Human Trafficking Awareness Month ends in Lubbock with 11 traffickers arrested

By: Kiley Phillips - kilphill@ttu.edu, Delaney Ayers - deayers@ttu.edu

January was recognized as human trafficking awareness month in Lubbock and the Lubbock Police Department conducted six human trafficking operations over the 31-day period. 

Eight women and girls were rescued, 11 traffickers were arrested and 4 cases were established and remain under investigation. 

Despite January now being over, local organizations are still letting people know about the often-overlooked issue in West Texas. 

“Human trafficking is on the rise, and we need the community’s assistance in reporting trafficking,” said Jose Sanchez,  West Texas director of the Department of Public Safety.  “If you see something, please say something.”

Belinda House, a member of LPD’s Crime Suppression and Vice Unit, said that trafficking can emerge from many different situations, as reported by KCBD News.

“They can be from a massage parlor, they can be from ads that are posted on sites, known for prostitution,” House said, “We also have street walkers that are out there.”

Human trafficking does not just occur overnight; it often comes from a trafficker establishing a relationship with a victim before taking complete advantage of them, according to LPD. 

In 2016 313,000 people were trafficked in the state of Texas and approximately 79,000  were minors and youth, according to the Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault at the University of Texas at Austin.

Voice of Hope is just one of the local organizations that helps victims of sex trafficking in Lubbock. It was created in 1975 to provide a safe place for victims in the Permian Basin to go or call. 

Open 24 hours a day, It provides access to a crisis hotline, medical attention and a nurse examining service. The center also provides counseling, judicial and law enforcement services, and community education for residents in the Permian Basin.

Matt Duenes is the community relations director at Voice of Hope and says the organization is always taking steps to create awareness throughout the community. 

“People think that trafficking is a ball and chain situation where people are trapped there that are against their will, and it's usually not like that at all,” Duenes said. “It's usually where there is a choice and sometimes we like to make sure our survivors know they have a choice to say, hey, I'm going to receive help. I'm going to choose to better myself in this situation because there are better options for me out there.”

Duenes also says that Voice of Hope tries to make learning about and reporting trafficking less frightening for younger generations.

“For college students, for high school students, middle school students we’ll accommodate to their grade level and try to introduce these topics in a way that they can understand it, not frighten them per se, but just at least to say, hey, when you're online, you know, please be careful, mindful, like who you're talking to if there's like a grooming type situation going on, we’ll be trying to make those indicators aware up to those ages,” Duenes said.

Other organizations in Lubbock that are dedicated to spreading awareness and helping victims of human trafficking are One Voice, Open Door and Women’s Protective Services. 

The National Human Trafficking Hotline provides victims and survivors of sex and labor trafficking with essential services and support to access assistance and ensure their safety, according to their website.  

If you or someone you know is in danger please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733.