Updated: 10:44 PM Nov 17, 2011
SHERMAN, TX-Wednesday, we told you about
the little-known but growing crime that's happening right here in
Texoma. We also introduced you to the program that a local crisis center
started to fight the problem. Tonight, Dia Wall introduces us to a
victim of Modern Day Slavery.
Posted: 10:44 PM Nov 17, 2011Reporter: Dia Wall
Email Address: dia.wall@kxii.com
VideoSHERMAN, TX-Wednesday, we told you about the little-known but growing crime that's happening right here in Texoma. We also introduced you to the program that a local crisis center started to fight the problem. Tonight, Dia Wall introduces us to a victim of Modern Day Slavery.
As we continue our two-part series, we take a closer look at the human trafficking outreach program at the Ella Mae Brown Crisis Center. You've heard the story of one victim, and tonight you'll hear from a young man who was promised a new life, but was enslaved by a Sherman trafficker.
That was exactly what happened in the case of Given Kachepa, a survivor of human trafficking. He was brought to Sherman from Zambia when he was eleven years old with the promise of education, clothing and money to send back home, all for singing with a boys choir. Kachepa soon realized that wasn't the case but as a young orphan in a foreign country, he couldn't just get out.
"Just the mind games were the biggest things and the threats saying that if you run away or if you call the police or the I.N.S. or the U.S. government or anybody you inform, they're not going to have any interest in you. They're just going to send you back. What good do you have to them?" He said.
Colleyville Baptist Church members sensed that something wasn't right with the boys choir and reached out to the boys. Kachepa and the others were rescued but there are still victims all over the U.S., many of them here in Texoma.
"This type of stuff happens. You know, it's just unbelievable how often it happens. And it doesn't necessarily have to happen to someone from another country. It happens to people right here. We need to pay attention to this. This is happening and there needs to be something done," said Muchnikoff.
That's just what the human trafficking outreach program at the Ella Mae Brown Crisis Center is for. Joshua Muchnikoff, the program coordinator, said through educating residents, building relationships across Texoma and bridging the gap between victims and services available to them, he hopes to make a difference.
"We're wanting to develop a community that's able to support each other and use resources because this is a new field in the area. We're trying to expand it, learn from each other and just get the knowledge out there. And by having different groups working together in a community, it is a much more effective identification resource," he said.
Human trafficking is larger than the Atlantic slave trade by 90 percent and it continues to thrive. With the Highway 75 and Interstate 35 corridors and less populated cities than metropolitan areas, Texoma is ideal for traffickers hiding or transporting victims. Some may question the goal of a small crisis center taking on an epidemic that shows no signs of slowing down.
"What would be a win for you with this program here? Identification. If we know that this is happening in our community we can recognize it and prevent it," he said.
"I'm hoping that all of this will help the community to realize that yes it's right under your nose, and to know what to look for."
Muchnikoff spoke to students Thursday at Austin College and he is in the process of reaching out to local churches and community organizations. The Ella Mae Brown Crisis Center and the North Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking are working together to provide the resources to victims in Texoma. And for the record, the Sherman trafficker who brought Kachepa and the other boys from Zambia made more than a million dollars off the boys choir before they were caught. Human trafficking is a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years for adults, 40 years for teens or life for children 13 and younger. Contact the crisis center for tips on what to look for and how you can reach out to someone if you suspect that they're a victim of human trafficking. Taking that one step could help save a life and end modern day slavery right here in Texoma.
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