Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost today addressed his office’s Human Trafficking Commission during a meeting in Columbus.

“The selling of one human being by another for sex is an epic evil,” Yost said at the meeting. “My goal is for Ohio to be the first state in the union to say that it cannot be found within our borders.”

At the meeting, Yost encouraged members of the commission to work collaboratively and comprehensively review efforts to combat human trafficking across the state.

The commission, working as a part of the office’s Human Trafficking Initiative, includes a diverse membership of law enforcement, social service providers, academic experts and government partners.

Yost recently announced major legislative initiatives that target the demand side of human trafficking by separating the buying and selling of sex into criminal offenses, establishing a criminal offense for knowingly receiving proceeds from a prostitute and creating a public database for the arrests of “johns,” pimps and traffickers. These initiatives have been introduced in the legislature under Senate Bill 247 and House Bills 128, 415 and 431.

Registration is open now for the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Summit, scheduled for Jan. 9, 2020, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The gathering will feature survivors sharing their experiences and expert presenters discussing best practices. Survivors, advocates, law enforcement officers and community stakeholders are encouraged to attend the day-long event.