Human trafficking is a larger problem in Wisconsin than previously thought, according to a report released Monday.
The study, sponsored by the state Office of Justice Assistance, said over 200 cases were reported of victims forced to perform sex acts or unskilled labor. The study was based off a survey of almost 400 law enforcement agencies and nonprofit groups.
The majority of victims were adults, according to the report, and 75 percent were victims of sex-related crimes.
Carmen Pitre, executive director for the nonprofit Task Force on Family Violence, said human trafficking is a difficult issue to solve since there is not always a set definition of what it is.
Pitre also said traditional support resources often do not work for victims of trafficking, with victims typically not using the words “human trafficking” when describing their circumstances.
“A lot of this trafficking happens in plain sight,” Pitre said, with neighbors sometimes not knowing a person is being kept against his or her will.
It is sometimes difficult to involve law enforcement, according to Pitre, because victims might have an inherent distrust of police.
Linda Morrison, executive director of Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said many victims might not come forward to authorities because they are undocumented workers. This is a problem for victims in the growing Latino population in the state, Morrison added.
According to Morrison, a bill recently introduced in the state Legislature would help to prosecute cases of human trafficking in Wisconsin. The Senate will vote on the bi-partisan bill Tuesday.
Morrison, who like Pitre, is on the committee that helped with the study, said one of the key issues in combating human trafficking is better training for law enforcement or nonprofit agencies.
She said better training would help nonprofit workers identify who is a victim of trafficking more easily, as support workers often see victims without knowing it.
“We had children in our health center who had clearly been trafficked,” Morrison said, “but before the authorities got there, the parents had taken them away.”
