COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio will have its first-ever statewide human trafficking hotline this year.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced on Wednesday during the fifth annual Human Trafficking Summit in downtown Columbus.
The hotline number — 844-END-OHHT (844-363-6448) — will funnel tips on suspected sex and labor trafficking directly to law enforcement.
“It’s simple: the more we know, the more we can do to help,” Yost said. “We need to keep pushing these efforts forward so that, every day, those who buy sex or compel another’s labor know that we’re coming for them.”
The attorney general’s office said the hotline will launch this year but did not provide a specific date.
In May, Yost’s office launched a guide for communities to use to help fight human trafficking in those areas
That month, he testified in support of legislation that would allow trafficking survivors to have certain offenses cleared from their criminal record. Both the Ohio House and Senate passed the bill. It now goes to Gov. Mike DeWine for his signature.
State law already allows trafficking survivors to apply to have convictions for soliciting and prostitution expunged from their records.
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