The Truth Behind Human Trafficking, How Awareness Can Put an End to It

COLUMBUS – Human trafficking is an evil practice, but it is a modern-day reality Ohioans must be aware of. This is why State Representative Tracy Richardson (R-Marysville) has been a champion in the House to end human trafficking through various pieces of legislation, one of them being the creation of Human Trafficking Awareness Day. 

Observed in January each year, 2025 will be the second year of observance after the legislation was signed into law in the 135th General Assembly. The creation of this day is for good reason. Ohio ranks 10th in the nation for the most reported cases, according to 2022 data collected by the Polaris Project. In most of these reported cases, victims are not being trafficked by a stranger violently kidnapping them. Most victims are trafficked by someone they know that has tricked, threatened, or manipulated them into providing commercial sex or labor, with hundreds of Ohioans being trafficked by their own spouse, partner or parent.

“I don’t want Ohio being known as one of the most likely states to be trafficked in,” said Richardson. “The State must take a serious look at who is being trafficked and how they are trafficked. Being aware and looking into the data are steps toward improving our public safety and ridding Ohio of human trafficking.”

Observance and awareness are only the beginning to bring this practice to an end. Richardson’s legislative work in this space has also included ensuring victims of human trafficking have hope and a path forward through expungement of non-violent crimes. She is also a strong supporter of Attorney General Dave Yost’s Human Trafficking Initiative, a task force with the goal of ending labor and sex trafficking in Ohio. She advocated for the opening of a 24/7 human trafficking hotline (844-END-OHHT) operated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) that connects analyzed intelligence with local law enforcement and human trafficking task forces.

Richardson said her reason for working diligently to put an end to human trafficking is simple: she cares about preventing more individuals from becoming victims and assisting victims who are currently suffering.

“Human Trafficking Awareness Day is a bill, now law, that I initiated because I saw the need to help inform Ohioans about the crime against humanity known as Human Trafficking,” Richardson said. “With awareness comes the hope of stopping this scourge and creating the promise of new beginnings for those victims trapped in the despair of trafficking.”

Saturday, January 11, is Human Trafficking Awareness this year. Richardson asked that everyone take a moment to understand the problem Ohio is facing and if they see something to say something through the BCI human trafficking hotline (844-363-6448).