University
of Cincinnati to Study Prevalence of Human
Trafficking in Ohio
(COLUMBUS) – In
collaboration with Gov. John R. Kasich’s Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, the
Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) has awarded funding to the
University of Cincinnati (UC) to assess the extent to which youth and children
are exploited in Ohio.
“While we have made incredible progress in the fight against
human trafficking, the lack of data remains a challenge,” said OCJS Executive
Director Karhlton Moore. “We look forward to working with UC and using the
results of their study to improve our response efforts.”
Through this grant, UC will address the knowledge gaps
related to the prevalence of trafficking in persons, specifically minors under
age 18 and youth aged 18-21 in foster care in the state of Ohio.
“I
am delighted to be partnering with OCJS to develop an accurate and
reliable prevalence estimate of the number of human trafficking cases across
the state,” said Dr. Valerie R. Anderson,
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at UC.
“My team
at UC will be analyzing a variety of data collected by state
agencies, news media reports, and state-level justice system data housed
at UC’s Corrections Institute. To date, it has been challenging for researchers
to estimate the prevalence of human trafficking victimization for a number of
reasons so it’s promising that funding for these research efforts are
being prioritized. Funding for foundational research, such as this project,
will continue to position Ohio as a leader in anti-trafficking work.”
UC has been awarded $100,000 through the Edward Byrne Memorial
Justice Assistance Grant, with results of the project publicly available in
fall 2018.
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The
Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) serves as the lead justice planning
and assistance agency for the state. Through research, technology and grants,
OCJS serves a wide variety of agencies committed to reducing and preventing
crime across Ohio.
For additional information, contact:
China Dodley at (614) 466-2551
CLDodley@dps.ohio.gov
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