Page 32 - Leisure Living Magazine May 2018

Human Trafficking
Continued from page 30
In 2012, Ohio legislators passed a bill that allowed human trafficking survivors to bring a civil action against their traffickers. Under Ohio Revised Code 2307.51, survivors can sue their traffickers for lost wages, medical bills and more, regardless of whether or not the trafficker has ever been charged or convicted for trafficking them.
Under Ohio law, sex trafficking survivors can have some criminal records expunged from the time period when they were trafficked, making it easier to do things like apply for a job or rent an apartment. The current language of the stat- ute is somewhat unclear regarding what types of criminal records may be expunged, and pending legislation (HB 56, SB 4) seeks to sort out the confusion.
In addition, undocumented victims of human trafficking and major crimes may be able to stay in the U.S. via a T-Visa or a U-Visa. Both options offer a path toward citizenship.
There are several low and no-cost legal ser- vice providers in Ohio that are available to assist survivors:
• Advocating Opportunity
• Human Trafficking Legal Clinic
• The Ohio State University Moritz College
of Law Greif Fellow in Juvenile Human
Trafficking
• Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. • Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati • Ohio Justice & Policy Center
Ohio’s Action and High Rates of Success
In 2011, Ohio Revised Code 2905.32, Ohio’s first stand-alone human trafficking law, went into effect and soon after, Governor John Kasich became the first governor in the United States to establish his own Human Trafficking Task Force. Today, leadership on this issue comes from both sides of the aisle.
The Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition (CORRC) was founded in Columbus in 2007; it provides comprehensive services to more human trafficking survivors than any other local organization in Ohio. In 2012, CORRC partners helped the Columbus Police Department found a human trafficking task force. Ohio currently has over a dozen local human trafficking coalitions operating across the state.
Ohio has the fourth highest number of calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline num- ber (888-373-7888). Human trafficking exists in every state and these high numbers are reflective of the extensive outreach and prevention efforts operating in Ohio making the state a leader in human trafficking awareness and prevention.
This “Law You Can Use” column was provided by the Ohio State Bar Association. Articles appearing in this column are intended to provide broad, general information about the law. This article is not intended to be legal advice. Before applying this information to a specific legal problem, readers are urged to seek advice from a licensed attorney.
Woodruff is an attorney with the domestic legal team at the Legal Aid Society of Columbus. She serves as the legal advocacy chair of the Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition.
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