December 14, 2018
Today the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission and other organizations released a report Unaccompanied Homeless Youth and Sex Trafficking, a follow-up to a report in March 2018. Children’s Rights welcomes this spotlight on the vulnerability of children in out-of-home care to sex trafficking in Milwaukee. Eric Thompson, an attorney for Children’s Rights, issued this statement:
“These findings are a call to immediate action to protect at-risk children, especially in group homes, from being recruited into sex trafficking. The report’s recommendations are a good start. In particular, DCF needs a plan now to bring Milwaukee group homes into compliance with federal law as soon as possible and combat this assault on our kids.”
Read more about the report here.
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Children’s Rights and co-counsel filed the federal class action known as Jeanine B. v. Walker in 1993, charging that the Milwaukee child welfare system was grossly mismanaged and failed to protect children in its care. After a state takeover, a court-supervised Settlement Agreement mandating an overhaul of the child welfare system was reached in 2002. State officials are continuing to implement an agreed-upon Corrective Action Plan aimed at bringing Division of Milwaukee Child Protective Services (DMCPS) into full compliance with the requirements of the Settlement Agreement.