TEXAS – The number of human trafficking victims is continuing to increase across the state of Texas, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
In 2017, there were a total of 804 human trafficking cases in Texas. Survivors of human-trafficking are mostly adult women forced into sex and labor trafficking.
The number of cases increased from 2016 with 679 cases reported. Since 2007, there have been 3,742 cases of human trafficking in Texas.
The data also points to a 13 percent jump in the number of cases since 2016. Nationwide, a total of 8,759 were recorded last year.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline and the BeFree Textline are both operated by the Polaris organization, which compiled the numbers.
Types of trafficking
There are multiple types of trafficking from sex trafficking to labor trafficking. Sex trafficking includes escort services and outdoor solicitation.
Sex trafficking usually involves illicit massage businesses, strip clubs, bars and cantinas. These cases often involve an intimate partner of the person targeted for trafficking.
Labor trafficking consists of domestic work, agriculture and begging or peddling. The majority of these cases start out as a job offer before they lead to trafficking.
Demographics
The survivors of trafficking are mostly adults with 6,204 adult human trafficking cases in 2017 and 2,762 cases involving minors.
Women also have a disproportionately higher number of cases with 8,561 in 2017 and men having 1,454 cases.
If you or someone you know is the victim of human-trafficking you can call the national hotline at 1-888-373-7888 for help.