COOK COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) — Sex trafficking is driven by coercion and control, drawing people into a system that exploits and strips away their autonomy.
“There’s definitely gratification in the work, because our unit is comprised of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking survivors. So, we have a team of people on our unit that have been through and have had lived experience with a lot of the people that we serve,” said Cyndi Kenzinger, executive director of Victim Support Services at the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
Kenzinger told the I-Team that her unit helps sex trafficking survivors navigate the difficult transition to a new life, regardless of whether their case ultimately goes to trial.
“Even if there isn’t a case, we’re still going to work with the person in crisis,” said Kenzinger. “They wanted the therapy. They wanted to have social service agencies work with them. They wanted to be in a workforce program. They wanted to get a job. They didn’t have transportation to get there.”
Through community partnerships, the Sheriff’s Victim Support Services offers Cook County survivors free transportation and groceries, along with connections to essential mental health and housing resources.
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Across Illinois, the need for those services is even greater.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline recorded at least 279 Illinois cases involving sex trafficking alone or alongside forced labor last year, with hundreds of survivors affected.
In Chicago, the Chicago Police Department has reported 20 sex trafficking incidents this year, the highest total for any year since at least 2008. However, the actual number of people trafficked is likely higher.
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