Geography professor works to end human trafficking in Wisconsin

December 16, 2008

The federal government estimates there are between 14,500-17,500 victims of human trafficking currently living in the U.S.  That number is expected to multiply in the coming years, as human trafficking becomes one of the fastest growing illegal business in the world.

How do we stop the sale or use of human beings against their will?  It starts with understanding who are the victims and where they are being exploited, says University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Geography and Geology Assistant Professor Margo Kleinfeld.

“Right now it’s extremely difficult to collect information about people who are hidden from view and who are often afraid to reveal their situation if they are discovered,” she said.

Kleinfeld notes that Wisconsin is not immune to the growing problem of human trafficking.  According to a February 2008 report released by the state’s Office of Justice Assistance, hundreds of victims exist in Wisconsin. However, only two people to date have been prosecuted for crimes related to human trafficking.

A grant from the UW Institute on Race and Ethnicity is helping Kleinfeld conduct critical data collection in Wisconsin.  Her study, “Who are the Victims of Human Trafficking in Wisconsin? A Geographic Analysis,” surveyed Wisconsin district attorneys, state law enforcement officials, immigration attorneys, victim advocates, faith-based organizations, and domestic violence and other service providers.  Respondents provided detailed data on 80 victims and indicated knowledge of an additional 170 victims.

Of the 80 victims, 25 percent were male, 75 percent were female and 19 percent were children.  Trafficking activities ranged from sexual exploitation (pornography or prostitution) to brokered, servile or abusive international marriage to restaurant and agricultural work.    

Kleinfeld’s survey also revealed that 70 percent of human trafficking victims in Wisconsin are migrants, including legal residents, refugees or undocumented workers.  “Undocumented workers are especially vulnerable because they may not realize that they are entitled to basic human rights protections or that their human rights are being violated.  Unscrupulous employers exploit a migrant’s fear about their status, and the migrants are, understandably, afraid to seek help,” she said.

Using these findings as a starting point, Kleinfeld and the Human Trafficking Subcommittee, a group associated with the Office of Justice Assistance’s Violence Against Women Program, are working to develop a protocol to assist human trafficking victims encountered in Wisconsin. Many organizations and several states and cities throughout the U.S. already have protocols, but Wisconsin has yet to develop one for statewide use. “What will make our protocol unique is that it will be victim-centered,” Kleinfeld said.  “We want to make sure that the victim’s interests are always the primary consideration.”

Still in the beginning stages, the protocol will help guide law enforcement officials, community and faith-based organizations, health care providers and others, to ensure that victims have access to all the services they require, including food, clothing, shelter, medical care and legal services.

“One of our main priorities is to emphasize the protection of victims’ human rights while they get the services they need,” Kleinfeld said.

The subcommittee is planning to review an initial draft of the core protocol by the end of January 2009.

For more information, contact Margo Kleinfeld at 262-472-1087 or kleinfem@uww.edu.