Ohio lawmakers are proposing a new bill to crack down on human trafficking by going after the people who fund the practice – those who recruit and force people into prostitution and those who pay for it.
Ohio has passed bills to stop human trafficking but State Rep. Jena Powell (R-Arcanum) says it is still a big problem.
“Ohio is the fourth worst state in the United States [for human trafficking].”
Powell and other lawmakers are introducing a bill that increases penalties for johns and pimps. Rep. Rick Carfagna (R-Genoa Township) says it addresses another problem.
“What angers me as much as the act is the anonymity, that you can have these men go and dehumanize these women and make it home for dinner,” Carfagna said.
This bill creates a public registry that will include the names of people who are convicted of buying sexual services. The bill has support in both chambers of the legislature and is being championed by Ohio’s Attorney General too.
