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 […]
Clearwater is a city of approximately 117,000 residents, located near Largo and St. Petersburg in Pinellas County, Florida. Persistent complaints about prostitution from businesses, residents, and neighborhood organizations have occurred in the city and surrounding areas for decades. When asked about prostitution activity in the area in February 2014, Clearwater Police Chief Anthony Holloway reported […]
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 […]
Charlotte is a city in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. It is the largest city in the state, with a population of approximately 880,000 residents. The city also has the highest number of reported sex trafficking cases in North Carolina each year, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Street prostitution has been a persistent and […]
Broward County has a population of about 2,000,000 residents and is located on the southeastern coast of Florida. Its county seat and largest city is Fort Lauderdale. Prostitution and sex trafficking have been persistent and well-documented problems in the county for decades. Prostitution-related homicides have also occurred in the county. Among the ways in which […]
Bremerton is a city of approximately 44,000 residents in Washington state. It is situated across Puget Sound from Seattle in Kitsap County, WA. It is home to the Puget Sound Naval Base, a major U.S. Navy base in the city which has provided a large, disproportionately male, military population. This has resulted in a large […]
Aurora is a city of approximately 180,000 residents, located about 40 miles west of Chicago. It is the second most populous city in Illinois, and it boundaries extend into Kane, DuPage, Will and Kendall counties. Prostitution activity has been well-documented throughout the region, and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates results in complaints to law […]
Auburn is a city of about 86,000 residents in King County, Washington and is part of the greater Seattle/Tacoma metropolitan area. Problems associated with prostitution and sex trafficking in the city include the activity of Gary Ridgeway, a serial killer who targeted over 60 prostituted women who were residents of Auburn and the greater region. […]
Athens is a city of approximately 127,000 residents, located 70 miles east of Atlanta in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia. Prostitution and sex trafficking are well-established problems in the area, exacerbated by the proximity to Atlanta, a key hub in domestic and international sex trafficking circuits in the U.S. According to a supervisor within the Athens-Clarke County […]
Arlington is a city within the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex (DFW) in the state of Texas. It is located within Tarrant County and has an estimated population of about 393,000 residents. Prostitution activity has been well-documented in the city and surrounding communities, and in other areas of the county. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes […]
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.
