Human Trafficking in Houston, Thoughts from the Front Lines

Recently, HPD Lt Cathy Richards of the Vice Division stopped by our meeting to speak about human trafficking in Houston.  This story recounts the facts and stories she shared with us.

 

Houston is referred to as the hub of human trafficking.  We have international airports, a large port, three major interstate highways and proximity to the Mexican border.  An anti-abuse charity called The Polaris Project set up a hotline for victims to call for help.  Over the last ten years, more calls for help have come out of Houston than any other US city.

 

In Houston, many young women from China, Korea, Viet Nam, and Latin America are sexual indentured servants.  They work the streets or they work massage parlors.  They must earn a certain amount of dollars in order to buy their freedom.  But as has happened since the 1700’s, an indentured servant rarely, if ever, pays off those debts in the minds of the master.

 

There are a few issues that impede HPD from helping these young women and getting them to a better life.

 

First, HPD is not able to ask anyone about immigration status.  This helps to keep illegal aliens and the predators who feed off of them on the streets.

 

The pimps and madams who have brought these girls to the US engender both fear and loyalty from their slaves.  A young woman who is arrested by the police will not turn on her captor.  She will leave the police station and go right back to work at the brothel/massage parlor.

 

There are also language and cultural issues.  Women coming from countries where police  are corrupt are not likely to trust HPD. 

 

HPD is becoming  creative in stopping  human trafficking.  The Vice Division opened their own massage parlor and used it to arrest the male customers attempting to buy sex from undercover officers.

HPD is partnering with local charities to be on site when a raid takes place.  This allows the charity to step in, explain the situation in a girl’s own language, explain how her situation relates to US law, and explain that there is a way out.

 

Another program, focuses on arresting everyone in the brothel/massage parlor, winnowing out the children, and taking those children to homes where  they can find help.  Unfortunately, this is a slow and frustrating process.  Out of twenty girls arrested, nineteen will return to work for the pimp or madam.

 

Human trafficking runs rampant in Houston.  Look for suspicious behaviors in your neighborhood.  For instance, most legitimate massage parlors won’t have traffic at 10pm.  Report what you see and join Rotary in helping local charities to find a solution to these horrible crimes.