(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — One in three Ohio runaways gone for two weeks or longer is at risk of being trafficked for sex, according to a report released today by the Ohio Trafficking in Persons Study Commission. The Report on the Prevalence of Human Trafficking in Ohio is the first of its kind to quantify the statewide problem.

“These are disturbing facts,” said Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, chairman of the commission. “According to the report, it is estimated that in Ohio more than a thousand young people between the ages 12 and 17 have been trafficked into the sex trade over the course of a year. This is clear evidence that we need to do more, much more, to protect our youth in Ohio.”

The report, compiled by the Commission’s Research and Analysis Subcommittee, gives for the first time estimates of the number of individuals in Ohio who are being trafficked as well as the number of those who could be vulnerable to traffickers.

“We have been trying to tackle a problem based on insufficient data,” said Cordray. “This report, while still just a start, gives us a basis from which to move forward. We can now discuss the issue with better knowledge and deeper understanding of the scope of the problem.”

The report includes a snapshot of identified Ohio human trafficking cases, including labor and sex trafficking, and a breakdown of at-risk groups: foreign-born people here legally or illegally, domestic violence victims, runaways and homeless youth.

The subcommittee presented four observations for consideration by the larger commission:

• Ohio’s response to child sex trafficking is weak.
• Ohio’s first responders to human trafficking remain unaware and unprepared and services are insufficient.
• Those who purchase youth remain protected, receive minimal charges and are rarely prosecuted in a significant way, while traffickers also suffer minimal consequences.
• Ohio’s young people are highly vulnerable to trafficking.

Research and Analysis Subcommittee members are: Celia Williamson, Sub-Committee Chairperson, Ph.D., University of Toledo; Sharvari Karandikar-Chheda, Ph.D., Ohio State University;  Jeff Barrows, M.D., Gracehaven House; Trisha Smouse, Ohio State University; Gene Kelly, Clark County Sheriff; Peter Swartz, Toledo Police Department; Nadia Lucchin, Not for Sale Campaign; and Mark Ballard, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

To read the report in full, please visit www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/TraffickingReport.

Media Contacts:

Kim Kowalski: (614) 728-9692
cell: (614) 893-6018
Holly Hollingsworth: (614) 644-0508
cell: (614) 353-7576