Recognizing and Responding to Human Trafficking in Texas, 2nd Edition: Summary 2
Important Terms: Victim or Survivor The terms victim and survivor can both be used to refer to individuals who were trafficked : • Victim : Has legal implications within the criminal justice process, generally referring to someone who suffered harm due to criminal conduct. The term victim generally indicates an individual suffered harm because of criminal conduct. • Survivor : Used in the health services field to recognize the strength it takes to heal after a traumatic experience, often referring to someone who has been rescued from trafficking. Survivor is a term used by many in the health services field to recognize the strength it takes to continue a journey toward healing in the aftermath of a traumatic experience. HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN TEXAS The Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force, created in 2009, coordinates anti- trafficking efforts at various levels. Texas has one of the highest volumes of human trafficking signals in the U.S., with significant incidents of both sex and labor trafficking. A report released by the National Human Trafficking Hotline indicated that Texas has one of the highest signal volumes among all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The Task Force serves as a collaborative and multidisciplinary body that strives to coordinate anti-human trafficking efforts across local, state, and federal levels. The Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force serves as a communication hub for sharing best practices.
INTRODUCTION
Human trafficking is a severe violation of human rights involving the exploitation of victims for labor or commercial sex acts through force, fraud, or coercion. LEARNING TIP!
Human trafficking is an extreme and heinous violation of human rights that persists around the globe. Vulnerable victims are typically women and children, but anyone can be a victim.
Accurate data on human trafficking is challenging to obtain due to various systemic difficulties. There is currently no consensus on the total number of trafficking victims in the U.S. despite the fact that multiple organizations publish data and statistics concerning human trafficking. Many victims of human trafficking never disclose the nature of their situation, and because of this, it is impossible to estimate the actual number of human trafficking victims. Because of this, healthcare providers and organizations involved with trafficked persons have been asked to increase their capacity to identify and refer people in trafficking situations and provide sensitive and safe services to people post-trafficking. Healthcare professionals are uniquely positioned to identify and intervene on behalf of trafficking victims, as outside of law enforcement, healthcare settings are among the few places where the lives of human trafficking victims may intersect with the rest of society, if only for brief periods.
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