Toledo Reporter

State Senator Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) held a press conference to discuss Senate Bill 178, which aims to create a task force on missing women and girls who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color in Ohio. The bill seeks to address the disproportionate rates at which these populations go missing in the state.

“We must have accurate and equal care and opportunities for all of our children, and all of our girls, regardless of their race, creed, or color,” said Hicks-Hudson. “It does not matter whether the child is Black or Brown, truant or runaway; labels should not matter. We must do something about our missing children in the state of Ohio.”

The proposed task force will develop policy recommendations for various state agencies to tackle systemic neglect regarding missing women and children of color. It will also focus on educating communities about the dangers facing these groups, collecting accurate statistics on this issue, and implementing statewide programs and awareness campaigns. The bipartisan group would include members from both Senate and House chambers, law enforcement agents, and representatives from related state agencies.

Statistics reveal an alarming rate at which women and girls of color go missing. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Black women and girls made up 36% of all missing women and children in 2022 while only representing 14% of the total US population. In Ohio specifically, data from 2022 showed that 61% of missing children were Black Americans despite constituting only 16% of minors in the state.

“I was taken at 11 years old and rescued at 12 and a half years old. The first words out of my mouth were ‘Was anybody looking for me?’ And the answer was ‘no.’ How can nobody look for an 11-year-old child? Why wasn’t somebody looking for me? Why is nobody looking for our Black, Brown, and Indigenous people?” asked EleSondra DeRomano, a human rights activist.

This legislation represents Senator Hicks-Hudson’s longstanding commitment to addressing issues within juvenile justice systems. It was developed with Girl Vow—a nonprofit organization—and EleSondra DeRomano’s S.T.A.R.S., focusing on disadvantaged girls' needs.

Joining Hicks-Hudson at the press conference were Dr. Marlene Carson from the United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking; Essence Doucet from the National Council of Negro Women; Marquis Frost who chairs an awareness program on trafficking; Monica McClelland also from the National Council.