Sex trafficking has always been one of those silent problems within a city. Victims are often scared to secrecy over threats to harm them, their families, and friends. Or they remain silent because they lost hope of ever being rescued. And there are even more reasons that we may never know. It is because of this restraint to speak that so many victims just drift away in the darkness and suffer in silence.

Houston, unfortunately, is a hot bed for sex trafficking, human trafficking in general really. This is to be expected in a city that has __ million people that is in such close proximately to the U.S. – Mexican border. But this is not a problem that is not being addressed by those in leadership. In fact, Houston is leading the way with our conversation and actions in how we make this issue a priority in our city.

Houston has a full-time position in the Mayor’s cabinet to address labor and sex trafficking established in 2015. The city followed that by becoming the first major US city to have an anti-trafficking ordinance and initiative for certified training for hotel and motel employees. The No Trafficking Zone Law creates 1,000 feet no trafficking zone around all schools. It also requires the posting of warning signs in conspicuous areas around all schools and school related events.

The University of Houston Downtown (UHD) is furthering the conversation with a free, virtual conference “Sex Trafficking in Houston: Hidden in Plain Sight” from October 18-20, 2022, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Over the course of the three nights, the goal is to discuss solutions to combat the problem of victims not being heard or seen as well as increase education and awareness about the issue.

“Conference attendees will learn about sex trafficking in Houston from all perspectives, including the impact on children and those in our prison system. We will also hear the voices of survivors and of mothers whose daughters did not survive,” said UHD Social Work student Rhonda Kuykendall, who is also a survivor and the conference organizer.

Each night will focus on a different topic of sex trafficking.

The conference, a program of UHD’s Center for Public Service and Community Research, will cover different topics nightly:

• Oct. 18: “What Really is Sex Trafficking?” with topics such as what grooming is, who is at risk, addressing the demand for sex buying, and establishing self-care.

• Oct. 19: “Meeting the Needs of Survivors” with topics such as economic empowerment for survivors, understanding vulnerable populations, programs for at-risk youth and adults, prosecuting traffickers and buyers, and a survivor panel.

• Oct. 20: “Social Justice: Where Do We Go From Here?” This evening will showcase the work of three local nonprofits working to advocate for legislative change at the state level.

“Our vitalvoices series brings together scholars and practitioners to speak on the most pressing issues of our time,” stated Steven Villano, Director of UHD’s Center for Public Service and Community Research.

According to the release, UHD’s vitalvoices series serves as a forum to bring scholars and practitioners to speak to students, faculty, alumni, and community partners at UHD’s College of Public Service on the most pressing issues of our time.

Interested attendees may register at https://tinyurl.com/VV-STC.

By the end of this vitalvoices series, attendees will better understand what sex trafficking is, be introduced to local nonprofits working in this space, gain a better understanding of legislative advocacy, and have specific calls to action to act.