A disturbing report was issued out of Columbus last week. It revealed that a task force investigating human trafficking in Ohio has determined that nearly 800 immigrants are forced into sex trade or sweatshop-type jobs annually.

According to the Associated Press, the report by the Trafficking in Persons Study Commission also finds that more than 1,000 children born in Ohio are forced into the sex trade each year.

The commission also estimates that hundreds more immigrants and Ohio children are at-risk of being forced into sex trafficking or to work against their will in fields, restaurants, sweatshops or construction sites.

Ohio's weak laws on human trafficking, its growing demand for cheap labor and its proximity to the Canadian border are key contributors to the illegal activity, according to the report. Commission members include police, lawmakers and survivors of human trafficking.

"Ohio is not only a destination place for foreign-born trafficking victims, but it's also a recruitment place," said Celia Williamson, an associate professor at the University of Toledo who led the research.

Kathleen Davis, of the Washington-based Polaris Project, said the panel that up to 17,500 trafficking victims come through Ohio every year. That is a staggering number. But the sheer numbers are challenging to quantify because of the underground nature of the crime and limited law enforcement and government databases. It could be a lot more.

The report said that besides weak state laws in Ohio, law enforcement agencies often don't recognize human trafficking when responding to reports of illegal activity. For example, Ohio is quick to label child prostitutes as delinquents and to incarcerate them, rarely looking further at the adults involved, Williamson said. From 1990 to 2000, Ohio's foreign-born population increased 30 percent, and the state has a growing pool of legal and illegal immigrants who draw victims or hide victims, Williamson said. These networks are highly organized, with brothels fronting as legitimate businesses.

The Ohio report made national headlines and was a lead story on prominent newscasts. "This is not the kind of problem America thinks it is," Ernie Allen of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children told CBS News. Allen said prostitutes in this country are younger than ever, and they no longer all come from impoverished or broken homes. "What we are seeing now is an increasing number of middle class kids and up - many of whom do it originally on a dare, or because they think it is interesting or different. And then find themselves trapped."

Ohio's legislators need to put this issue as a front burner priority. Many of the victims are innocent children. Ohio does not have a stand-alone human trafficking law. It needs to get one to fight full scale what some call modern-day slavery. Offenders in some states face tough trafficking laws. An offender can get up to 100 years in prison in four states. That sounds fair.

State Sen. Teresa Fedor will introduce a bill this month that will mirror federal law prohibiting human trafficking. It would be a great start, should be expedited and receive the full support of every single legislator in Columbus. More needs to be done and done quickly.