Wisconsin resources for human trafficking awareness – Spectrum News

This article discusses information about human trafficking and abuse. If you or someone you know has been a victim of abuse or human trafficking, you can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 for confidential support.

WISCONSIN — There were about 24.9 million victims of human trafficking in 2016, according to estimates from the International Labour Organization published in 2017.

Recent legal data from the National Human Trafficking Institute found there were 449 victims in new cases filed in federal courts nationwide for human trafficking in 2021. That's a decrease of 25% from 2020 data. The total number of new criminal human trafficking cases in the Federal Court System also decreased by 22% from 2020.

In Wisconsin, there were seven new criminal human trafficking cases in federal courts in 2021, up from six in 2020.

However, these numbers only show what has made it into the legal system.

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Across the state, there are efforts hoping to shed light on a crime that affects millions globally.

Here are a few working to raise awareness and provide information on the issue in Wisconsin.

• End Abuse Wisconsin lists several resources on their website
• Wisconsin Anti-Human Trafficking Program via the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families
• Anti-Human Trafficking Resource Page via the Wisconsin Department of Justice
• Victim Resource Center: Crime Victim Rights and Enforcement 2021 slide deck via the Wisconsin DOJ Office of Crime Victim Services
• Human Trafficking Task Force of Greater Milwaukee's Unlucky 13 for those in the Milwaukee area
• Slave Free Madison for those in the Madison area
• The Asha Project‘s Developing a Culturally Relevant Response to Domestic Violence publication out of Milwaukee
• The Polaris Project State Report Cards assess how well existing laws meant to help victims clear their criminal record work in each state. They also provide clear steps for improvement. Wisconsin ranks 30 in the report.
• Healthcare Collaborative Against Sex Trafficking, which started in January 2020 as a Milwaukee-area initiative, helps develop protocols, treatment guidelines, community referral processes and more.
• National Human Trafficking Hotline, which can be called to report a tip 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In 2021, 390 signals were received by the Hotline from Wisconsin.
• Sexual Assault Service Providers via the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault