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Human Trafficking
With the release of the movie Sound of Freedom this past year, the topic of human trafficking is
receiving more attention- and rightfully so. It is not an easy subject to discuss, yet Houston has the highest rates of human trafficking in the U.S. According to the Children’s Assessment Center, there are more brothels in Houston than Starbucks. Human trafficking affects our most vulnerable - the average age a girl is trafficked is 12-14 years old, and for boys, it is 11-13 years of age. We all think it could never happen in our family, but unfortunately, that is just not the case. Here is the story of Dawn, our friend and neighbor who has lived this nightmare.
Human trafficking involves the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of people through force, fraud, or coercion, with the aim of exploiting them for profit. Victims of this crime span all ages and backgrounds, and it is a global issue. As you read this definition, you might assume it could never happen to someone you know or in your family. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same. In the fall of 2020, amidst the pandemic, my granddaughter was lured from my home. Social media became a tool for exploitation during this time when the world was predominantly online due to lockdowns.
Here is our story.
My granddaughter, then 17 years old and in high school, exhibited a shift in behavior after her birthday in April 2020. She isolated herself, spending excessive time on the new phone her father had given her as a birthday gift. Her sleep schedule became erratic, staying up all night and sleeping during the day. In August, she began sneaking out to a local business for public Wi-Fi after being grounded from using Wi-Fi at home. While these behaviors might seem typical of a teenager, I sensed there was more to it.
The grooming of victims through social media was easy and quicker for traffickers during the pandemic. They could reach out through chat to multiple people, and upon receiving a reply, initiate personal conversations about school, pets, and parents, extracting enough information to create trust and a bond with their unsuspecting victim. My granddaughter’s initial trafficker posed as a prospective boyfriend, utilizing the manipulative tactic known as a Romeo Pimp.
She ran away several times, leading me to file reports with the local police. Each time, they located her and brought her home. However, the last time I filed a report, the police negotiated for her to stay with a family friend. Less than a month later, nobody knew her whereabouts.
My husband and I attended a local event focused on human trafficking, learning about the signs and dangers associated with it. A few days later, I expressed my fear to my husband that our granddaughter might be a victim of sex trafficking. This marked the beginning of our search.
We contacted the district attorney's office, which introduced us to a private investigator. He gathered information about my granddaughter, including names of family and friends who might have heard from her. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children opened a case, monitoring social media sites known for sex trafficking.
One day, I received a call confirming a hit on her photo from a monitored website. The FBI was
deployed, but unfortunately, by the time they reached the location in Atlanta, she was gone. The
trafficker had crossed several state lines with her, turning it into a federal case. The US Marshals office also joined the search.
During this time, my granddaughter occasionally reached out to her mother and me, assuring us she was OK. She revealed details of her experience to her mother, but whenever we got close to finding her location, she would urge us to back off, fearing for her life and the safety of her little sisters. To my knowledge, my granddaughter was sold to at least three different traffickers and taken to several states.
Our family's painful search lasted for 3.5 years, with numerous prayers from friends, family, and acquaintances who heard our story. Last fall, those prayers were answered—she escaped her trafficker and is safe.
She is not ready to press charges against her traffickers. Victims fear turning on their trafficker to prosecute them due to threats against the victim and their family members. Very few cases are prosecuted in the United States. It is often a crime hidden in plain sight and is becoming more lucrative than any other crime.
We now share our story to raise awareness and help others avoid the anguish we endured. We share the steps we took as a family to find and recover her. She shares some of her experiences with us as she feels comfortable doing so, fostering healing conversations.
Thank you, Dawn, for sharing your story with The Sisterhood. We all play a part in preventing and stopping sex trafficking - see something, say something. To become more aware
and get involved, please visit the following organizations for resources and additional
information on human trafficking:
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At Set Free Healing Center it is our goal to provide affordable and
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In our society, we are aware of human trafficking, sexual
exploitation, homelessness, PTSD affecting war veterans,
domestic violence, as well as pregnant women and young single
mothers needing a safe place to live, and the rising suicide rate.
The Department of Justice declared Houston one of the most
intense human trafficking jurisdictions in the country with over
79,000 youth and minor victims of sex trafficking.
There are 1,200 youth that age out of Texas foster care each year.
In one survey, there was a total of 3,270 sheltered and
unsheltered homeless individuals counted in Houston in 2023.
Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States. More
than 33,000 people kill themselves each year according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but suicide deaths
only account for part of the problem. An estimated 25 attempted
suicides occur per every suicide death.
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Call / Text: 832-856-0170
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