Enforcement of new child sex law critical
Half a battle in the war against human trafficking – which too often involves children forced into prostitution – was won last week when Gov. John Kasich signed into law a bill approved overwhelmingly by the Ohio General Assembly.
The new statute increases penalties for many offenses involving sex trafficking. One long overdue change provides harsher penalties for those who knowingly pay for sex with minors.
Laws are only as good as enforcement, however. To win the other half of this battle, law enforcement agencies and judges should take tough stances toward those, almost always men, who knowingly victimize children in Ohio.