Sex trafficking is a major issue in southeastern Minnesota that is being addressed, professionals said Tuesday at the Southeast Region Safe Harbor Conference in Albert Lea.

“It’s a real, major problem in Albert Lea,” said Russ Benson, a member of the Albert Lea Citizens Against Human Trafficking organization, meant to end child trafficking and exploitation in Albert Lea. “People don’t want to see the truth when it’s an issue like this.”

The conferences are taking place throughout the state and are meant for professionals who may work with sex traffic survivors to gain a better understanding of sex trafficking and how to work with survivors.

A 2013 investigation in Albert Lea brought to the forefront the issue of potential sex trafficking to Albert Lea, said detective Deb Flatness with the Albert Lea Police Department.

Through investigation it was learned that groups of trafficked women were traveling through Albert Lea in connection with the sex trafficking business. Flatness said she went to Police Department administration to learn more on the topic and later traveled to St. Paul for training and shared information she learned with co-workers.

A local team including the Police Department, Freeborn County Crime Victims Crisis Center and Albert Lea Citizens Against Human Trafficking educated the public on the situation.

Stakeholder interviews were conducted. It was found that Albert Lea had a high potential for sex trafficking, because of the city’s two major freeways, two large truck stops, bus depot and no history of addressing human sex trafficking.

In August 2014 the first sweep was conducted in Albert Lea and four arrests were made for gross misdemeanor solicitation to engage in prostitution in a public place. Albert Lea police and the South Central Drug Investigative Unit Violent Crimes Task Force took part in the sweep.

An arrest was made in October 2014 in Albert Lea for felony solicitation to engage in prostitution with a juvenile.

In 2015 there have been three stings conducted so far and numerous arrests have been made.

Flatness said communication and a pro-active approach to end sex trafficking is needed.

“The more the word is being spread, the more people know what’s going on,” Flatness said. “We still have a long way to go.”

She said the next steps to eradicate sex trafficking in the area will include promoting regional interest of the issue, pursuing specialized training for officers, seeking peer-to-peer training for attorneys and support services and proactively detecting trafficking cases, with an emphasis on victim identification.

She said a lack of training for many officers is an obstacle that creates a lack of understanding amongst officers. She said limited manpower and funding are also obstacles.

The aim of the conference was to expose the reality of sex trafficking in southeast Minnesota, review the Safe Harbor law, and discuss the next steps for the successful implementation of the law in southeast Minnesota through a coordinated multi-discipline response.

The number of sex trafficking cases in southeastern Minnesota has increased dramatically recently, according to Alex Peterson, volunteer coordinator and prevention specialist at Victim Services of Dodge, Fillmore and Olmsted counties.

“We’ve been working with a lot of youth who are victims and incidents have skyrocketed,” Peterson said.

He said truck stops and hotels are common areas where sex trafficking is occurring, and the organization has been improving at identifying sex trafficking.

Peterson hoped attendees would be able to recognize when they are working with a sexually exploited youth and how to move forward as a region to address the issue.

“This is happening to our youth,” Peterson said. “It is our children that are at risk with this and we need to focus on how we can keep the youth of our area safe.”

Anyone can become a victim of sex trafficking. While women and girls are the primary victims, victims and survivors come from every background, race, gender, race, sexual orientation and economic status.

Factors that increase a victim’s vulnerability include:

Homelessness, truancy, childhood abuse, trauma or neglect

Chemical addiction, mental or behavioral health disorders, family or friends involved in prostitution or an unstable family environment or little to no social support

Poverty or lack of resources, young age, racial or ethnic marginalization, LGBT identity, gang affiliation, employment in strip clubs or engagement in exchanging sex for basic needs.

In 2014, Minnesota’s Safe Harbor Law went into effect. Under the law, youth who engage in prostitution are no longer criminals, but rather victims and survivors of sexual exploitation. The law aimed to work towards preventing trafficking before it occurs.

Anyone interested in learning more about sex trafficking in southeastern Minnesota is encouraged to contact Peterson at 507-328-7278.