Modern-day slavery in Texas

In a dimly lit parking lot late at night, undercover detective Mike Sweeney met face-to-face with a child sex trafficker.

Sweeney received information that a man was soliciting his 9-year-old niece for sex in exchange for money. They negotiated back and forth, eventually settling on both a price for the young girl and sexual acts she would perform. Not knowing that Sweeney worked as an undercover detective, the man arranged to meet him for the exchange. As the transaction played out, enough evidence surfaced through conversation and the man was arrested. His niece was saved from the sex trade that night.

All across Texas, similar situations occur. Traffickers sell children as sex slaves, leaving the minors with extreme emotional and physical trauma. One of the most violent, yet silent crimes, sex trafficking grows each year, with Houston leading in the United States. Slavery still exists and makes 79,000 child victims of the sex trade each year.

How Minors Enter the Sex Trade

Human trafficking describes the forceful moving of persons of any ages across the globe for sex or labor purposes, according to “Human Trafficking by the Numbers: The Initial Benchmark of Prevalence and Economic Impact for Texas,” published by The University of Texas Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. Regardless of the location or age, victims of sex trafficking are forced against their will to provide commercial sexual services.

Sweeney, a former cop for over 30 years and narcotics and prostitution detective, currently works as a human trafficking specialist for the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault. With a background in undercover operations handling narcotics and sex worker cases, Sweeney now educates law enforcement on trafficking and sexual assault.

Sex trafficking has recently gained increased media attention, however it has existed forever and is much more frequent than people realize, Sweeney said

“People have the image of girls being abducted and forced into the sex trade and 90% of that is not true,” Sweeney explained. “It’s usually someone we know, trusted, maybe even loved that puts us into the life. Parents, uncles, and it’s been that way forever.”

Often people don’t realize that a victim’s neighbor, family member or boyfriend is the one putting them in danger.

The most vulnerable minors usually don’t fit in with social norms, such as LGBTQ+ minors, minors in foster care and runaways, Sweeney said. Within two weeks, a minor on the street can form a relationship with a pimp and fall victim to trafficking, often starting by engaging in sexual acts in exchange for food or money.

“They’re usually contacted within the first 48 hours of running away.” Sweeney explained.

These pimps are experts at picking out vulnerable victims, specifically ones that don’t seem to fit in and have low self esteem sometimes caused by early sexual abuse, Sweeney said.

70-90% of those involved in commercial sex report that have a history of childhood sexual abuse, according to “Juvenile prostitution and child sexual abuse: A controlled study” published by the Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health.

“A study of the victim shows that usually there is early sexual abuse for a child,” Sweeney said. “It changes the way the brain develops.”

The Reality of Child Sex Trafficking

Once found by a sex trafficker, a dependent relationship forms between the pimp and the minor, who needs the shelter or food that a pimp can offer, Sweeney said. In studies of the victims, those who experience early sexual abuse look for an attachment and fill the void with a pimp who acts as a father.

“The perpetrator steps in and makes false promises,” Sweeney said. “Fraud, coercion, and eventually violence happen.”

Breaking free from sex trafficking takes an incredibly strong will due to the dependence on the pimp.

“With survivors, theres something called a trauma bond,” Sweeney said. “They are wholly dependent on that pimp for survival: for food for shelter. It’s very difficult, even as badly as they are treated, sometimes they are raped and beaten, they still have that bond.”

In many cases, the process of finding and prosecuting pimps is very long and on-going, Sweeney said. Once found and prosecuted, pimps can receive up to 35 years in prison on multiple accounts and the survivors are left with severe mental and physical trauma.

In Texas

25% of all trafficking victims in the United States are found in Texas, according to a presentation from Nancy Arrigona for the Justice Research and Statistics Association.

California, Texas, New York and Florida are the top states for sex trafficking because they are international gateways, Sweeney said. Immigrants on work visas are also very vulnerable. Often, they are brought in internationally promised a different life and are deceived into entering the sex trade.

“They can be brought by an organization with the promises of getting you a work visa in the United States,” Sweeney said, “All of a sudden the price changes once you get here. They force them into sex trade.”

A Place for Healing

The healing process is long and hard for any survivor, especially minors.

Minors exiting sex trafficking primarily experience post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, according to “A descriptive study on sexually exploited children in residential treatment” published by the Child Youth Care Forum, a publication of research on children and families.

Judy Grigsby works as the Director of Operations at The Refuge Ranch outside of Austin and maintains relationships with survivors through a unique program targeted at healing.

The Refuge Ranch provides a community for girls who are survivors of exploitation through Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking and offers a long-term loving home for them to grow holistically, according to their website.

The Refuge Ranch got its start when founder Brooke Crowder was moved by a video about sex trafficking in Costa Rica and received encouragement to explore options on how to make an impact in Texas, Grigsby said.  

“She wanted to build a place where these girls can go and heal,” Grigsby said.

After hearing of the Refuge Ranch’s mission, multiple local companies such as Jack Allen’s Kitchen and Kendra Scott gifted the grounds with concrete, roofs and furniture, Grigsby said.

“Every time she would educate people, would tell what she was trying to do, people would come forward and say ‘I want to help’,” Grigsby said. “People know and understand how important the work is and they want to be a part. The community has built the Refuge.”

Grigsby said that the first survivor of DMST arrived at the Refuge Ranch in August 2018 and about two girls a month are added. The community can house up to 48 girls in various cottages with house mothers where they receive a holistic healing experience that has compassion towards their history and their story.

“We look at their trauma and their healing: mentally, emotionally, spiritually, relationally, educationally, physically, medically,” Grigsby said.  

At the Refuge Ranch, girls have the opportunity to complete their education and explore new skills, Grigsby said. It may take many years for the girls to heal, but unique to the Refuge Ranch, they aren’t forced to leave at a certain age.

“There’s no answer for how long they stay because it depends on the girl, what she’s been through, what her personality is, and what she has done with this thing that has happened to her in her heart.”

Ending Modern-Day Slavery

Ending sex trafficking runs much deeper than stopping pimps; it’s also about stopping the consumer and becoming educated about the topic.

“As long as we have people going to pay for sex, it’s not going away,” Sweeney said. “If we make it very risky for someone to want to purchase sex, it will reduce it dramatically. And that’s the best we can hope for.”

Sweeney said education is crucial to decreasing sex trafficking.

“The eye doesn’t see what the brain doesn’t know,” Sweeney said. “If we train ourselves to see it and we act upon it, we report it, we say something, those are the biggest first steps. The mass majority of our population doesn’t know what it looks like.”

In one case, a large residential home was the site of a sex trafficking ring, Sweeney said. Some of the warning signs were men coming in the house at all hours of the night and women trafficked in and out.

“It’s one of the few things that people rally around that is non-partisan,” Grigsby said. “It doesn’t matter what socioeconomic background you come from, what political background, religious background, no one says ‘That’s ok, it’s not that big of a deal’.”

Play Your Part

By becoming informed about sex trafficking and modern day slavery, Texans can play their part in ending it. Pay attention to warning signs. Speak up. Fight for those without voices. To find out more about sex trafficking and The Refuge Ranch, visit therefugeaustin.com.