Men in Ohio can legally import 17-year-old child brides from any country around the world, a legal form of sex trafficking.

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• Ohio legislators are not voting on a bipartisan bill that would ban marriage before the age of 18.

Chagrin Falls resident Stephanie Lowry was 16 years old and 16 weeks pregnant when she was forced to marry a 19-year-old man in Summit County in 2001.

Fraidy Reiss is founder and executive director of Unchained At Last.

Ohio legislators are refusing to vote on Senate Bill 341, bipartisan legislation that would ban child marriage and stop encouraging adult men to prey on teenage girls.

Somewhere, Jeffrey Epstein is applauding.

Dozens of survivors of child marriage, experts and advocates – authors of this column included – have testified in strong support of the bill, to make the marriage age 18, no exceptions. Not a single member of the public has testified in opposition.

Not even the pedophile lobby.

But legislators are shrugging their shoulders and turning their backs.

So the marriage age in Ohio remains 17, even while states across the United States – including Pennsylvania and every state east and north of it, going all the way to Maine – have banned all marriage before age 18.

More: Ohio allows child marriage. Some lawmakers are OK with that

Girls are the ones who are suffering the heartbreaking consequences of Ohio legislators’ intransigence.

Some 5,063 teens were entered into marriage in Ohio between 2000 and 2024, according to marriage certificate data from the state health department analyzed by Unchained At Last, a nonprofit that leads a national movement to end forced and child marriage.

About 90 percent were girls wed to adult men.

a legal way to sex traffic girls

The term “suffering” is not hyperbole.

Current marriage-age laws legalize and incentivize the trafficking of teens under the guise of marriage.

A 17-year-old girl from Ohio can be taken overseas and forced to marry a lucky man who gets not only a teen bride but also a spousal visa and path to citizenship.

Additionally, men in Ohio can legally import 17-year-old child brides from any country around the world, a legal form of sex trafficking.

Further, marriage before age 18, even for the most mature 17-year-old, creates a nightmarish legal trap, simply because minors have limited legal rights until the day they turn 18.

Girls trapped

If they leave home to escape from parents who are planning an unwanted wedding for them, they can be taken into police custody and dragged back home or into court.

Where would they go anyway? Domestic violence shelters routinely turn away unaccompanied minors, in Unchained At Last’s experience.

Minors also are generally not allowed to bring a legal action independently, which creates additional obstacles. They also cannot easily retain an attorney to help them navigate this terrifying legal trap, because most contracts with minors, including retainer agreements, are voidable.

This is why all marriage before age 18 is recognized globally as forced marriage, which, in turn, is recognized as modern slavery.

The U.S. State Department also calls marriage before age 18 a human rights abuse, due to the devastating, lifelong repercussions it produces for girls. It undermines nearly every aspect of girls’ lives, from their health to their education and economic opportunities to their physical safety.

SB341, sponsored by Republican Sen. Louis Blessing and Democratic Sen. Bill DeMora, would solve all these problems, yet it would cost nothing. It has a $0 price tag. And it would harm no one, except creepy men who prey on teenage girls.

Ohio legislators must stop cruelly ignoring girls’ suffering and making Jeffrey Epstein proud. Pass SB341 today and ban child marriage.

Chagrin Falls resident Stephanie Lowry was 16 years old and 16 weeks pregnant when she was forced to marry a 19-year-old man in Summit County in 2001. She endured years of physical, sexual and financial abuse before she escaped, rebuilt her life and became an advocate.

Fraidy Reiss is a forced marriage survivor turned activist. She is founder and executive director of Unchained At Last, a nonprofit working to end forced and child marriage across the U.S.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The CDC and public health officials are investigating multi-state outbreaks of salmonella, including five people in Ohio. 

Dr. Joanna Failor with OhioHealth noted the outbreak of salmonella illnesses is linked to contact with backyard poultry.  

“The current strain that they’re seeing is related to the backyard chickens that many of us may have or our neighbors have,” Failor said. “It has been shown on almost every case, or I believe, actually every case, has been resistant to at least one of the typical medicines that we would use.” 

According to the CDC, more than 180 people have been infected with the outbreak strains of salmonella. About 34% of people have been hospitalized. Over a quarter of those infected are children under the age of 5.   

“The under-five are a lot less reliable with their hand washing and they’re much more likely to be touching their face and not really handling chickens appropriately,” Failor said. “If kids or adults really can’t keep fluids down and they’re just starting to get lightheaded, dizzy, really weak. Those would all be reasons that they need to seek treatment.” 

Though the majority of people can recover from illness without treatment, preventing exposure and sticking to the basics is the best way to avoid infection.   

“It goes back to making sure you handle everything properly, hand wash, cook your eggs, throw away cracked eggs,” Failor said. “Hopefully if there is one single source that is the explanation for all of these, then they’ll need to look into their hand hygiene practices.” 

Health officials explained the true number of cases is likely much higher than what has been reported, but the CDC is collecting data to identify the source of the outbreak. 

• Three major festivals are scheduled in Columbus on May 23-24, the weekend before Memorial Day.
• Asian Festival, Ohio Black Expo: Riverfront Culture Fest and Land-Grant x Jeni’s Strawberry Jam will offer food, music, family fun, and other activities.
• Admission is free for Asian Festival and Strawberry Jam, while Ohio Black Expo requires tickets.

Memorial Day is approaching, and with it comes mornings filled with parades and bellies filled with cookout fare.

However, you can get your fill of both before the day of remembrance, thanks to a trio of festivals, all taking place on May 23-24.

Asian Festival, the Ohio Black Expo: Riverfront Culture Fest and Land-Grant x Jeni’s Strawberry Jam will offer foods for all palates, live music, family-friendly fun, and other activities. (Yes, there’s even a parade.)

The events could draw a combined 140,000-plus visitors to Columbus over two days, if attendance mirrors 2025 numbers reported by event organizers. Asian Festival alone counted more than 100,000 attendees last year.

If you want to be a part of the weekend festivities, all you need is a clear schedule and some details, which we’ve provided below.

Asian Festival

When: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 23, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 24

Where: Franklin Park, 1755 E. Broad St.

What: Aimed at promoting cultural diversity, education and community connection, the festival celebrates Asian and Pacific Islander heritage with food, arts, shopping, and performances from traditional dance and music to martial arts and more.

Festivalgoers can browse the marketplace, view educational and cultural displays, and enjoy a smorgasbord of authentic Asian cuisines including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Thai, and Filipino.

Organizers advise attendees to arrive early to avoid crowd and parking snafus.

Cost: Admission is free. Parking is available near Franklin Park, but it fills up quickly. See website for parking locations. Some have free shuttle service one hour before to one hour after the festival.

Info: asian-festival.org

Ohio Black Expo: Riverfront Culture Fest

When: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. May 23, noon to 10 p.m. May 24

Where: Genoa Park, 303 W. Broad St.

What: Empowerment, education and entertainment are hallmarks of this celebration of Black excellence and culture, which will kick off with a parade at noon May 23.

The rain-or-shine festival will offer such attractions as food trucks, 100-plus vendors, an HBCU college fair, storytelling, and a family zone with bounce houses, games, music, health and wellness checks, and other activities.

Featured performers will include Columbus-based J Rawls and Mix Master Ice, R&B singer October London, British R&B band Loose Ends, hip-hop’s Dead Prez and Rapsody, and multi-genre Grammy nominees Tank and the Bangas, among others.

Grammy-nominated hip-hop emcee and radio personality Monie Love will serve as a special guest host.

Proceeds from the festival will support youth and community programs.

Cost: Through May 22, tickets cost $25 for one day and $40 for both days. Same-day purchases online and at the gate will cost $30 for one day and $45 for both days.

Children ages 10 and younger will be admitted for free.

Info: ohioblackexpo.com

Land-Grant x Jeni’s Strawberry Jam 

When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 23-24

Where: Land-Grant Brewing Co., 424 W. Town St.

What: The ninth annual Strawberry Jam will celebrate Ohio’s peak season for the seeded red fruit with live music and pretty much everything strawberry you can think of!

Thirteen food trucks will serve a bevy of berry-licious goodies including salsa, doughnuts, pretzel bites, dessert pizza, strawberry-stuffed buckeyes, and grilled chicken and pork belly in a strawberry miso ginger sauce.

Returning favorites include Scmidt’s Sausage Haus’ signature strawberry cream puff, Jeni’s strawberry buttermilk ice cream, and Splendid Strawberry Rhubarb Ale, a Land-Grant and Jeni’s collaboration. Hirsch Fruit Farm will also have fresh, local strawberries.

Other big draws will include local music, kid-centric activities in the Strawberry Patch and a vendor’s market selling fruit-themed items like stationery, posters, jam, gift sets, mugs, and bowls.

And of course, beloved mascot Strawberry Jammie will be there, making it a sweet weekend for all.

Cost: Admission is free.

Info: landgrantbrewing.com/jenis-strawberry-jam

Contact features and entertainment reporter Belinda M. Paschal at bpaschal@dispatch.com.