Houston is one of the largest cities in the United States, with over 2.3 million residents, located in Harris County, TX. The large metropolis extends to Galveston Bay in the Gulf of Mexico. Commercial sex continues to occur in a wide variety of venues including streets, hotels, and nightclubs, and storefront brothels (such as nail salons and […]
Houma is a city of approximately 33,000 residents, located 60 miles southwest of New Orleans in Louisiana. It is the largest city in, and government seat of Terrebonne Parish. Prostitution and sex trafficking activity have been well-documented in the city and surrounding communities, and in unincorporated areas of the parish. This activity and the problems […]
Houghton is a city of about 8,000 residents located in a remote area of northwestern Michigan. Through 2012, at least one reverse sting had been conducted in the city in an effort to address the demand component of prostitution. In March 2022, the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office and the U.P. HOST (Human Oppression Strike Team) […]
Horry County is a county along the northeast coast of South Carolina, approximately 100 miles north of Charleston. It has approximately 351,000 residents, with its population concentrated around the cities of Conway and Myrtle Beach. This activity and its ancillary crimes have resulted in in complaints from residents and businesses to local law enforcement. Among the […]
Horizon City is a suburb of El Paso County, El Paso, Texas with a population of approximately 23,000 residents and a prostitution problem that has generated complaints to police for decades. To combat prostitution in the city, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and the Horizon City Police Department have collaborated to conduct reverse stings […]
Honolulu is Hawaii’s largest city with a population of over 330,000 residents, and is located on the island of Oahu. Prostitution has been a visible and persistent problem in the city for decades, resulting in complaints to law enforcement. Sex trafficking has also become a growing concern in recent years with numerous adult and child […]
Holyoke is a city of approximately 37,500 residents, located just north of Springfield in Massachusetts in Hampden County. Prostitution activity has been well-documented in the city and surrounding communities, and in unincorporated areas of the county. Reports of illegal brothels in Holyoke date back to the early 1900s. Contemporary sex trade activity and the problems […]
Homestead is a city of approximately 80,000 residents located 35 miles southwest of Miami in Florida. Homestead has a long history of commercial sex-related arrests; the Homestead Police Department conducted its first reverse sting operation as early as 1986. Additionally, police have implemented the electronic posting of arrestee’s names and photos (implemented for both prostituted […]
Holtsville is a hamlet of approximately 19,000 residents, located mainly in the Town of Brookhaven and partly in the Town of Islip on Long Island in New York. Prostitution activity has been well-documented in the town and surrounding communities and in unincorporated areas of Suffolk County. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it […]
Hollywood is a city in southeast Florida located within Broward County and has a population of approximately 150,000 residents. Prostitution and sex trafficking are well-documented in the city and surrounding areas. This activity and its ancillary crimes have resulted in complaints to the police from residents and businesses. In addition, targeted assaults, rapes, and homicides […]
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.
