Greg Abbott, Texas Attorney General:
Human traffickers hold men, women, and children against their will, and through force, fraud or coercion make them work for little or no income. At its core, human trafficking reduces humans to property and is a form of modern-day slavery. Law enforcement officials serve on the front lines of the state’s battle against human trafficking. With every rescued victim and every conviction obtained against human traffickers, we learn more about the crime.
To ensure criminal justice professionals can recognize the signs of human trafficking and be able to respond appropriately, the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force developed a human trafficking criminal justice manual. Titled Introduction to Human Trafficking: A Guide for Criminal Justice Professionals, this manual discusses the reality of human trafficking and teaches how to successfully spot the crime through interdiction and connect victims to services. The manual is a key tool for law enforcement officers, prosecutors, parole officers, social workers and others who are positioned to make a difference in the lives of the vulnerable and the victimized.
The human trafficking criminal justice manual – a free copy of which can be found at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov – covers numerous topics that will further criminal justice professionals’ efforts to identify, investigate and prosecute human traffickers such as:
• Discussing how to recognize victims and help them access critical services they need to start their road to recovery;
• Providing human trafficking scenarios that different criminal justice professionals may encounter; and
• Empowering criminal justice professionals, communities and crime victim services groups to take action.
This manual is the latest in a series of efforts Texas has taken over the past decade to combat human trafficking. In 2003, the Texas Legislature passed one of the first state-level anti-trafficking laws in the United States. At the same time, regional task forces and other collaborative efforts were established across the state to identify human trafficking victims, create service response systems, and bring traffickers to justice.
In 2009, the Texas Legislature passed legislation that created the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force and charged the Attorney General with chairing it. The task force’s inaugural report to the 82nd Texas Legislature highlighted the task force’s collaborative approach to address human trafficking on a statewide and regional level. Of the 35 legislative recommendations identified in the 2011 task force report, the Texas Legislature enacted 32. The anti-trafficking legislation provided an improved legal framework for combating human trafficking.
Recognizing the most successful efforts are those that utilize collaborative endeavors and pooled resources, the Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force outlined additional steps the state should take to prevent human trafficking in its report to the 83rd Texas Legislature. The Legislature again acted, passing legislation that combined several recommendations presented in the task force’s report. The new laws toughen penalties against offenders who employ, authorize or compel a child to work in a sexually oriented business; improve victim identification, shelter and assistance; develop additional preventative strategies; and expand the duties of the Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force.
Together, Texans can make our state hostile territory for human traffickers and a safe haven for their victims. Criminal justice officials who are aware of human trafficking situations and who take a proactive approach will better serve human trafficking victims in their area. By taking a victim-centered approach in their daily work and understanding that the next individual they work with may be a trafficking victim, criminal justice professionals can make a huge difference in the fight against human trafficking.
