Human trafficking occurs in every corner of Houston, and no neighborhood is immune.
Unbound Now Houston Executive Director Kerri Taylor paints the picture of human trafficking in Houston.
“I don’t know if we are one or two, but we are definitely a hub. Every bit as much as LA, Miami, or New York. And it is partly because of our location, we have a lot of interstates, and we are easily connected to Dallas and San Antonio.”
Unbound Now Houston is a network that supports human trafficking survivors, who are often children, according to Taylor. “In Houston, you can literally dial up and order a child and have them delivered to your hotel room as easily as you can a pizza.”
For the person who says, “human trafficking does not impact me,” Taylor has this to say: “You bump up against it all the time, at sporting events, concerts, rodeo. All these places we love to go for wholesome ET, but there are people there being trafficked.”
If you see something that you suspect could be human trafficking, say something.
- Call the human trafficking hotline: 1-888-373-7888. You can remain anonymous. Save the number in your phone as a contact. Of course, call 911 if it’s an emergency.
- If you have a toddler or young child, you need to pay attention to their behavior around other people. Are they excited or upset? Make sure you teach them the biological names of body parts. Do not force them to hug or kiss family members. Give them agency over their own body.
- The same applies if you have a pre-teen or teenager. While monitoring their mood, pay attention to any changes in their activities. Are they suddenly in possession of luxury items? Are they using multiple phones or social media accounts? These all could be red flags to look out for.
“About 76% explained Taylor who said the reason is, “Because we primarily we think of it as a girls’ problem. So, we really need to shift our paradigm and open our eyes, and be looking for boys who can be victimized as well. People can be trafficked while attending school.”
SURVIVING HUMAN TRAFFICKING
“When I was 10…” explained Rhonda Kuykendall, a survivor of human trafficking from Fort Bend County.
Kuykendall said, “I was visiting my dad at an apartment complex and I was down at the apartment pool by myself. A man came up to me and asked me if I wanted to be a model, and I just remember thinking how glamorous that would be, and so, of course, I said yes.”
No questions asked.
“He was given access to me, he would first drive to Fort Bend County and pick me up and take me to Houston, and then eventually I would be flown from IAH to Lubbock,” explained Kuykendall, who still has one of the airplane tickets she used to board the plane to fly to Lubbock.
“I would be picked up on a Friday, return on a Sunday,” explained Kuykendall.
By Monday morning, Kuykendall was back in her seat at school.
“I came home and told no one, no one.” Stated Kuykendall.
She said her parents never asked about the ‘modeling shoots’ or to see the pictures.
“It was a front for a child pornography ring is what it was,” explained Kuykendall.
During those weekend trips, at just 10 years old she was sexually assaulted.
“It happened immediately. It happened on the way to Houston.”
Kuykendall still has momentous her perpetrator gave to her.
“This perpetrator would send his victims homes with a memento; I got a scrapbook and the description was, ‘I love you pumpkin’ and his name.”
Kuykendall was scared for more than two decades, but eventually found the strength to speak up.
“I stayed silent for about 24 years. When I decided to come out and speak, I found out I was past a statute of limitations, and I couldn’t press charges.”
The man who trafficked her, now free, was eventually convicted in three states, including Texas. Rhonda worked tirelessly to abolish the statute of limitations on child sexual assault, a law that took effect in Texas in 2007.
“We know with social media, the internet, anyone is susceptible to trafficking. And the way traffickers use social media is they might throw out a net of 300 messages. Once they throw out that net of 300, once someone male or female, adult or child, responds, that’s the first step of the grooming process. You fall into a trap you love them, they’re your best friend, or they are going to help you become a model, there are so many tactics traffickers use.”
Renewing dependency. While perpetrators don’t let go, caring citizens don’t give up.
Christine Ege is the founder of the Ark Bakery & Café, a non-profit that raises funds and awareness for anti-human trafficking initiatives. To date, the effort bakes and delivers more than 700 cookies a month to sexual-oriented businesses throughout Houston.
“I heard about human trafficking happening at sexually oriented businesses right near my house,” Ege said.
Ege lives in North Harris County. She visits people working at businesses that are often fronts for trafficking.
“I didn’t have a lot of money to go funding big gift bags and I thought, well what do I have in my hands? I am a baker. I have cookies and I started giving cookies away,” Ege said. “Everybody gets cookies and a little love note that’s different for every person and they get a hotline number if they need emergency help.”
It’s missions like these, that mean so much to survivors and victims who are not free.
“I can tell you the trauma from trafficking is devastating, but it is the silence that killed me,” explained Kuykendall.
Data shows adults who are trafficked, often their perpetrator is a loved one or a significant other, someone they might feel indebted to.
According to city and county leaders last year, more than 100 people were charged with human trafficking in Harris County.
Unbound Now Houston says it’s helped more than 300 survivors.