Hovde called Milwaukee the “sex trafficking capital.” Is he right?

Crime is a central issue in many campaigns, but sex trafficking is a uniquely horrific and compelling crime.

On Oct. 8, Wisconsin Republican U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde took questions on a variety of topics from members of the Milwaukee Rotary Club and the Milwaukee Press Club. Questions were asked about sex trafficking.

He described how his foundation is working with the group Thorn: Children’s Digital Defenders to combat child sex trafficking and advocating for people to be careful in public places.

“There are many organizations that help youth who have experienced this trauma and help keep your eyes and ears open,” Hovde said. “I hate to say it, but Milwaukee is one of the capitals of the sex trade in our country.”

Is Milwaukee really the capital of the sex trade?

Sex trafficking is a difficult crime to measure

We reached out to the Hovde campaign multiple times to seek support for the claim, but there was no response to these requests.

Hovde isn’t the first person to shed light on Milwaukee when it comes to sex trafficking. In 2018, the Medical College of Wisconsin released a report finding that “between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2016, 340 people ages 25 and younger in Milwaukee were confirmed or believed to be victims of sex trafficking.”

Mallory O’Brien, then-director of the Milwaukee Homicide Commission of Inquiry, said at the time that they had “heard from different sources that we are the center of the sex trade, but we need to be able to measure that.”

According to the Milwaukee Police Department, there were 35 cases of human trafficking in 2023 and 30 in 2022. In the department’s latest quarterly update, there have been 25 cases of human trafficking so far this year; same as last year.

Meanwhile, in 2023, the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families released a report analyzing child sex trafficking from 2019 to 2021. According to the report, there were 158 allegations of child sex trafficking in Milwaukee County in 2019; this represented 33.3% of claims statewide; There were 124 claims in 2020, representing 28.8% of claims statewide; and there were 142 allegations in 2021, representing 31.9% of all child sex trafficking allegations statewide.

To make sure, According to police statistics, human trafficking is rare in the city compared to other crimes. But yes, sex trafficking is a major problem in Milwaukee.

Let’s see how we compare to other cities.

Comparing Milwaukee to other places

The Polaris Project operates the National Human Trafficking Hotline, which, according to its website, is “one of the most comprehensive datasets on human trafficking in the United States.”

The most recent data for Wisconsin for 2023 shows the hotline received 256 tips, leading to 109 cases and 211 victims. However, this is statewide data and is not specific to any city or town.

Deputy communications director Sabrina Thulander said the Polaris Project does not rank states on this issue and that the hotline “does not represent all human trafficking that occurs.”

“Rather, it captures situations and victims reported to the hotline when a person calls to seek help for themselves or others, or as a third-party reporter. “The same principle would apply to any human trafficking database,” Thulander said. “While it is possible that Wisconsin has more reported cases and victims than other states, this does not mean it is a hub for human trafficking. It may mean that more people are aware of what human trafficking is and how to get help in this area. “

Accurate data on this crime is difficult for law enforcement and victim advocates to find, so designating Milwaukee as the “sex trafficking capital” is vague and difficult to measure.

Our decision

Hovde claimed that “Milwaukee is one of the sex trafficking capitals in our country.”

Although his office does not offer any support, it is true that human and sex trafficking crimes occur in Milwaukee and it is a significant problem. However, the city’s designation as the sex trafficking capital in the country is difficult to determine as experts say it is a difficult crime to track down and no one has ranked cities as such.

Our definition of Mostly Correct is: “the statement is correct but needs clarification or additional information.”

This fits here.

Resources

Milwaukee Police Department, crime map and statisticslast check date 25 October 2024

National Human Trafficking Hotline, Wisconsin statisticslast check date 25 October 2024

Milwaukee Magazine Sentinel, Crime numbers improve in Milwaukee in third quarter as homicides and shootings declineOctober 8, 2024

Wisconsin Department of Justice, 2019 law enforcement assessment of sex trafficking in WisconsinJanuary 2020

Medical College of Wisconsin, Estimating the Magnitude of Sex Trafficking Risk and Victimization of Youth and Young AdultsMarch 1, 2018

Milwaukee Magazine Sentinel, Milwaukee ‘hub of sex trafficking’: New report sheds light on scope of problemMarch 1, 2018

This article first appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Fact Check: Hovde calls Milwaukee ‘sex trafficking capital’