Rapid Field Assessment of Domestic Minor Trafficking In Harris and Galveston Counties

In 2011, Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition adopted the Rapid Field Assessment tool designed by Shared Hope International, which was developed to provide a comprehensive understanding on the scope of child sex trafficking in a particular region.  HRRC spent the first six months of 2011 conducting field research in Harris and Galveston counties in order to have a better understanding of the scope and magnitude of domestic minor trafficking in our area.  HRRC has published its findings in their report on Domestic Minor Trafficking.

The Field Assessment covers the three main pillars of the  Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) prevention, protection and prosecution.   Through this lens the assessment seeks to identify best practices as well as the loopholes, gaps and challenges that exist in working with this victim population.  The assessment found that misidentification of victims continues to be major barrier to providing appropriate services to this population as well as training and awareness about the issue of domestic minor trafficking remain low.   The full report and Executive Summary are available below in order learn more about our findings.  It is our hope that this report will provide a starting point for the development of a comprehensive strategy for Harris and Galveston county to better serve these youth who fall victim to this horrible crime.

To read the Full Report, Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Field Assessment (Harris and Galveston Cty).

To read the Executive Summary, Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Field Assessment – Executive Summary.