Slavery didn't end.
It just went underground.
Houston is a Hub
Situated near an international border, acting as a major international travel hub, and supporting an incredibly diverse labor force—Houston has become one of the most intense regions for human trafficking. But we’re also one of the most strategic and collaborative communities fighting against it!
Proximity to the Mexican Border
Proximity to a Major Port
Diverse Labor Force
Main Route for Traffickers
It’s estimated that human trafficking generates $150 billion every year in illegal profits.
Sex
From escort services, pornography and illicit massage businesses to brothels and outdoor solicitation; sex trafficking is the use of force, fraud or coercion to induce another individual to perform commercial sex.
Labor
Environments with lower-skilled labor like agriculture, domestic work, restaurants and cleaning services are vulnerable to labor trafficking in which individuals are induced to work through force, fraud, or coercion.
According to the International Labour Organization, over 40 million people are trapped in slavery on any given day.
50%
in forced labor
12%
in sex trafficking
38%
in forced marriage
Ready to take action?
We need people like you to put their heads, hearts and expertise into the fight against human trafficking.
Building Lives Through Brazen Table
When we entered 2020 as big dreamers we couldn’t have imagined the incredible shift that our lives and work were about to take. By May it became obvious that all of our previous plans would have to be put on hold and reprioritized as we met the needs that were literally knocking at our doors….
Human Trafficking and Education: Conversations with Educators
Education is considered one of the most critical infrastructures within our communities and institutions, as so many come together to prepare young people with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate life. With educators playing such a large and vital role in the lives of students, they are very much the frontline in keeping students…
Human Trafficking and Mass Incarceration: A Conversation with Drew Wiley
Alongside his wife, Jessica, Drew Willey founded Restoring Justice. He currently serves as the organization’s CEO. Drew left a career as an accountant to attend law school at the University of Houston Law Center. An internship with the Texas Innocence Network showed him firsthand how the legal system dehumanizes poor people, people of color,…
Human Trafficking and Food Insecurity: A Conversation with Esther Liew
Human trafficking doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens in result of, in combination with, and at the intersection of many other social issues impacting our communities. Understanding human trafficking requires us to look carefully at all of these other issues to help us be more effective in the fight against it. Today we…
Human Trafficking and the LGBTQIA+ Community: A Conversation with Dean Alan Dettlaff
We are continuing our Intersections series, in looking at how human trafficking affects and impacts the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as some ways in which our awareness of these issues supports the fight against trafficking. We were pleased to be able to speak with Alan Dettlaff, from the University of Houston’s Graduate College of…
Racial Justice and Human Trafficking: A Conversation with Maranda Harris, LMSW
A 2nd Cup Development Director, Kathryn Rogers, speaks with Maranda Harris, LMSW, about Juneteenth and the importance of racial justice and its impact on human trafficking. Maranda Harris is a Houston-based social worker and advocate currently using her skills and experience to empower young girls of color across Houston in her work as Program…
Help
Do you or someone you know need help? Contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center today.