Human Trafficking

The national human trafficking hotline receives more calls from Texas than any other state and much of the trafficking happens right here in our community. Recently, the FBI named Dallas and Houston as two of the 14 cities in the nation with the highest incidence of children who are sold for sex.

Victims can be girls or boys. These victims often come from abusive or broken homes. They may be looking to someone older as a parent figure. They are longing for love or approval.

Pimps are masters of manipulation. They seek out children with low self-esteem, promising them love, better lives, gifts or fame. They may find their victims at school hangouts, malls, gas stations, amusement parks and through social media Web sites. They build trust with the victims and then exploit them to make money. The victim's pimp could be a family member, friend, significant other or stranger.

• Know your child's friends. Don't let your child hang out with friends, go to someone's house or sleep over unless you know the friends and the friends' parents.
• Be your child's parent, not a friend. It's important to be a nosy parent. Ask him or her questions like:
  • Where are you going?
  • Who are you going with?
  • What are you going to be doing?
  • How do you know this person?
• Beware of social media. Don't allow a child under the age of 13 to have a Facebook account. If he or she is older and has an account, monitor it very closely. Tell your child that no one online needs to know his or her location, where he or she goes to school or where he or she lives. Beware of photos too. For example, a cheerleading or football photo could identify your child's school name. Check your child's smartphone to turn off any location settings.

One of the most important things you can do is to help your child develop a strong sense of self worth. Establish an open and trusting relationship with your child. Let them know that they are loved and most of all, that their value has no price tag, that they are not for sale.