Human Trafficking Awareness Day was today in Columbus

COLUMBUS — State Sen. Larry Obhof illustrated the “scourge of human trafficking” in Ohio by comparing the number of missing youngsters with the number of schools in the state.

Each year, the Medina Republican said, more than 1,000 Ohio youth are reported as missing, many of whom are runaways or are kidnapped. In contrast, there are 600-plus school districts in the state.

“If you’ve got a child who is starting kindergarten today, by the time they get out of eighth grade, they’re going to know somebody [who has become a victim of human trafficking],” Obhof said. “Chances are every year there’s going to be someone in that school district, maybe two people or three people in that school district, that go missing.”

Obhof was one of the speakers during the opening session of the state’s Human Trafficking Awareness Day on Thursday at the Statehouse, marking the seventh years for the annual event, which draws attention to the issue and efforts the state has taken to combat it.