Milwaukee County judges: 'We have to do something' about child sex-trafficking.

Byline: Eric Heisig, eric.heisig@wislawjournal.com

A Milwaukee committee working to address the needs of sex-trafficking victims in the juvenile system is starting to attract the attention of judges who decide the cases that will determine the victims' fates.

The informal committee has been meeting monthly since January 2013 at Milwaukee County Children's Court in Wauwatosa. The number of prosecutors, public defenders and treatment providers that show up at each meeting varies, but usually hovers around 15.

The thrust of the group is to discuss a recent influx of cases stemming from child sex trafficking in Milwaukee. Often, those involved say, the trauma of a child who is sent out to prostitute his or herself can lead to criminal behavior, and it is important to address the underlying problem through counseling or treatment.

"Everybody's sort of figuring out that the worst thing we can do is put these kids in detention, because we're basically locking up victims," committee member and Assistant Public Defender Diane Rondini-Harness said.

So far, she said, the group's meetings have led to a better understanding of the victims' plights. The committee has yet to make any policy recommendations for Milwaukee's courts.

But children's court judges are starting to take notice. Children's Court Judge Mike Dwyer said he wants to participate, as does Judge Rebecca Bradley.

"The problems have sort of escalated to the point where we have to do something," Dwyer said. "I'm sort of hopeful that this crisis will help us energize."

In Milwaukee, 77 juveniles were identified as sex-trafficking victims between August 2010 and August 2012, according to a report by the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission, in consultation with Rethink Resources. The majority of those juveniles were African-American girls who lived on the north side of Milwaukee, and many had a history of running away from home.

And the cases continue to pop up. On Wednesday, a federal grand jury indicted Paul "Pimpin' Paul" Carter and David "King David" Moore for their alleged parts in child and adult sex trafficking between 2007 and 2013 in Milwaukee.

"These adults and juveniles may be committing crimes, but they are doing so at the behest of these traffickers," said Ian Henderson, director of legal and systems services at Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault Inc. "They are coerced. They may be caught up ... and now have criminal records and be part of the juvenile justice system."

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