The Issue of Sex Trafficking in Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas is known for many wonderful things and events such as “The University of Houston”, “Free Press” and the interesting museum district. However, Houston is also negatively associated with certain deplorable acts. Unfortunately, Houston, Texas is also recognized as the city with the largest capacity for sex trafficking. There are several criminal attributes surrounding sex trafficking in Houston, Texas such as the discreet locations where the sexual acts take place, the deceptive nature of the parties involved in sex trafficking, and the fact that the individuals used for sex trafficking are treated as slaves and property. However, for each of these attributes, there is a solution.

Certain locations provided by criminals have made sex trafficking an issue. These locations are almost invisible to law enforcement and other forms of criminal justice. Some examples of these locations would be brothels, nail salons, nightclubs, and hotel rooms. These discreet locations provide criminals with a large variety of venues to commit acts of sexual assault and sex trafficking. One of the biggest problems that law enforcement faces in terms of sex trafficking and sex trafficking locations is the lack of information. In order to convict these criminals, law enforcement needs sufficient evidence as well as probable cause. One of the most effective ways law enforcement retrieves evidence is by using non-profit organizations to spread awareness.

Sex trafficking is a criminal activity, therefore it is increasingly difficult to monitor. There are several criminal avenues in place that allow the individuals involved in sex trafficking to “escape the long arms of the law”. One example of these criminal avenues would be the various uses of transportation and how mobile sex trafficking actually is. The victims of sex trafficking are constantly being transported from location to location. The dates and times of the sexual acts deeply depend on a large amount of secrecy. The victims of sex trafficking are most often picked up far from the location of where the act is committed. By doing this, criminals have a stronger chance of not getting discovered by law enforcement. Another way sex trafficking criminals evade arrest is by picking their associates and victims wisely. The sex trafficking criminals only allow individuals that they trust, to take part in criminal acts. By keeping the sex trafficking business well contained, the amount of evidence distributed has decreased dramatically. One of the most effective ways law enforcement has to infiltrate the sex trafficking world is for a police officer to go undercover.

The definition of slavery is a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them”. This definition applies greatly to the victims of sex trafficking because in a sense, they are slaves, Several of the victims of sex trafficking were quality young girls before they were discovered by criminals. A lot of times, the girls preyed upon by sex trafficking criminals were caught up in some destitute situations. These situations included bad relationships at home, sexual abuse at a young age, and parental abandonment. After these bad situations occur, sex trafficking criminals convince these young girls of anything that would compel them to join in on the criminal acts. These girls are then forced to do sexual acts against their will and return any monies to their respective “Supervisors”. These sex trafficking victims work long hours and are severely mistreated. One of the most successful ways of preventing these girls from “slipping away” is to give them a strong support system and treat them with respect.

Sex trafficking is a serious form of sexual assault. The parties involved in sexual assault a manipulative and extremely deceptive. There is a large level of secrecy surrounding the sex trafficking world. The most effective way to eliminate sex trafficking is to stop it before it starts. Young girls and women need a strong support system in order to not be taken advantage of. The more awareness sex trafficking has, the more law enforcement can do something about it.

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