Yost recounts 2024 efforts to combat human trafficking
In marking National Human Trafficking Awareness Day on Jan. 11, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost recapped the progress his office made in in combatting human trafficking in 2024.
“Awareness is critical in educating the public that human trafficking happens anywhere and everywhere,” Yost said. “We’ve been focusing on demand reduction because without a buyer there is no human trafficking.”
Each year on Jan. 11, the AG’s office joins in solidary with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and many others to mark National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. The observance is also known as Wear Blue Day – a chance for advocates in the fight against human trafficking to outwardly express that support by photographing themselves and others wearing blue and sharing those photos on social media (with the hashtag #WearBlueDay).
For Yost’s Human Trafficking Initiative (HTI), the day also provided an opportunity to take stock of the progress made the previous year and anticipate future efforts.
Among notable achievements in 2024, the HTI team launched Ohio’s first statewide hotline: 844-END-OHHT (844-363-6448). The dedicated line accepts tips about suspected human trafficking, and those tips are then funneled directly to law enforcement and/or others with experience in handling such cases.
Also in 2024, the HTI team:
• Conducted more than 45 training sessions, tailored to a variety of audiences, throughout Ohio.
• Developed specialized training materials for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities focusing on healthy relationships, personal safety and resources to prevent exploitation.
• Contributed to comprehensive educational guides aimed at increasing community awareness of human trafficking among both adults and youths.
• Successfully advocated for the passage of Senate Bill 214, which provides enhanced opportunities for Ohio survivors of human trafficking with criminal records to rebuild their lives and move forward.
“The fight is far from over,” Yost said. “But we’re making meaningful strides every day.”