For generations Duluth has heard murmurs of the women and girls rarely seen, but commonly rumored to "work the boats." These women, some as young as preteens, would be beckoned or brought on board, at times swimming out to the ships themselves, and move bunk to bunk servicing the various members of a ship's crew. However, these claims seemed only speculations and the topic was taboo in most circles of society. Prostitution was one issue, but slavery in Duluth's backyard was an unthinkable and uncomfortable subject to raise.
Only in recent years has the issue of sex trafficking in Duluth begun to grip the public's awareness. First, in 2009, the Minnesota statute defining sex trafficking was changed and is now defined as follows:
(1) receiving, recruiting, enticing, harboring, providing, or obtaining by any means an individual to aid in the prostitution of the individual; or
(2) receiving profit or anything of value, knowing or having reason to know it is derived from an act described in clause (1).
By these standards then, the offense prostitution can no longer be considered "one issue," but rather is very closely linked to and often one and the same with sex trafficking.
Specific to Duluth, the Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault (PAVSA) and the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) started up Duluth's own Trafficking Task Force in May of 2010, after receiving a grant from the Women's Foundation of Minnesota.
The Task Force, while open to all community members, is currently comprised of police officials, service providers, professors, students, members of faith communities, and various other professionals. Beginning with monthly meetings, the Task Force identified four main goals to pursue in their November meeting:
1) Reframing the issue and recognizing prostitution as sexual violence against women and a violations of human rights
2) Continuing discussions of trafficking, prostitution, sex slavery, and victimization
3) Identifying system and service gaps
4) Educating the community about the issue
Since November, the Task Force itself has been restructured with the purpose of addressing the original goals more effectively. A steering committee now meets monthly and heads up the following 7 sub-committees:
1. Outreach Advocacy/Direct Service Subcommittee
2. Community Groups (Schools/Faith Based Communities) Subcommittee
3. Systems Subcommittee
4. Political and Local Government Subcommittee
5. Greater Minnesota Subcommittee
6. Law Enforcement and Prosecution Subcommittee
7. Policy and Research Subcommittee
While many of the subcommittees seek members with knowledge specific to a particular field, the Task Force and subcommittees invite membership of individual in the community from all fields and walks of life.
