Combating Human Trafficking in North Dakota:
Policy, Funding and Legal Assistance Important
to Statewide Efforts
By Christina Sambor
Human trafficking isn’t an easy subject
to talk about. Over the last few years, it’s
become a significant reality in North Dakota.
As we have built and formalized a response
to human trafficking in our state, we see it
is a statewide problem, stretching from the
Montana to the Minnesota border, occurring
in rural areas and in Bismarck, Fargo, and
in the northwestern oil producing region.
North Dakota service providers and law
enforcement regularly encounter victims
of human trafficking, youth and adult,
many of whom have experienced poverty
and homelessness, have been mistreated or
abused, and have had exposure to drugs and
alcohol. Many of the affected youth have
run away and have a history of sexual abuse.
More than 150 victims of sex trafficking
were served in North Dakota in 2014. Tens
of thousands of online ads offering sex for
purchase through sites like backpage.com
have polluted our state.
In our work, we see that misperceptions
about what trafficking is persist. Under
North Dakota law, a person commits the
offense of trafficking an individu