(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today joined Attorneys General from 48 States, 3 Territories, and the District of Columbia in urging Congress to pass the Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act, also known as the SAVE Act. The request was made in a letter sent to the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“The use of the “adult services sections” on websites such as Backpage.com has created virtual brothels where children are bought and sold using euphemistic labels such as ‘escorts,’" DeWine and the Attorneys General said in their letter.
By passing the SAVE Act, DeWine and the Attorney generals wrote, “websites that are facilitating trafficking through their very business model will have to take steps to verify the identity of individuals posting advertisements and the age of those who appear in these advertisements.”
As Attorney General, DeWine has taken numerous initiatives to help combat and raise awareness of human trafficking. He established the Ohio Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Commission in 2011 to continue work after a previous commission had statutorily expired. The Attorney General’s Office also created the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force through the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission. DeWine supported two bipartisan human trafficking laws, sponsored by Representative Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo): HB 262, the Safe Harbor Law, which became law in 2012; and HB 130, the End Demand Act, which became law this past June. Also in 2012, DeWine joined 45 other Attorneys General in urging Congress to pass the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.
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Documents
Letter regarding SAFE Act (PDF)
Media Contacts
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Lisa Hackley: 614-466-3840