Austin News

Already first in the nation for human trafficking, victims in Texas are facing some unique challenges in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, an Austin-based victims' advocate said during a recent interview.

"In this current crisis, we need to be focusing on the critical needs for our victims and survivors," Allison Franklin, senior director of Collaboration, Advocacy, Response and Engagement for Survivors (CARES), told Texas Business Coalition. "You asked how the COVID-19 virus has impacted the fight against traffickers and I can assure the real question is what are we doing to help and protect our most vulnerable. Traffickers prey on the weak. That is a fact. When critical lifeline services shut down for this vulnerable population, out of survival many will find themselves in precarious circumstances trying to get their basic needs. Many will return to the life."

CARES is a member organization of Texas Network for Youth Services.

Texas ranks first in the nation for human trafficking.

About 313,000 are victimized by human traffickers in Texas, according to a study by the University of Texas at Austin Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. Of that number, about 79,000 are minors and 234,000 are trafficked for labor, according to the study.

Minor and youth sex trafficking costs the state about $6.6 billion a year and traffickers exploit approximately $600 million from victims of labor trafficking in Texas, according to the study.

There are about 234,000 victims of labor trafficking in Texas at any given time, according to the study.

Meanwhile, hundreds of COVID-19 cases have been reported in Texas with 56% of the cases in Travis County younger than 40 and nine deaths reported as of Tuesday, March 24.

COVID-19 is exasperating the lack of resources that long has plagued the fight against human trafficking, Franklin said.

"There are never enough resources to fight this problem," she said. "There wasn't enough resources before and there certainly aren’t enough now."

While COVID-19 forced juggling of essential services, cracking down on trafficking should be a priority, Franklin said.

"Yes, effectively addressing trafficking should be a priority – our priority should be focused on what we can do to better serve and protect our most vulnerable populations," she said.

Texas must ensure that critical services supporting the survivors of human trafficking remain available, Franklin said.

"Extreme trauma from abuse by traffickers can make participation in services difficult for survivors and building trusting relationships is key to keeping those survivors engaged in services that lead to healing and recovery," she said. "In particular, young people who have been sexually exploited or trafficked respond best to services specifically designed for this issue. If programs that are specifically designed to help them heal and build a new life aren't properly funded, many survivors will return to being trafficked."