Rep. Jarrells announces House passage of bill to designate January 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day

COLUMBUS– State Rep. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus) announced the passage of HB 561 yesterday, which designates January 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Ohio.

“Designating January 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Ohio will bring more attention to a crime that leaves a lasting toll on human life, families and communities across this state,” said Rep. Jarrells. “The way to stop human trafficking is to learn about it, share what you learn with others, report it and support organizations on the front lines. HB 561 is a step in the right direction.”

The bill was incorporated into Senate Bill (SB) 63, which allows county probation department to accept credit card payments. SB 63 is sponsored by Senator Sandra O’Brien.

“I would like to say thank you to Senator O’Brien and members of the Senate for including HB 561 in SB 63,” said Rep. Jarrells. “I would also like to thank my joint sponsor, Representative Tracy Richardson, for working with me on the bill and former State Senator Teresa Fedor for her continued leadership in raising awareness on Human Trafficking.”

As of June 2022, Ohio ranks fifth in the nation for the most human trafficking cases. Ohio’s rate of human trafficking is 3.84 victims per 100,000 state residents, putting Ohio at the fourth worst ratio in the nation. This victim-to-population ratio translated to 450 human trafficking cases in Ohio during the same year. Even more alarming, Columbus is ranked ninth in the United States for human trafficking.

The bill now goes to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.