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Responding to Sex Trafficking in the Greater Dallas Area: A Needs Assessment

Executive Summary

Human trafficking involves the recruitment, transportation, harboring, transfer, and/or abduction of people through fraud, force, and/or coercion. It is a global public health crisis that transcends borders, cultures, and demographics. A form of modern-day slavery, it traps millions of individuals, primarily women, children, and vulnerable populations, into lives of exploitation, abuse, and forced labor. Often referred to as a “crime hidden in plain sight,” it is a grave violation of human rights which threatens the safety and welfare of roughly 50 million people worldwide. Despite increasing awareness and global efforts to combat it, human trafficking is one of the most profitable criminal enterprises globally, with annual revenue yields exceeding $150 billion.

Within the United States, Texas is the second-highest in reported cases of sex trafficking. Those most at risk for sexual exploitation include persons living in poverty, who have unstable or unsafe housing insecurities, those with substance use/addiction, and/or those persons with a history of trauma. The city of Dallas serves as a prime example of this challenge, with its strategic location, the intersection of major transportation freeways, a bustling economy, serving as the host to many regional, national, and global sporting and entertainment venues and events, and with having a diverse demographic makeup rendering it susceptible to exploitation and trafficking. To better understand the needs in ameliorating sex trafficking within the greater DFW area, the Institute for Urban Policy Research coordinated community partnerships and utilized both quantitative and qualitative data collection methodologies. The Department of Health and Human Services of Texas requested that the Institute, the City of Dallas, and Dallas Police Department (DPD) collaborate to assess strengths and opportunities to combat human trafficking, serve survivors, and hold perpetrators accountable within the community. This executive summary report highlights selected key findings, barriers and recommendations from the final grant report.

Methods & Key Findings

One of the most difficult aspects of combating human trafficking in a state as big as Texas—and a metroplex area as large as DFW--- is collecting accurate and complete data. To truly understand the depth of sex trafficking, multiple reporters, agencies, departments, and community partners must be approached through varying methodologies and sampling strategies. It takes time and investment to build trust and gain access to information about how they do their jobs, what resources they need more of, the experiences of human trafficking survivors, what best practices community partners are employing, and information about citizen and criminal justice/non-profit/courts personnel and units’ perceptions about crime, human trafficking, and the criminal justice response. Regardless of the reporting mechanism, if trafficking is not correctly identified, it cannot be adequately reported. All too frequently, trafficking is misclassified as one of the more easily identifiable crimes that are related to trafficking. It takes investigation and building of trust for victims of trafficking to come forward and provide testimony and voice their experiences. They are commonly threatened with force, death, or harm to their families if they disclose their trafficking experience to law enforcement. For data collection, mixed methods were adopted. The Institute created a community-based survey which was administered April -August 2023. The research team also conducted focus groups as well as focused interviews with a variety of stakeholders, including faith-based leaders, social, legal, and health service providers and non-profit partners, survivors, law enforcement, and prosecutors. This methodological approach allowed for a varying forms of deidentified data collection while being sensitive to protections for vulnerable human subjects.

Analyses of interviews and focus groups showed several themes that emerged across stakeholder groups, with the need for expanded survivor-centered programming a central focus. Survivors can focus on their healing journey and rebuilding their lives when communities provide holistic health, social, and economic solutions and assistance to meet basic needs. Descriptive statistical analyses indicate 8% of community survey respondents identified human trafficking as one of the top three crime problems in their neighborhood. Moreover, 30% of respondents identified human trafficking as a problem in North Texas, and 48% of community respondents cited it as an important problem in the state of Texas. Black and Asian American respondents were more likely than others to identify human trafficking as a serious problem.

Challenges in fighting human trafficking cited by law enforcement stakeholders included problems regarding the impact of high staff turnover and organizational leadership changes, as well as gaps in training and having to split workload between ordinance enforcement (e.g., massage parlors, gambling, bottle clubs), narcotics, and human trafficking. The constant shifting of personnel leads to a lack of institutional knowledge and an inability to develop specialization regarding the complicated issues related to human trafficking and expertise in best practices such as trauma-informed and centered approaches (e.g., stages that victims go through before seeking help, victim-centered language and terminology, breaking down myths surrounding sex workers, and short- and long-term consequences of human trafficking on survivors). Other supportive services that need additional funding and availability include: mental health and drug treatment programs, specifically for sex trafficking victims; the need for educational benefits for survivors; additional resources for community outreach and education; and additional shelters, both short- and long-term, which was identified as the most pressing need. Additionally, upon talking with Dallas County prosecutor staff, interviewees expressed a desire for a designated unit for trafficking victims who faced criminal charges. While there is a victim advocated employed by the District Attorney’s office, having meaningful, open contact with victims is virtually impossible since defense attorneys do not allow their clients to communicate with their adversarial opponents. There are additional significant challenges for previously marginalized and/or at-risk communities such as LGBTQ+, immigrants, economically disadvantaged, and citizens who live in high crime areas. With that being said, public education campaigns have raised awareness that human trafficking happens everywhere and in every community, not just those deemed at high risk for exploitation or abuse.

Barriers

An assortment of barriers prevent providers and stakeholders from effectively meeting all the needs of sex trafficking survivors and holding traffickers accountable in the legal system. For example, traffickers are often bonded out of jail as their crimes are deemed non-violent and have low bond or they are released on their own recognizance. Upon bonding out, traffickers continue their cycle of intimidation and coercion by locating their victims, moving them out of the area, and/or using actual or threatened harm to reduce the chance they will be held accountable. This creates a negative feedback loop whereby victims are less likely to return to court, and therefore criminal cases may be dropped, and subsequently victims are not rescued and continue in a life of forced labor, violence, and abuse at the hands of their trafficker. Another disclosed barrier is what service providers call “no man’s land.” Survivors who are 17 years old are stuck in a place where they are deemed too old to receive services, as they will age out of systems designated for children and are too young to receive services deemed for adults. These individuals often fall through the cracks and cannot get their needed help. Furthermore, there is a lack of laws that support victims of trafficking. Rape Shield Laws protect victims of sexual assault from having their sexual histories spotlighted by their attacker throughout the criminal justice process. Although Texas recognizes this law, the unfortunate fact emerges that sex trafficking victims are not always provided these protections in court. Fourth, survivors disclosed to the Institute research team that faith-based leaders can be a source of support and trauma. Some of the practices and beliefs held by some faith communities perpetuate toxic power and control practices. Lastly, all the resources and services known to victims of trafficking are also known to their traffickers. Traffickers use this knowledge against victims, preventing them from accessing and receiving services.

Recommendations & Conclusion

Overall, the research team found that one way to tackle the sex trafficking challenges in DFW is to address the staffing shortages within law enforcement agencies. Institutional knowledge is needed to maintain community relationships and establish trust with victims and survivors. Moreover, stability in leadership is also imperative to confront the challenges related to sex trafficking in the DFW area. Over the course of two years, the Vice Unit of DPD had a consistent turnover, especially at the Captain and Lieutenant levels. Officers and non-profit organizations cited administrative turnover as a barrier to effective operations.

Furthermore, multidisciplinary collaboration and information sharing are needed to combat sex trafficking effectively. Cooperation between law enforcement, social services, healthcare professionals, and nonprofit organizations will ensure that all gaps and needs are addressed and that victims and survivors receive a wraparound approach to the various challenges they face. Nascent efforts in these areas should be the target of community and government investment to increase the degree of collaboration they can support.

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