COLUMBUS – Ohio’s state Senate has approved a bill lawmakers hope will help victims of human trafficking get their lives back.
Human trafficking victims often find themselves forced into illegal activities, such as prostitution, and being arrested on charges stemming from the coerced behavior can make it difficult, if not impossible, for the victim to get for a job or a home, says Sen. Stephanie Kunze (R-Hilliard), who co-sponsored the measure with State Senator Scott Oelslager (R-North Canton)
“It is my goal to provide victims of human trafficking hope and opportunity as they begin to pull their lives back together,” Kunze said. “It’s important for our state to remove needless barriers to obtaining employment.”
The measure, which now goes to the House of Representatives, would allow those convictions to be expunged from the victim’s criminal record if they can show they were forced to commit the crimes.
A defendant’s information is still accessible as a court record even when the individual was found not guilty or the case was dismissed.
If passed, the legislation would be the latest in a series of bills passed over the last several years focusing on the eradication of human trafficking through better enforcement, increased penalties for perpetrators and greater public awareness.