Attorney General Dave Yost wants state and community leaders to send a message throughout Ohio that there's help out there for victims of human trafficking. He said lawmakers can play a role in that message.
Yost told hundreds of advocates and community resource groups at his human trafficking summit that it's important to spread a message of hope around Ohio.
He said one thing the state can do is coordinate efforts to make sure victims of human trafficking know there's help waiting for them
"A lot of these folks have been told over and over again 'nobody will believe you,' and they believe that about themselves. They feel their own inability to break free. The start is for an individual person to take the next breath and have hope."
Yost is also working with the legislature on several bills which include increasing aid for victims and cracking down on offenders who pay for sex.
He said the best use of the state is to coordinate aid and resources and get the message out to victims that help is out there for them.
"We can't fix every broken life, we can't repair every broken heart but what the state can do and should do is to provide the path, the road to redemption."
