The Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Coordinating Council has released a five-year strategic plan to halt and prevent human trafficking in Texas.
The report highlights a number of obstacles in the fight against human trafficking, including “lack of financial resources, full-time personnel, and mental health services.”
The Coordinating Council includes representatives of the Attorney General’s Office, Governor’s Office, Department of Family and Protective Services, Department of Public Safety, Department of Licensing and Regulation, and other agencies.
Each of these agencies has some role in fighting human trafficking, but never before has the state had a single coordinating body. For example, DPS has a Victim Services Division, and the AG’s Office has investigators within its Law Enforcement Division.
A law passed last year, Senate Bill 72, created the Coordinating Council and tasked it with gauging anti-trafficking efforts across state agencies and local governments.
The Council began its work by surveying prosecutors, law enforcement, victim-serving organizations, health care providers, and regulatory agencies.
The report says that even after victims are identified and rescued, they often don’t get the care and support that they need: there’s a shortage of “trauma-informed, victim-centered residential services.”
“While the Texas budget for human trafficking efforts in 2020-2021 sets a record for the amount of funding invested to fight this issue in Texas… limited funding for services remains a concern for many involved in anti-trafficking efforts,” the report says.
The lack of services leads to poor victim cooperation with investigators and prosecutors, which makes it easier for traffickers to get off the hook.
The task force wants to expand services for victims while also raising public awareness and enhancing training for law enforcement. Training courses are available from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, including a course on trauma-informed approaches to investigating sexual assaults.
How many trafficking victims are there in Texas? It’s hard to say. In 2018, the National Human Trafficking Hotline identified 2,108 victims in Texas, 701 traffickers, and 399 trafficking businesses located in the state
But these figures represent only the victims who have come forward. Many cases are not reported because victims fear retaliation by their trafficker, or because they aren’t aware of the services available.
Read the Coordinating Council’s Strategic Plan:
