Join the Fight Against Human Trafficking

Human trafficking, the illegal trade of human beings for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor, is one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises worldwide. Governor John Kasich is committed to addressing this problem and the Ohio Board of Nursing is joining in the fight against human trafficking.

Nurses and other health care providers are often the only professionals able to interact with trafficking victims.  The Ohio Board of Nursing encourages you to be an informed, aware and contributing member of the nursing community with respect to understanding human trafficking issues.  The Board urges you to visit the Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force website where you will find links to more information, including helpful resources such as Awareness Campaign Materials and a Human Trafficking Toolkit. The Board will also maintain a human trafficking page on its website to post additional information and updates.

Ohio’s School Nurses have a unique opportunity to prevent trafficking and identify school aged youth who may be trafficked or in other abusive situations. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) developed a School Nurse Human Trafficking Protocol to assist with recognizing specific signs and indicators, and to provide basic screening questions and information regarding making appropriate community referrals. To review the School Nurse Human Trafficking Protocol and for other education resources, visit the ODH webpage devoted to these topics.

ODH has created an on-line independent study for school nurses and is now available through OhioTRAIN. This program offers 4.25 CNE contact hours and is free of charge. The class is organized into 4 sections and printed materials for the class are available to print. To learn more about this program visit the Ohio Department of Health’s website or call Ohio Department of Health School Nursing at (614) 466-2144.

For additional information on human trafficking, please contact Elizabeth Ranade Janis, Anti-Trafficking Coordinator within the Ohio Department of Public Safety, at eiranade-janis@dps.state.oh.us.

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