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<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Sent on behalf of the office of Ohio Governor John R. Kasich<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Please excuse multiple postings…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><img width="482" height="113" id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.jpg@01CF0D44.025202A0"><span style="color:#1F497D">                                          
</span><img width="141" height="169" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image002.jpg@01CF0D44.025202A0"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">January 9, 2014<br>
Rob Nichols, (330) 760-7582, </span></b><a href="mailto:Rob.Nichols@governor.ohio.gov"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Rob.Nichols@governor.ohio.gov</span></b></a><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><u><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><br>
KASICH LAUNCHES PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN TO STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;text-autospace:none">
<b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Coordinated Effort is Part of An Unprecedented Campaign to Curb Human Trafficking in Ohio</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">COLUMBUS -- Today, Gov. John Kasich kicked off a new public awareness campaign to ramp-up Ohio’s ongoing fight against human trafficking,
 the illegal trade of people for commercial sex or forced labor exploitation that enslaves approximately 1,000 Ohioans every year.  The new campaign, led by the Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, gives Ohioans new resources for how they can personally help
 combat the problem by reporting suspicious activity.  It also is aimed at connecting with trafficking victims themselves, with outreach materials in places where they are likely to see them, such as public transit sites and highway rest areas.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">"We may not want to admit it—it’s almost too horrific to imagine—but the fact is that human trafficking is real and is happening
 across Ohio. Over the past two years we've improved our laws to fight trafficking and begin getting victims the help they need, but we must do more.  This incredible effort to coordinate state agencies and provide resources free to the public to increase awareness
 takes Ohio to the next level in our effort to bring an end to this modern-day form of slavery," said Kasich. </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The campaign was unveiled by Kasich Administration officials at Ohio’s 5th Annual Human Trafficking Awareness Day, hosted by Rep.
 Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo).  Details of the campaign can be found here: <a href="http://humantrafficking.ohio.gov/" target="_blank">
HumanTrafficking.Ohio.Gov</a>.  Its key areas include:</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">         </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">To educate the public on how to recognize the signs
 of human trafficking;</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">         </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">To promote the appropriate method for reporting human
 trafficking situations;</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">         </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">To direct victims of human trafficking to available
 services and treatment, helping them to regain control of their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">To date, the Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force has obtained the following commitments from across Ohio:</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">         </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Ohio Turnpike commission will place posters in
 14 service plazas along the Ohio Turnpike, and will use the materials on toll plazas when ad-space is not being used, and will display the materials on Turnpike TV.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">         </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Department of Public Safety will print 5,000 posters
 which will be made available to the public.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">         </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Department of Youth Services has committed to post
 materials in their youth facilities and use the campaign to facilitate youth community service projects that partner with local anti-trafficking organizations and shelters.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">         </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections will
 post the materials in all prisons, along with community-based correctional facilities and halfway houses. DRC estimates they could potentially reach 125,000 Ohioans in January.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">         </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Ohio Department of Health has committed to post
 the materials in STD/TB clinics in every county throughout the state.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">         </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Department of Jobs and Family Services will post
 materials in all Ohio Farm Worker Program offices.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">         </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The licensing boards for health professionals (Nursing,
 Medical, Pharmacy boards) are teaming up in a joint effort to reach their licensees with the campaign materials.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">         </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">And the Ohio Hispanic and Latino Affairs commission
 has translated the materials into Spanish, and committed to distribute the materials to Ohio’s new immigrant communities.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in;background:white">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol">·</span><span style="font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">         </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The State Library of Ohio will distribute posters to
 all 732 of Ohio’s libraries.<i> <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;background:white"><u><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p><span style="text-decoration:none"> </span></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;background:white"><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Background:</span></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">In March 2012, Gov. Kasich signed an <a href="http://governor.ohio.gov/Portals/0/Executive%20Order%202012-06K.pdf" target="_blank">Executive
 Order</a> creating the Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, charging the group with marshaling state resources to put a stop to human trafficking.  In its <a href="http://www.governor.ohio.gov/Portals/0/pdf/news/OhioHumanTraffickingTaskForceReport.pdf" target="_blank">recommendations</a> made
 to the governor, the Task Force cited a lack of public knowledge as the most significant barrier to combating human trafficking and determined that an education campaign would be critical to the effort.     </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Human trafficking – the illegal trade of human beings for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor – is one of the fastest growing criminal
 enterprises worldwide. Each year an estimated 1,078 Ohio children become victims of human trafficking and 3,016 more are at-risk for exploitation.</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">###<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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