Modern day slavery - Human trafficking in Texoma
SHERMAN, TX -- A new coalition
in Texoma is tying to help put an end to a terrifying crime, one that's
also a growing industry. Dia Wall has more on the violation of human
rights that's being called modern day slavery.
Posted: 9:51 PM Nov 16, 2011Reporter: Dia Wall
Email Address: dia.wall@kxii.com
Video: SHERMAN, TX -- A new coalition in Texoma is tying to help put an end to a terrifying crime, one that's also a growing industry. Dia Wall has more on the violation of human rights that's being called modern day slavery.
Human trafficking has quickly become one of the largest trades in the world and 25% of all human trafficking that occurs in the United States happens right here in Texas. During this two-part series, you're going to hear the stories of two different cases. One that happened, and one that's happening right here in Texoma. You'll also learn how one community organization is taking steps to fight this new form of modern day slavery.
"Most people when they think of human trafficking, they think of slavery. There's all forms of slavery."
Meet Sherral Roberts. She's the residential program coordinator at the Ella Mae Brown Crisis Center in Sherman. She says people who think human trafficking is not happening in this area don't have the right information.
"Most definitely not. They would really be surprised at how many cases you do see here. A lot of them seem to migrate to the smaller communities," Roberts said.
Roberts knows this because she has personally dealt with several cases of human trafficking out of the small Sherman crisis center, and is managing another right now.
A teacher from Europe moved to Texoma, just outside of Grayson County, for love and a new start with her teenage daughter. Instead she was forced to work multiple jobs, with no freedom and constant psychological abuse.
"She became concerned after a while that he started making sexual advances toward her daughter. She finally spoke up to one of the people that she was employed by," Roberts said.
Then the Ella Mae Brown Crisis Center sprang into action, introducing the woman to an agency that could assist her.
"And when we contacted them there was something that they could do to help her and they are in the process of doing that as we speak," said Roberts.
Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar industry. Some estimates show more than 30 billion dollars are made each year off the trade of human beings. And there are no signs that the numbers are going down.
"Just how big is this trade?"
"This trade is the second largest criminal industry in the world and it's the fastest growing, only followed by the drug industry."
This is Joshua Muchnikoff, the new full-time human trafficking outreach specialist at the crisis center. He heads up a new program that was launched just this fall to identify victims of human trafficking in Texoma as part of a regional effort.
"This is the North Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking. The purpose of the meeting is to increase awareness in the community," said Bill Bernstein, the deputy director of Mosaic Family Services.
"Through education we can identify victims, and by identifying them we can both prevent it, protect them and prosecute those that are guilty of it," Muchnikoff said.
Muchnikoff will be working with law enforcement, the medical community, faith-based organizations and social services, all to encourage the community to open their eyes and be aware of this growing problem.
Roberts says getting people to recognize human trafficking as a threat right here in Texoma is the hardest part.
"People just don't notice it. They don't think about it so there's so many things that they could notice that they don't because they just don't think it's prevalent in a small community," she said.
Thursday night, during part two of this series, you'll learn more about the Ella Mae Brown Crisis Center and their goals for this new program. We'll tell you how the North Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking is bringing an entire region together to join in this fight. And you'll hear from a victim of human trafficking right here in Sherman about his experience and how he escaped with the help of this community.
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