Hamburg is a town of approximately 1,100 residents, located in Freemont County, in the southwestern corner of Iowa near the borders of Missouri to the south and Nebraska to the west.  Prostitution and sex trafficking activity have been documented in the community and surrounding areas of the county.  This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it has generated results in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses.

To combat prostitution and sex trafficking in the area, local law enforcement agencies have identified and apprehended local sex buyers, and publicly disclosed their identities. For example, in June 2016, a priest was arrested for buying sex in Hamburg during a reverse sting operation. A charge of soliciting prostitution against the man was dropped after he decided to return to Ghana, his native country in Africa, according to Fremont County court records. The man was arrested and charged with trying to get an undercover investigator to perform sex acts for pay. The arrest was made in Hamburg.