Western Wisconsin Leaders Gather To Focus On Fighting Human Trafficking

As human trafficking becomes a growing issue globally, leaders in western Wisconsin are trying to strengthen their efforts to fight the issue locally.

Religious leaders, law enforcement, and educators attended a conference on Friday called “Stopping the Sexual Exploitation of Our Children.” It’s the first training that many of the attendees received on how to identify abuse and work with victims.

Organizer Sister Marlene Weisenbeck, with the La Crosse Task Force to Eradicate Modern Slavery, said the extent of human trafficking in the region is unclear, but they’re trying to understand it better.

“We have to get beyond our unbelief, our disbelief that this is something that doesn’t happen here,” said Weisenbeck. “We’re all part of the human race and we’re part of a civilization and sometimes we question qualities of our civilization that we just will not tolerate.”

Interstates, like I-90 near La Crosse, are often used to traffic girls, boys, and young women.

Jodi Emerson is with Eau Claire’s Fierce Freedom, which educates people about human trafficking. She said while efforts to combat it have been more organized in eastern Wisconsin, the western half is still catching up. She wants to start a task force similar to La Crosse’s.

“La Crosse is very similar to Eau Claire,” she said. “If it’s working here, if it’s happening here, it’s happening in Eau Claire. Instead of recreating the wheel all the time, if we can work together, I think it’s always helpful to band the resources together.”

Emerson says momentum to tackle human trafficking is picking up steam in Wisconsin, largely because of new, tougher laws.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, up to 300,000 children are at risk of being sexually exploited each year. The average age of a child entering the sex industry is 11 years old.