Although most people think of sex trafficking as something that only takes place overseas, it is a huge issue here at home — in fact, Wisconsin is considered a sex trafficking hub.
On April 8, a Minnesota man was found guilty of trafficking an 18-year-old Wisconsin woman. 36-year-old Rhamad Geddes took his victim from her home in Eau Claire and transported her to Minnesota. The victim was returned to her home in January 2014, but Geddes was not found guilty of sex trafficking until many months later.
Prosecutors state Geddes took his victim to a motel in Duluth, Minnesota, and used her cellphone to organize meetings with men. Geddes worked with a friend to set up these so-called “dates,” as well as to photograph her for online advertisement. Along with this, Geddes has also been suspected of physically assaulting his victim.
According to USA Today, there have been more than 200 documented cases of human trafficking in Wisconsin, which have taken place in all 72 Wisconsin counties. Furthering this staggering statistic, 1 in 6 of these victims was a minor. The average age of a girl initially forced into the sex industry is 13, according to the Milwaukee-based organization Unlucky 13.
Milwaukee is reportedly the area with the most cases of sex trafficking in Wisconsin. However, this problem is certainly not restricted to that area of Wisconsin, as the issue is relevant in both Dane County and in Madison itself. There are many organizations focused on battling sex trafficking on a local level, including Slave Free Madison (SFM), Five Stones and the UW branch of WE International.
This being said, there are many cases of sex trafficking that are simply never reported or go entirely unnoticed. A large component of this is the public’s lack of awareness and the blurred nature of human trafficking itself.
In 2008, the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance conducted a study with the intent to collect data and promote awareness and a better understanding of sex trafficking. The report also outlines some contributing factors to trafficking, including the limited knowledge of both the justice system and service providers, such as hotel or airline employees, and the lack of awareness of the public.
Tracy Scheffler, founder of the Beaver Dam chapter of Five Stones, said in 2007, sex trafficking was still unknown in Wisconsin.
“Compared to that, we are making huge strides, but we are still in the baby stages,” Scheffler said. “People want to believe it only happens in places such as Las Vegas, Europe or Thailand … Sex trafficking has such a different face wherever you go, almost like a local culture.”
Along with that, she said the sobering reason it is such a problem and such a rapidly growing industry is because “people are reusable resources.” Unlike the other two most lucrative illegal industries, drugs and weapons, human trafficking is the perfect business model. Due to the many hotels located off of the highway, along with a nice highway system, Wisconsin is considered a hub for sex trafficking.
Five Stones, along with other local organizations, are actively doing their best to prevent sex trafficking in the first place, and they are doing this through spreading awareness.
“Rescuing women and children is one thing,” Scheffler said. “But the reality is that it is an incredibly complex restoration.”
Looking to the future, the Beaver Dam chapter of Five Stones is aiming to get into the local school systems’ health classes to present awareness directly to the students.
In the sex trafficking industry, there are groups that are much more vulnerable, like those with low self-esteem, a history of abuse and the list goes on, but the reality is that everyone is vulnerable. Many bills have passed in the last year in an effort to criminalize pimps instead of arresting girls accused of prostitution. However, there is still an incredible amount of work to be done, and as Scheffler said, “It’s a process.”
Hannah Fricke ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in microbiology.
