PUBLIC SAFETY
CONNECTWITH RESOURCES
TRAFFICKING IN TEXAS Human trafficking remains a prevalent problem across the state of Texas. 2018 STATS: 1,000 human trafficking cases were reported
719 sex trafficking cases
118 labor trafficking cases
89 sex and labor trafficking cases
74 cases with no type specified
SOURCE:NATIONALHUMANTRAFFICKINGHOTLINE/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER
The Montgomery County Coalition Against Human Trafficking provides updates on several social media accounts.
www.twitter.com/mccaht_tx www.facebook.com/mccaht
Montgomery County Coalition Against Human Trafficking members joined in a panel discussion at The Woodlands United Methodist Church at the coalition’s Oct. 10 event.
LAWENFORCEMENT Montgomery County
Organized Crime Unit 936-538-3299
National Human Trafficking Hotline 888-373-7888, text 233733
Regional organizations, law enforcement join for inaugural anti-trafficking event
Sheriff’s Office 936-760-5800
GATHERING FORCES
More than two dozen organizations are partnered with Montgomery County Coalition Against Human Trafficking, most of which were present at the Oct. 10 event.
you see tra cking, don’t hesitate,” he said. “I would rather get the call and be wrong than miss the call. Informa- tion is critical.” Godden said area residents can either contact the county sheri ’s o ce with information or call the National Human Tra cking Hotline to have anonymous tips sent to the local o ce. Rebecca Cary, founder of the Christian anti-tra cking nonpro t Hands of Justice, said becoming more informed on the issue through conversations with law enforcement or other relevant organizations is also essential to identifying tra cking and assisting possible victims. “If you don’t know the signs, you really can’t look for them, and if you can’t look for them, you can’t help somebody,” she said. “Education is always, I think, the rst step and one of the most important.” Panelists mentioned, especially with the rise of cell phone and social media use, incidents can occur at schools or around children. “Be the families involved in your kid’s life,” said Dennis Mark, execu- tive director of the tra cking survi- vors restoration program Redeemed Ministries. “It’s hard to be the parent on the front end who is, in the eyes of your child, the bad parent. But I promise you … it’s even harder being the sad parent on the back end.” Mark gave Dunman an award for his focus on tra cking in the county prior to his resignation. Dunman le his county post for a position combat- ing human tra cking in Uganda.
BY BEN THOMPSON
More than organizations involved in human tra cking preven- tion, victim support and community services gathered at The Woodlands United Methodist Church on Oct. for the Montgomery County Coalition Against Human Tra cking’s rst com- munity event in response to concerns about tra cking growth in the area. According to the National Human Tra cking Hotline, , human tra cking cases were reported in Texas in , of which were sex tra cking cases. The coalition—a regional body consisting of government and law-en- forcement agencies, advocacy and social service groups, and nonprof- its—aims to raise awareness about the issue of tra cking within the county and around Greater Houston area. Tyler Dunman, a coalition member and the outgoing chief of the Montgomery County District Attorney’s O ce Special Crimes Bureau, said the issue is not just in Houston, but in Montgomery County as well. “We’ve got to get past this idea that it doesn’t exist here and that our kids aren’t being exploited and that our women and men aren’t being exploited,” Dunham said. “It’s hap- pening, but let’s see what we can do about it.” John Godden, a Montgomery County Sheri ’s O ce detective, said public information on potential traf- cking incidents is a key to law-en- forcement e orts in the area. “The biggest thing is, if you think
RESCUE AND RESTORE R
AWARENESS A A21 Campaign, www.a21.org Freedom Church Alliance, www.freedomchurchalliance.org Hands of Justice, www.handsofjustice.org United Against Human Trafficking,
YOUTH Y www.mcwctx.org Radiate Coalition, www.radiatecoalition.org Redeemed Ministries, www.redeemedtx.org Rescue America, www.rescueamerica.ngo YMCA International, www.ymcahouston.org Arrow Child & Family Ministries, www.arrow.org Childproof America, www.childproofamerica.org Children at Risk, www.childrenatrisk.org Children’s’ Safe Harbor, www.childrenssafeharbor.org Free the Captives, www.freethecaptiveshouston.com Grace Manor, www.gracemanor.org Home of Hope Texas, www.homeofhopetexas.org Love146, www.love146.org National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, www.missingkids.com Project Mentor, www.conroeisd. net/ organization/project-mentor Street Grace, www.streetgrace.org Texas CASA, www.texascasa.org Yes to Youth, www.sayyestoyouth.org Elevate 61, www.elevate61.org Elijah Rising, www.elijahrising.org Freedom Restore, www.freedomrestore.org The Landing, www.thelanding.org Montgomery County Women’s Center,
www.uaht.org ADVOCACY A Common Thread,
www.commonthread.net International Justice Mission, www.ijm.org LAWENFORCEMENT L
Department of Homeland Security, www.dhs.gov Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, www.mctxdao.org Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, www.mctxsheriff.org Texas Forensice Nurse Examiners, www.txfne.com Texas Office of the Governor, www.gov.texas.gov
PREVENTION P
Angel Reach, www.angelreach.org
Coalition for the Homeless, www.homelesshouston.org Community Assistance Center, www.cac-mctx.org Compassion United, www.compassionunited.us Love People Not Pixels, www.lpnp.org
SOURCE:MONTGOMERYCOUNTYCOALITIONAGAINST HUMANTRAFFICKING/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER
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The Woodlands edition • November 2019
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