HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN WISCONSIN

  • Human trafficking happens in both urban and rural communities across Wisconsin, documented in all 72 counties
  • Includes girls and women, boys and men
  • 79% of all reported cases are in Milwaukee
  • 92% of trafficked people are women
  • 78% of youth trafficked in Milwaukee are African American
  • 17% increase in 2015—unsure if it is because of better reporting or an actual increase
  • 50 cases in WI in 2015—45 sex, 3 labor
  • 35 arrests Aug 11, 2017, in Green Bay, 25 arrests Sept 14, 2017
  • Brown County (Green Bay) #3 county for trafficking in WI
  • There is a WI Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force chaired by Attorney General and Secretary of Dept of Children and Families which includes prosecutors, police officers, social workers, educators, victim advocates, lawyers…
  • Passed first state law against trafficking in 2008—not real effective—lack of money for data collection, education, law enforcement training & victim services—only 1 conviction under new state law; 8 convicted in WI under Federal Safe Harbor law since 2006
  • Safe Harbor law just passed in Aug 2017
  • Trafficked victims came from 17 different countries; but international victims represent only 6% of all victims of trafficking in WI