Tim Powers
Law Offices of Tim Powers, Denton Texas
940.580.2899 940.483.8000
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Imagine a 14-year-old girl being sold, beat up, drugged, and raped repeatedly. She is only 14 and is being forced to live a life of addiction and violence. She didn’t ask for it. But the sad issue at hand is she is not the only one who faces this awful faith. According to the U.S. State Department, 600,000 to 800,000 people are being trafficked across international borders each year. Both males and females are being trafficked, with 70 percent being female and 50 percent being children. On average, teens enter sex trade at ages 12-14. Most of these victims are sexually abused girls who ran away from home.
Let’s back up a bit and define human trafficking. Webster’s Dictionary defines human trafficking as an “organized criminal activity in which human beings are treated as possessions to be controlled and exploited (as by being forced into prostitution or involuntary labor).” Human Trafficking is normally linked with exploitation such as: prostitution, slavery or involuntary servitude, and sex for pornography. This criminal action is taking place all over the world even the United States. “The National Human Trafficking Hotline receives more calls from Texas then from any other state.” Around 15 percent of those calls come from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It’s sad to imagine that this horrific action is probably taking place in our own neighborhoods.
Recently in the news, a mother cries out for help, in order to help her 17-year-old daughter. Her daughter was lured in by a pimp and was forced into prostitution. Her pimp sold her to another pimp and threatened her saying if she does not go, then he will hurt her and all of her family. The mother fought for her daughter in order to free her from these actions. It turns up the man that was selling her daughter had did more than just sell her to a man in Dallas. He had been giving her heroine and selling her to other men for sex. Police arrested her daughter’s pimp.
Some other victims; however, may not be as lucky. Some people never make it out alive. According to Texas Gov. Rick Perry, people in the human trafficking industry manipulate their victims promising a better life, but instead “deliver them to a modern day slavery.” With Texas being one of the biggest contributions to human trafficking, stricter rules are being enforced. Some laws involve teaching federal agents how to tract these people down, and others are actual legislature. According to the Texas Council on Family Violence, the House Bill 3000 “creates a new first-degree felony in the Penal Code called Continuous Trafficking of Persons, which applies to individuals who commit two or more acts of human trafficking in a period of 30 days or more.” Punishments for first time offenders include 25-99 years of prison and fines of about $10,000. Second time offenses include lifetime in jail without parole. According to the Texas Penal Code Chapter 20A, a person is considered guilty if they knowingly traffics another person and forces them to do labor, receives a benefit, is involved with prostitution, traffics a child and abuses them or forces them to do labor, or engages in sexual contact with the minor.
Human trafficking is everywhere. Make sure to protect yourselves and your children. Be aware of how traffickers recruit people. Do not be with company you do not trust. Do not make rash decisions while intoxicated. Be aware of who you talk to online. There needs to be an end to human trafficking.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/human%20trafficking
https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-human-trafficking
http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/20/politics/sex-trafficking-bills/index.html?hpt=ju_c1
http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/PE/htm/PE.20A.htm
If you are seeking aggressive criminal representation by an experienced criminal defense attorney for your Denton County criminal case or arrest in Denton County, contact the offices of Tim Powers today. There is no charge or obligation for the initial consultation. 940.580.2899
*Tim Powers is an attorney licensed to practice law by the Supreme Court of Texas. Nothing in this article is intended to be legal advice. For legal advice about any specific legal question you should directly consult an attorney. Criminal Defense Lawyers with Unparalleled Passion for Success Providing Quality Representation for your Denton, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Carrollton, Corinth, Highland Village Dallas, Plano, McKinney, Denton County, Tarrant County, Collin County, or Dallas County criminal case
Source: Andersson, V. et. al. (updated, 2023) "Sex Trafficking Statistics Worldwide (+dataset)". Accessed at https://bedbible.com/research-sex-trafficking-statistics/