Dr. Lauren Martin presented her findings at Minneapolis City Hall on Sept. 10.

The number of juvenile sex trafficking investigations conducted by the Minneapolis Police Department has tripled in recent years, from 8 cases in 2008 to 24 cases in 2013. A press conference was held at City Hall in connection with a new study of the ‘business’ of juvenile sex trafficking in Minneapolis. The study is the work of Lauren Martin, director of research for the University of Minnesota Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC), and Alexandra Pierce, president of Othayonih Research.

“The findings offer a birds-eye view of the ‘who, where, and how’ of juvenile sex trafficking in Minneapolis,” Martin said. “As we pulled the lens back away from the areas particularly affected by this, it became clear that this is a problem involving people of every background, in communities both in and around Minneapolis.”

Listen to the full report on KFAI here.

Read more about Dr. Martin and Dr. Pierce’s research here.