The 2016 Human Trafficking Commission Annual Report

The Ohio Attorney General's Office has published their 2016 report on the work of the Human Trafficking Commission. Read the full report here, which includes our update below.

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The Demand Reduction Committee strives to reduce the culture of tolerance for, and economic advantage of, labor and sex trafficking in Ohio.

The subcommittee is exploring ways to work with, support, and empower local anti-human trafficking groups to incorporate demand reduction into their programming. This includes elevating awareness of and access to resources about: intervention with potential customers and traffickers; and community-wide education and awareness related to reducing the demand for forced labor and compelled commercial activity.

Current committee efforts include:

• The development of PowerPoint presentations with an overview of the demand reduction/primary prevention topic and more in-depth information on working with boys and men on prevention.
• Exploration of the implications of best practices from public health and the primary prevention of sexual and intimate partner violence. Recent efforts include mapping human trafficking prevention strategies for specific audiences onto the social ecological model, and incorporating a focus on maximizing protective factors and reducing risk factors for perpetration of trafficking. 
• Preparing a 90-minute presentation for other human trafficking professionals on primary prevention of human trafficking.

Subcommittee members will continue to work closely with the Prevention, Education, and Awareness subcommittee to coordinate statewide human trafficking prevention training. The subcommittee maintains a bibliography of books and articles related to demand reduction/primary prevention of human trafficking. Previous completed documents include:

• "Demand Reduction: White Paper." To read it, visit http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Files/Publications-Files/Publications-for-Victims/Demand-Reduction-White-Paper.aspx
• "Demand Reduction: Conversation Piece." To read it visit http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Files/Publications-Files/Publications-for-Victims/Demand-Reduction-Conversation-Piece.aspx 

A White Paper from the Demand Reduction Committee

To learn more about our work and what we stand for, visit the URL below.

http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Files/Publications-Files/Publications-for-Victims/Demand-Reduction-White-Paper.aspx

Getting Started on Prevention through Conversation

One of the best ways to prevent human trafficking is to combat the societal misperceptions that feed the demand for it. We've assembled a conversation piece to help you have those difficult conversations. Check it out by clicking here or visiting the URL below.

http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Files/Publications-Files/Publications-for-Victims/Demand-Reduction-Conversation-Piece.aspx

2017 Meetings

If you are interested in joining the committee and assisting us in our mission to research and eliminate the demand for human trafficking in Ohio, attend any of our upcoming meetings on the following dates at 12:30 pm:

• March 3 (by conference call)
• April 7 (by conference call)
• April 28 (by conference call)
• June 2 (by conference call)
• July 14 (in-person)

For call-in information or location, please contact Debra Seltzer at debra.seltzer@odh.ohio.gov.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Who We Are

In 2010, the Ohio Attorney General founded the Trafficking in Person Study Commission to investigate Ohio's human trafficking problem and develop solutions for combating it. The Demand Reduction Sub-Committee is the newest committee, and is currently researching ways to reduce the demand for sex trafficking and labor trafficking within Ohio. The Sub-Committee will issue a report to Attorney General DeWine this year explaining the research and best practices discovered and recommending changes for Ohio. The Sub-Committee needs volunteers interested in assisting in the research and writing of this report. If interested, please contact committee chair Debra Seltzer at debra.seltzer@odh.ohio.gov. Topics include:

• pros and cons of various legislative efforts to curb the demand for child pornography
• map out number of agricultural labor camps in Ohio and any evidence of labor trafficking there
• links between casinos and increases in prostitution, sex trafficking, and general crime
• comparative global practices on reducing the demand for human trafficking

We welcome any other ideas and research topics on demand reduction that you may have.