Council Bluffs is a city of roughly 62,000 residents, located on Iowa’s western border near Omaha, Nebraska. Complaints from residents about prostitution date back to the 1870s, when the city was a Western frontier town. More recently, the community has documented multiple cases of sex trafficking (of both adults and minors), and targeted sexual assaults and homicides of women selling sex. In their efforts […]
Corpus Christi is a city of approximately 318,000 residents, located on the southeast coast of Texas. Most of the city lies within Nueces County, but the boundaries also extend into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio Counties. Instances of prostitution and sex trafficking have been well-documented in the city for decades. Corpus Christi police and public […]
Cook County, Illinois is the population center of the state (pop. 5.17 million) and contains the city of Chicago (pop. 2.7 million), as well as numerous smaller – but still substantial – cities and small towns and unincorporated areas. The county has experienced a wide range of problems associated with commercial sex, including child sex […]
Columbus is a central Ohio city and the state capital, and has a population of approximately 907,000 residents. It is the government seat of Franklin County, Ohio. The city was an “early adopter” among cities in the U.S. that have focused on combating demand for commercial sex. Prostitution has been a problem in the city […]
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in South Carolina, with approximately 138,000 residents. It is the county seat of Richland County. As such, anti-prostitution efforts in the city have often taken the form of joint initiatives and/or operational coordination between the Columbia Police Department and Richland County Sheriff’s Office. Persistent street prostitution and […]
Coffee County is located in south-central Tennessee and has about 59,000 residents. Prostitution activity has been well-documented within the county, and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates results in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses. Among the more serious crimes associated with the local commercial sex market is sex trafficking. Consumer level demand […]
Cincinnati is a city of approximately 312,000 residents, located in Hamilton County in southwestern Ohio. A wide range of problems stemming from the local commercial sex market have been documented, including child sex trafficking, and the kidnapping, rape, assault, and homicide of prostituted women. This activity and its ancillary crimes have resulted in complaints from […]
Chattanooga is a city of approximately 181,000 residents, located in Hamilton County in southeastern Tennessee. Prostitution has been well-documented as a problem in the city for decades. There have also been many verified cases of other serious crimes driven by the commercial sex market, such as sex trafficking and the targeted assault and murder of […]
Central Falls is a small city of approximately 22,000 residents, located in the northern suburbs of Providence, Rhode Island. Historically, much of the prostitution activity in the city was concentrated on and along Barton Street. As the street continues into the neighboring city of Pawtucket, and much of the illegal activity has traditionally “spilled” across […]
Buffalo is the second largest city in New York, with approximately 260,000 residents. It is the county seat of Erie County. Prostitution at street level, facilitated online, and occurring within adult-oriented businesses has caused persistent and formidable problems within the city for decades. Residents on the East Side and West Side, in particular, have complained […]
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.
