NEW GLARUS - A victim of human trafficking was rescued last week in New Glarus, according to the New Glarus Police Department.
Police assisted outside agencies in rescuing the female victim at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 12.
The rescue is the result of an investigation into human trafficking. The lead agencies in the investigation include state law enforcement agencies from Wisconsin and Illinois and a human services agency.
"A female that was seeking assistance and help in New Glarus was rescued from this activity," a release from New Glarus police stated.
Lt. Jeff Sturdevant declined to provide more details on the case, including the name of the agency heading the investigation, the nature of the trafficking, whether the victim is an adult or child, or if he expects there to be related criminal charges.
In September, state Attorney General Brad Schimel announced that the Wisconsin Department of Justice had established a Human Trafficking Bureau to address a "growing problem" that's reported by law enforcement in nearly every county in the state. The bureau is staffed by seven special agents from the DOJ's Division of Criminal Investigation.
"Already, the bureau has begun coordinating investigative efforts throughout the state," according to a news release at the time.
The bureau builds on the work of the Wisconsin Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, which was started in 2015 and targets minors specifically. It is a coordinated effort between the DOJ and Department of Children and Families.
Human trafficking is a broad term encompassing forced labor, debt bondage, forced commercial prostitution, involuntary servitude and other forms of exploitation. Traffickers face felony charges at the state level in Wisconsin, whether their victims are adults or children.
Human trafficking has been reported in urban as well as rural settings, according to a 2007 Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance survey. In rural areas, it's especially common in large farm communities. About 85 percent of victims are adults.
A 2008 survey by a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater showed human trafficking in the state disproportionately affects migrants, regardless of citizenship status. Victims often experience multiple exploitations, for example being in "an abusive international marriage" and forced into prostitution as well.
"Human trafficking is a hidden crime, with traffickers often operating behind a facade of legal activity," according to a protocol and resource manual developed in 2012 by the Statewide Human Trafficking Committee.
It's also a "lucrative criminal enterprise supported by high demand," a DOJ report found. "Traffickers profit with little fear of detection or prosecution."
Victims are often reluctant to seek help, out of fear or because they do not self-identify as victims, according to the report. Traffickers often use threats, deception, violence and coercion to maintain control of their victims, and as a result, victims are isolated, conditioned to fear cooperation with the criminal justice system and dependent on traffickers to meet their basic survival needs.
Police assisted outside agencies in rescuing the female victim at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 12.
The rescue is the result of an investigation into human trafficking. The lead agencies in the investigation include state law enforcement agencies from Wisconsin and Illinois and a human services agency.
"A female that was seeking assistance and help in New Glarus was rescued from this activity," a release from New Glarus police stated.
Lt. Jeff Sturdevant declined to provide more details on the case, including the name of the agency heading the investigation, the nature of the trafficking, whether the victim is an adult or child, or if he expects there to be related criminal charges.
In September, state Attorney General Brad Schimel announced that the Wisconsin Department of Justice had established a Human Trafficking Bureau to address a "growing problem" that's reported by law enforcement in nearly every county in the state. The bureau is staffed by seven special agents from the DOJ's Division of Criminal Investigation.
"Already, the bureau has begun coordinating investigative efforts throughout the state," according to a news release at the time.
The bureau builds on the work of the Wisconsin Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, which was started in 2015 and targets minors specifically. It is a coordinated effort between the DOJ and Department of Children and Families.
Human trafficking is a broad term encompassing forced labor, debt bondage, forced commercial prostitution, involuntary servitude and other forms of exploitation. Traffickers face felony charges at the state level in Wisconsin, whether their victims are adults or children.
Human trafficking has been reported in urban as well as rural settings, according to a 2007 Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance survey. In rural areas, it's especially common in large farm communities. About 85 percent of victims are adults.
A 2008 survey by a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater showed human trafficking in the state disproportionately affects migrants, regardless of citizenship status. Victims often experience multiple exploitations, for example being in "an abusive international marriage" and forced into prostitution as well.
"Human trafficking is a hidden crime, with traffickers often operating behind a facade of legal activity," according to a protocol and resource manual developed in 2012 by the Statewide Human Trafficking Committee.
It's also a "lucrative criminal enterprise supported by high demand," a DOJ report found. "Traffickers profit with little fear of detection or prosecution."
Victims are often reluctant to seek help, out of fear or because they do not self-identify as victims, according to the report. Traffickers often use threats, deception, violence and coercion to maintain control of their victims, and as a result, victims are isolated, conditioned to fear cooperation with the criminal justice system and dependent on traffickers to meet their basic survival needs.