Human Trafficking In Texas

A primary location for human trafficking is at truck stops. According to Lieutenant Kimberlin, there are 25 or more truck stops that can hold 20 trucks overnight in Oklahoma. There is a considerable presence at these truck stops. “But it is difficult to detect since the drivers generally assist in hiding the girls.” (Kimberlin2) Love’s Travel Stop, a well-known chain of truck stops, is also working toward the cause to stop human trafficking. Love’s is planning to sponsor a group called Truckers Against Trafficking later in 2014. Love’s plans to teach workers of their truck stops about trafficking through a training video. This video will show common signs of human trafficking. The purpose of Truckers Against Trafficking is to help the trucking industry recognize that human traffickers are taking advantage of the trucking industry with their trafficking efforts.

Human trafficking is a significant, but hard to spot problem in Houston – and across Texas. Houston is known as a hub for human trafficking, which involves young women brought here for prostitution because of our proximity to the Mexican border. One fourth of all trafficking victims rescued in the United States are found in Texas, mostly in Houston (McCall). In the year 2011 alone, there have been a number of arrests for Human Trafficking made in the Houston area as well as several brothels have been closed down. However, FBI reports at least two new brothels open monthly in Houston (Palmer). There are a number of ways to fight human trafficking including educating yourself, spreading the word, taking a look in your own community,

However a majority of the girls are abducted or forced while many are attracted in other ways. Fake agencies sometimes posing as massage agencies lure in women into the trafficking industry. These women are offered money, free transportation to these agencies to work, with an agreement that the costs will be paid back through the woman’s earnings for her work (Hodge, D. 2008). Other girls are lured in through brothels, escort services, hostess clubs, and strip clubs (Kotrla, K. 2010) where they are abused, manipulated, and have been forced to participate in sexual acts against their will.

According to the Human Trafficking Commission, “thirteen years old is the most common age in Ohio for children to becoming victims of sex trafficking.” Exact statistics on human trafficking are hard to calculate because of the secretive nature of the billion-dollar enterprise. With Cleveland’s high rates of poverty, there are few job opportunities, resulting in a plethora of problems, including sex trafficking. Ohio’s five major highways are partially to blame for the rising numbers in the human trafficking enterprise. With a sufficient amount of connections to other states, and to the Canadian border, there are more than enough accessible routes for victims to be transported.

In a letter from 2010, Mayor Annise Parker acknowledged the growing problem and said, “Houston is a hub for Human Trafficking where approximately twenty percent of all human trafficking victims will pass through our city at some point of their enslavement.” The Mayor’s Office recently reiterated the importance of fighting human trafficking and in a

Now that the effects of human trafficking on its victims and the risk factors of being trafficked have been covered, it is now time to address the top four states within the U.S. that have been effected by this issue. It is also important to cover what each corresponding state is doing to put an end to this issue. According to The Denver Post, South Dakota ranks number one as the most effected by human trafficking with a category 4 Tier. In the past this state has been known to do very little when it came to fighting against human trafficking. This is because South Dakota’s state legislature only meets every other year which creates a lack of opportunities to take legal action against human trafficking. With this being the case, there was a

A topic usually pushed into the dark, sex trafficking is a serious problem within our district that often goes unnoticed and ignored. Lurking underneath the mask of common businesses or seemingly normal neighbors, sex trafficking is prevalent not only throughout the world, but in our very own communities. Just months ago in May, Galveston County residents were shocked to hear that four Galveston men were charged with federal charges for their alleged involvement for conspiring to recruit, entice, and harbor minors for sex trafficking. (KHOU, 2015). These men had allegedly transported underage girls to various hotels throughout Galveston County, forcing them to have sex with men and then keeping all of the profits. This situation is unfortunately a recurring theme happening throughout the U.S., with our citizens oblivious to the horrors that are occurring just down the street in modern suburbia. Victims of sex trafficking are often subject to horrendous treatment from not only clients, but by their traffickers as well. The issue however is that sex trafficking is often right in front of our eyes, yet we continue to punish victims rather that punishing those who are the true problem to society. What many Texans, as well as Americans, fail to understand is that prostitutes in our community are ever rarely working independently, and are often victims of sex trafficking. It is time that our district takes a step to punish those who exploit these victims for their own selfish

For my final research paper, I am going to discuss human trafficking in Houston. Houston is one of the largest hubs for human trafficking in the nation and I don’t know a lot about the subject past that, so it will be a very interesting topic to research. Also, I want to go into medicine and I believe this research will help in the future.

