By Taylor J. Hale

Staff Writer

PORTAGE COUNTY – Ally Burke’s life story reads like a modern odyssey of the human spirit. Burke, 32, is a Portage County local with an ardent motivation to conquer the obstacles in her life and create a better, safer community.

Burke leads the Shielding Survivors: Tattoos for Triumph program with her husband, Morgan, a skilled tattoo artist who designs professionally at Monkey Wrench Tattoo Company in Stevens Point.

The couple established the Shielding Survivors program in 2018 to help sex-trafficking victims remove “branding tattoos,” body-art utilized by traffickers to keep inventory on victims moving from spot-to-spot.

“It all started just as a way for us to help sex-traffic victims remove their branding tattoos,” Burke explained. “We wanted to help people overcome the past. But Shielding Survivors has grown into so much more.”

The Tattoos for Triumph program raises funds for human-trafficking awareness organizations, but the group now supports talks at libraries and schools to inform the public on sex-trafficking issues.

The Burke family sees trafficking as an unseen yet urgent issue in the area.”There is so much trafficking going on in the state, and people just don’t know about it. Stevens Point can be a big stopping area on the way to airports and other cities around the state for people,” Ally added.

Burke noted that sex-trafficking tattoos could be as simple as roman numerals, or more blatant.

The program has helped cover more than 20 branding tattoos since its origin.

“Everything from crowns that say ‘his’ to names can be used as trafficking markers,” Burke said. “A lot of times it will be tramp stamps or tattoos on the back of the neck. They’ll grab you by the head and check your neck or bend you over.”

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Wisconsin saw 134 reported cases of human trafficking for sex work or manual labor in 2018. A steady increase in the number of filed reports since 2012 shows a grim trend in the state: more people are being sold and trafficked.

A 2015 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) report states that Wisconsin tied for third in the nation for the number of juveniles recovered from trafficking. The report stems from the Operation Cross Country IX initiative, spearheaded by the FBI.

Burke understands the hardships of survivors. The young mother of five has endured rape and trafficking as a child in Chile. Her poise and spirit have never wavered. This is the story of Ally Burke.

See part II on Burke in an upcoming edition of the Gazette.