Texas law enforcement officials share anti-human trafficking tips in Poland
(CBSNewsTexas.com) - From Texas to Eastern Europe, human trafficking is a traumatic reality for women and girls from all walks of life.
Its impact is felt in Dallas, where on any given night, 400 girls are trafficked on the streets, according to New Friends New Life, a North Texas human trafficking advocacy group. And in Poland, where the Russia-Ukraine war has led to the mass exodus of women and children into the country out of Ukraine, human trafficking abounds.
In an effort to help, Texas law enforcement officials went to Warsaw, Poland to bring their expertise in anti-human trafficking work to train police, prosecutors, corrections staff, border guards, and social service providers on how to address the issue there.
Partnering with global non-profit Unbound Now, Tarrant County Sheriff's Office Commander Kevin Turner, Judge Gary Coley and McLennan County Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Buice made the trip.
They held a "Together Against Human Trafficking" conference to share knowledge from decades of effort to make Texas an unwelcome place for traffickers.
Commander Turner serves as the Coordinator of the Tarrant County Human Trafficking Task Force. It's funded in part by the United States Department of Justice.
"Human trafficking is a crime that shocks the conscience. Traffickers look at their victims as a commodity that can be sold over and over again, stripping them of their freedom and drowning them in darkness," said Turner. "Together, we can make the light shine bright to drown out the darkness. Together, we can ensure the light gives victims that which was stolen... love, honor, respect, and compassion."
Many of the victims Turner referred to are young teens when they're sold. Research finds most American girls are first trafficked at 15. One researcher stated every year, 79,000 Texas minors are victims of sex trafficking.
In a University of Texas study, victims spoke openly about how they were "controlled by threats of violence." An 18-year-old from Lubbock said a trafficker told her, "I will cut your throat if you don't do this."
The victims were asked why they cooperated. An 18-year-old from Rio Grande Valley said, "They always told me they were gonna kill my family."
It's a lucrative business too, in Dallas alone, some have called sex trafficking a $99 million illegal industry.