Human trafficking is a serious problem in modern society. In fact, the United Nations has referred to it as “one of the gravest human rights violations of our times” (“Secretary - General Calls Human Trafficking”). It is a fast growing industry that affects millions. No gender, age, or status is spared from the cruelty that is trafficking. To stress this point again, human trafficking is not just a problem of the “world” or “United States”, in general. As previously seen, it strikes very close to home, affecting hundreds of men, women, and children of our own community. In fact, “North Carolina ranked as a top-10 state for human trafficking with Charlotte being the top destination. It is estimated that more than 1,700 girls are trafficked

In the article, San Francisco identifies 291 human trafficking victims during six-month period in the San Francisco Examiner, written by Joshua Sabatini. Explains that "booming tourism industry and great business wealth" of San Francisco places the city into one of the top sites for human trafficking in California. However, San Francisco isn't the only city in California with this matter, "Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Diego" also are top sites for human sex trafficking. (Sabatini). According to a city report, San Fransisco reported nearly 300 females victims of sex trafficking during the last six months of 2014 (Sabatini). This article reveals an ongoing profitable industry within neighborhoods that no one seems to end.

Houston. A beautiful city with high diversity, a thriving economy, many opportunities, and a sprawling landscape. These are all things that make for a desirable place to live, but it also makes it a desirable place for something really terrible: Human trafficking. Houston is one of the major hubs in the U.S. for human trafficking and it’s not very well known around town that this city has a major problem. When I bring it up to friends and family, they are usually very surprised and/or confused because they don’t see it. Because of this prevalent issue, many nonprofit groups have popped up around town to inform people of the issue and to stop human trafficking. By educating Houstonians and creating joint efforts with law enforcement, Houston

Sex traffickers use violence, threats, lies, debt bondage, and other forms of coercion to compel adults and children to engage in commercial sex acts against their will.”(Polaris Project) In the area of organized crime, sex trafficking is one of the fastest growing businesses. The Texas Department of Public Safety issued statistics that approximately 100,000 children are estimated to be in the sex trade in the united states each year. Texas had the second highest incoming trafficking tips in 2013. These incoming tips totaled 2,236 calls, emails, and tip forms. As of June 2015 there has been 833 calls and 214 cases reported. These numbers are expected to double before the end of the year. Houston is known to be one of the largest cities for sex trafficking. This makes interstate 10, which runs through Houston, one of the main routes for sex traffickers. Due to interstate 10 passing straight through the golden triangle, Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange have seen a rise in sex trafficking victims. (8-12) It is important to note that the actual number of sex trafficked individuals is higher than what has been reported due to the secret nature of the crime. Many victims never come forward because of fear, age, and a lack of realization that they are being used as sex

I would have never imagined that in my community young men, women, and children are being forced into the trafficking industry. Each and every city in the world has a specific place in which targets are most commonly picked out. Barbara Wheeler, the state representative from Illinois, informed me on the issues of human trafficking in Illinois, Crystal Lake included. She described how massage parlors in Illinois are used as ways to bring in women, to be forced to perform sex acts for the customers (Wheeler). The fact that this is happening so close to my home is very frightening. I cannot fathom how difficult this is for these women to go through and not have a say in what is to be done. One of the biggest questions I had running through my mind at the beginning of this project was why aren’t we (the community) doing anything to stop and help these women?

According to Hodge, human trafficking is a trade of human beings for the purpose of exploration, typical in a sexual form or forced labor. (Hodge, 2014) Victims of human trafficking are rising worldwide which estimates over a million victims yearly. The United States provides the second largest international markets of human trafficking in the world; Some factors that contribute to this epidemic include, but not limited to, poverty, media propaganda of wealth in Western nations, political instability, and structural dynamics (Hodge 2012) Most victims are recruited under false promises which include modeling contracts, studying aboard, marriage and employment opportunities. (Hodge, 2012) Due to the increased cases of human trafficking amid adolescents,

Between 14,500 to 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States every year (dosomething.org). The top five states for human trafficking are, California, Texas, Florida, Ohio, and New York (Human Race to Human Rights). Some people tend to think of human trafficking only happening overseas, but it is very prevalent in the United States. Human trafficking of women in the United States has been a recurring issue for many years, and it has not continued to get better. Human trafficking has become a normal aspect of society, but it is not right for it to stay like this. Not only is human trafficking morally wrong and a crime, but it has a detrimental impact on women. Sex trafficking and labor trafficking are two of the most prevalent types