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State leaders mark 7th Human Trafficking Awareness Day Thursday
By Marc Kovac
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 youths 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. That is just absolutely unacceptable to me.”
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 year for the annual event, which draws attention to the issue and efforts the state has taken to combat it.
“The work we have done in Ohio to combat human trafficking has put criminals behind bars, raised public awareness and given victims hope,” state Rep. Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo, who has spearheaded the efforts at the state level, said in a released statement. “When we started this fight 10 years ago, the odds seemed long. Laws prohibiting and defining human trafficking in Ohio didn’t even exist, and few understood – let alone recognized – the underground network of evil that ripped apart families and communities.”
In recent years, state lawmakers and Gov. John Kasich have enacted increased criminal penalties for those who force others into sexual acts or labor, increased training for law enforcement and others to identify signs of human trafficking and increased efforts to connect victims with counseling and other services.
“We are truly building a coordinated response that is resulting in more help for survivors in our state,” said Elizabeth Ranade-Janis, who heads the state’s efforts to combat trafficking.
Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor later added, “Exploiting Ohioans is not acceptable. It is not acceptable for any of us, our children or our grandchildren – and we all want a better future for them. Together we will continue to fight modern-day slavery in the state of Ohio, and we will be successful.”