What is sex trafficking and what types are we seeing in Texas? Sex trafficking is the action or practice of illegally transporting people from one country or area to another for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Often sex trafficking begins when a man solicits a woman and begins the grooming process, convincing her that there is money to be made within the sex industry. This is usually done without her full consent or awareness of what she is entering into. There are multiple scenarios that can be defined as sex trafficking and each has equally horrible and damaging ramifications.
If you have questions or concerns about someone who may potentially be involved in sex trafficking, it’s important that you confide in someone you trust, there are multiple organizations dedicated to helping victims escape from these harrowing situations. Also, consulting an experienced and knowledgeable attorney may help you through the process.
Video Transcript
Shawn McDonald: “I think the scariest for us just as parents is having an older young man 18, 19, 20, starting to date a 15, 16 year old. They get into a relationship and then he convinces that girl like, ‘Hey, we can make a lot of money if, you know, you’re open to having sex with other guys. You know, me and you can get paid. We’ll make a lot of money. I’ll set it up, I’ll protect you. You know, you have sex with these guys and, you know, we’ll split the profits.’ Or, ‘I’ll give you 25 percent.’ And then you get the other type of sex trafficking where you get a lot of individuals coming from Asia, China, Europe who are brought over here and then they are forced to work in a massage parlor essentially as repaying their cost to come to America and someone to sponsor them on a visa, a work visa. They’ll then put them in a massage parlor and make them work… have sex with individuals in the massage parlor. When you see the sex traffic, a lot of it is sex trafficking these young girls that they’ve groomed out of high school. Or pulling away from strip clubs that aren’t necessarily kidnapped. They’ve kind of agreed, ‘Ok, look, I’ll go to Florida with you.’ So they didn’t kidnap them, they kind of willingly go to Florida, but they’re being trafficked and the girls just don’t understand the ramifications of what’s really going to happen. And they get to Florida and now what are you going to do? The child has no money. The only person she knows is the guy that took her that says, ‘I love you.’ And, ‘We don’t have any money.’ How’s she gonna get home? You know, don’t give her access to phones. So she gets in a situation that she doesn’t have a lot of free will and make decisions to get out of that situation. So a lot of times they take them to a different part of the country because they know how difficult it is for them to get home.”
Disclaimer
*This blog post “What is sex trafficking and what types are we seeing in Texas?” is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.