Paducah is a small city of approximately 26,000 residents, located in McCracken County in western Kentucky. The city has documented many cases of both prostitution and child sex trafficking. Responding to tips and complaints from the community, law enforcement officials became aware of web-based soliciting of prostitution, with the acts occurring on local motels. In […]
Twin Falls, located in southern Idaho, has approximately 50,000 residents. It’s a small city but is the largest one in Twin Falls County, where it’s also the county seat. Its location along Route 84, a major interstate highway, has been identified by police as a contributing factor in local prostitution and sex trafficking activity. Local […]
Aberdeen is a city of approximately 17,000 residents in Gray Harbors County, WA. It is located two hours southeast of Seattle. Prostitution and sex trafficking have been well-documented problems in the city for over a century. Until the late 1950’s, the city of Aberdeen permitted brothels to operate and commercial sex activity to occur legally. […]
Eau Claire is a city of approximately 70,000 residents, located in Eau Claire County in the Chippewa Valley area of western Wisconsin. Sex trafficking and prostitution activity are known to occur in the region for decades, and associated problems include drug and weapons offenses, sex trafficking, and the robbery of sex buyers. For example, between 1951 […]
Youngstown is a city of approximately 60,000 residents, located southeast of Cleveland in Mahoning County, Ohio. Prostitution and sex trafficking are well-documented problems in the city; several prostituted women have also been murdered in the community and in surrounding areas. Among the more serious issues associated with the commercial sex market in the city is […]
Yakima is a city of close to 100,000 residents in Central Washington, and is the county seat of Yakima County, WA. Prostitution has been described by residents and businesses as a substantial local problem for decades, and more recently sex trafficking has been uncovered in several investigations. The city has also documented several cases of […]
Winter Haven is a city of approximately 53,000 residents in Polk County in central Florida. The city has well-documented problems with prostitution, as well as cases of sex trafficking rings involving minors (i.e., domestic minor sex trafficking). A Winter Haven police officer was decertified for “Perjury, Prostitution, Sex on Duty.” It was served by the […]
Wilmington is a city of approximately 120,000 residents, located on the southeastern coast of North Carolina. It serves as the county seat of New Hanover County. As one of the state’s largest commercial and population centers, the city has dealt with significant problems related to prostitution for decades and more recently, sex trafficking, including commercial […]
Willimantic is a census-designated place of approximately 19,000 residents, located in Windham County in southwest Connecticut. Prostitution is a persistent problem in the area, generating complaints to police by both residents and business owners, and has been repeatedly linked to the city’s drug market. Serious problems associated with local prostitution activity include a serial rapist […]
Wichita is the largest city in Kansas, with a population of approximately 390,000 residents. Situated in Sedgwick County at the junction of Interstate 35 and U.S. Route 54, the city has struggled since at least the late 1970s with numerous problems associated with commercial sex occurring along major roadways. The south and north corridors of […]
Demand Forum is powered by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) and directed by Dr. Michael Shively, NCOSE's Senior Advisor on Research and Data Analysis. It was originally developed by Dr. Shively and Abt Associates with grant support from the National Institute of Justice. In January 2020 the website transferred to NCOSE. In January 2021, work began on a new grant from NIJ (#2020-75-CX-0011) to update and expand the content presented on Demand Forum.
