

Pimps would face increased criminal penalties and registration as sex offenders, under legislation OK’d by the Ohio House.

House Bill 262 also would require certain businesses to display posters designed to help victims of human trafficking, and minors trapped in “modern day slavery” would have greater access to public services.

“We have a major crime wave facing us, and it is hiding right before our eyes and in your communities,” said Rep. Teresa Fedor, a Democrat from Toledo and primary sponsor of the bill. “Every day, Ohio’s most vulnerable citizens are coerced, kidnapped and exploited. Human trafficking, modern- day slavery, is the human rights issue of our lifetime.”

HB 262 passed 94-0 and heads to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.

The bill is the latest attempt by state officials to deal with human trafficking, a crime in which victims are forced to work or have sex, with payments benefiting their captors.

In recent years, lawmakers increased criminal penalties against perpetrators, and Gov. John Kasich recently created a new task force to offer more recommendations to combat the crime.

Among other provisions, the bill approved by the House on Tuesday would increase felony charges against pimps, with potential mandatory prison terms and sex offender registration requirements.

Additionally, state officials also would have to create a poster spotlighting a national hot line available for trafficking victims, to be posted in highway rest areas, truck stops, hospitals, hotels, adult entertainment establishments, bars and liquor stores. Officers would be required to have training on identifying and handling human-trafficking cases.