January is Human Trafficking Month: Part 1

January 7, 2025

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month: Part 1

By Shellie Velasco, Program Officer

[As we start the new year, we recognize January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. For 18 years, The Rees-Jones Foundation has worked with trusted partners both locally and internationally who are actively in the fight against human trafficking. This month, we want to showcase a two-part series focused on both domestic and global matters involving this injustice. Until all are free, we continue this crucial work].

When many people hear the words ‘human trafficking’ what first comes to mind is perhaps adult or child victims in various countries far away from the Western part of the world. And while tragically human trafficking does occur in these places, there are also survivors of trafficking right here in our local communities.

Imagine a teenage girl in the Dallas-Fort Worth area being recovered by law enforcement from child sex traffickers. Imagine her terrified, having endured terrible physical and sexual abuse, not certain who she can trust. Perhaps she has safe family members she can return to or maybe her family situation is not a healthy environment and she does not know where she will go. Drug use may have been part of her trafficking experience out of force or as part of coping to survive. She may even be several states away from her original home and may have previous involvement with the child welfare or juvenile justice systems.

It is in a scenario like this and many other similar situations that Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth (CSEY) Advocates play a crucial role. North Texas is fortunate to have two quality agencies serving as CSEY Advocates, Traffick911 and Unbound Now, both of which are Rees-Jones Foundation grantees. These organizations provide 24/7 crisis response and ongoing long-term trust-based relational support to male and female survivors of child sex trafficking. Advocates are often dispatched within an hour of a victim being recovered by law enforcement. They remain a consistent presence in the coming months or years as youth navigate many services and systems on their path to healing. Advocates from Traffick911 and Unbound Now are field-based, going wherever they are needed to meet youth. They assist young people with safety-planning and goal-setting, provide for basic needs, and accompany youth to medical, court, or other appointments as needed.

Psalm 3:3 says: But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. I love this verse. I can know in any circumstance it is His glory radiating through me and it is the Lord who holds my head high, bringing redemption to any situation. But I also know this promise is for anyone. Survivors of child sex trafficking have experienced unimaginable harm and trauma. As organizations rooted in Christian-faith principles, Unbound Now and Traffick911 help these young survivors know their value and worth, which some might say is the most important aspect of what they do.

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. It seems like an appropriate time to recognize the important work of Unbound Now, Traffick911, and other agencies in North Texas working to support child sex trafficking survivors as well as work to prevent such atrocities from happening in the first place. The Rees-Jones Foundation is pleased to partner with these organizations helping youth find long-term safety, stability, healing, and reminders that they are worthy, valued, and so loved by God.