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WelcomesNEW PARTNER, BROOKE IREYBRANCH LAW FIRMBRANCH LAW FIRM549 Heimer Rd., Suite 200, San Antonio, TX 78232Call Us For All Your Family Law Needs(210) 229-2088 • www.branchfamilylaw.comCommentaryInitiatives That CouldImprove Success for HumanTrafficking VictimsPart 7, concluding article of a multi-part series on Human TraffickingBy Lou DugganFamilies, parents, legislators... this is important! In this concluding article of the series on Human Trafficking it is time for some straight talk! During seven months of research on this subject, plus numerous interviews with legislators, survivors, law enforcement (federal, state, and local), non-profit organizations, and parents---a lot has been learned. It is that cumulative investigation that suggests initiatives that could improve the fight against this complex crime. Consideration of these initiatives at the highest State level is important.First, some valid observations... Texas has four of the top fifteen cities involved in Human Trafficking. Women and children are sexually exploited in Texas every day. The abuser is the person least expected. Family members, relatives, friends, neighbors--- most trafficking victims are preyed upon by someone they know. One-in-3 middle schoolers; one-in-9 high schoolers; that is how many kids are being recruited into sex trafficking every day.Now, some recent history... To increase the State of Texas’ efforts to impact human trafficking, Senate Bill 1527 became law on September 1, 2023. The law is a culmination of input from law enforcement, survivors, advocates, and it addresses legislative recommendations. It amends previous law, including the prosecution and punishment of those who compel and solicit prostitution, plus creation of additional criminal offenses.Where does SB 1527 fall short?Senate Bill 1527 does an excellent job bringing Texas agencies together to coordinate human trafficking programs. However, it stops short of ensuring those agencies dedicated resources, including personnel, to wage a unified fight against human trafficking. There are numerous law enforcement task forces throughout the state, but NOT a single Texas Coordination Center or unified unit solely dedicated tocombating human trafficking.Who is in charge?What agency in the State of Texas is the lead for statewide efforts to combat human trafficking? SB 1527 law mandated that many agencies have a part in the fight, but how do they accomplish their mission at the street level? Currently, Texas has numerous federal task forces and working groups, including a state taskforce for policymakers to coordinate efforts. However, their primary resources are in metropolitan areas. Rural communities are not always represented. The Attorney General’s Office is the lead for the state taskforce but does not have primaryinvestigative authority for human trafficking. In 2022 the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the ruling that the Attorney General can prosecute with the permission of the local prosecutor but cannot initiate prosecution unilaterally. Thus, human trafficking investigation authority was taken away from the Attorney General’s office. As a result, local DAs have no accountability for prosecution of human trafficking. We need change; to succeed we need to have one-stop oversight over human trafficking.The State of Texas should make or ensure a State Agency is responsible for a whole-of-state approach to combating human trafficking. This should include a law enforcement investigative arm whose sole mission is investigating human trafficking. The agency should also have a state coordination center to work with law enforcement, prosecutors, victim services and be a one-stop shop for assisting communities. To avoid any conflict with Texas’ constitutional restraints local DAscould retain the right to prosecute cases. There would be no need to establish a new bureaucracy; instead, the State could provide an existing Texas entity the primary responsibility of combating human trafficking. There are several agencies with great programs including, but not limited to, the Office of the Texas Attorney General andthe Texas Department of Public Safety.Okay... how do you fund it?There are many ways to fund a state- run human trafficking coordination center that would be made up of representatives from all of the state agencies, including law enforcement assets, and victim services organizations. One avenue of funding would be through federal and state grants. This year the Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crimes (OVC) will award approximately $29.6 million dollars, with $950,000 being the maximum amount awarded to any one entity. This is just one example of grant opportunities.Another avenue of funding is by dedicating existing appropriated resources, personnel, and equipment to the newly created state coordination center. Many State agencies already have funded human trafficking programs and SB 1527 law already provides an agency roadmap which could be used by a central authority to coordinate Statewide efforts.Increase Training and AwarenessPeople need to get involved. That’s where the battle against Trafficking begins. Public support for new laws coming soon that address social media is important. Watching red flags that tell us something is bothering our children is important. Seeking out training videos online from Blue Campaign is important. Contact law enforcement if there is someone suspicious or something that does not seem right.Monitoring electronic devices for Trafficking and porn usage is important as porn has been proven to rewire the brain and goes ‘hand-in-hand’ with Trafficking. Americans visit porn sites at astronomical rates. Nearly half of porn site visitors are between 18 and 34. The Journal of Sex Research study relates that teens and young adults say ‘not recycling’ is more immoral than viewing porn. Just like drugs, porn triggers pathways in the brain that cause craving, leading users back for more.How do we stop the solicitation of prostitution?We do not have any educational option. We need to seek potential solutionswhile providing a direction of hope for these children and Trafficking survivors. The new law treats the first offense for solicitation of prostitution as a jail felony. Why didn’t the law, instead, make the first offense a mandatory education program that speaks to why this is wrong and then, a second offense to be a felony? Creating a law just to make a first-time offender a felon....you just crowd jails. If we do not have educational programs that re-habilitate young people and adults, it provides no solution. This is why we should care.“This is a call for increased support and improvement in the Justice System, Law Enforcement, the Banking System, Family structure, online morality, faith- based organizations who step up to help, general recognition of this evil crime, Child Protective Services outreach, volunteerism for help, and greater survivor-to-survivor counseling” reports the National Survivor Study (NSS). The study, made public in 2023, focuses on the experiences of sex and labor trafficking survivors.It is difficult to describe the working details required of these initiatives. However, they provide thoughtful and creative suggestions to help improve the attack on Human Trafficking.Texas, the ball is in your court. What entity has authority to lead and be accountable?October 2024www.bsbhighlights.com11