human trafficking

Mayor Sylvester Turner announced the launch of Watch for Traffick, a city-wide media campaign to raise awareness about human trafficking and encourage Houstonians to report it. The new multi-media campaign is one element of a broader anti-human trafficking strategic plan unveiled earlier this year.

Watch for Traffick ads about the nine different forms of human trafficking will be displayed various places including taxis and buses, television and social media. Printed materials will also be available in five languages. The City’s partners in this campaign are United Against Human Trafficking, the Harris County District Attorney, the Houston Police Department, Yellow Cab, METRO, and Fubu TV. The creative concept behind Watch for Traffick is the work of Deutser, a Houston-based management consulting firm which donated its services.

“Human trafficking is modern day slavery,” said Mayor Turner. “It can occur anywhere and at any time, but its warning signs often go unnoticed. Watch for Traffick will alert Houstonians about what to look for and how to report it.”

Dubbed by the Polaris Project as the nation’s first comprehensive, municipal-level response to human trafficking, Houston’s strategic plan lays the groundwork for advancing policy changes, raising awareness, supporting efforts to coordinate victim services and implementing joint initiatives of Mayor Turner’s task force, the Houston Area Council on Human Trafficking.

Partner cities and organizations can gain access to the Watch for Traffick Media Campaign Toolkit, the mayor’s strategic plan and other information at www.watchfortraffick.org or www.humantraffickinghouston.org.

To report suspected cases of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center: 1-888-373-7888.

Houston's mayot Turner.....“By raising everyone’s awareness about what human trafficking is, we will ensure that reporting human trafficking becomes as natural as reporting a robbery incident to law enforcement. By aggressively combating human trafficking, we are creating a community where everyone’s dignity and basic rights are upheld.” — Houston’s mayor Turner…..“By raising everyone’s awareness about what human trafficking is, we will ensure that reporting human trafficking becomes as natural as reporting a robbery incident to law enforcement. By aggressively combating human trafficking, we are creating a community where everyone’s dignity and basic rights are upheld.”

Mayor Sylvester Turner announced today the release of the first phase of the City’s Anti-Human Trafficking Strategic Plan, a plan which has been dubbed the first comprehensive municipal response in the U.S. by the Polaris Project. It is a collaborative effort between the City of Houston and community partners to fight human trafficking 365 days a year, including around major events like the Super Bowl.

“Human traffickers rob individuals of their dignity and strip victims of their rights and liberties,” said Mayor Turner. “By raising everyone’s awareness about what human trafficking is, we will ensure that reporting human trafficking becomes as natural as reporting a robbery incident to law enforcement. By aggressively combating human trafficking, we are creating a community where everyone’s dignity and basic rights are upheld.”

There are five components to Houston’s plan:

Change public perception
Enhance links to social and legal services for victims
Implement joint initiatives developed by the Mayor’s anti-trafficking task force
Adopt new ordinances and departmental policies, where necessary
Serve as a national model for municipalities around the US and the world

Plan highlights include a partnership with Yellow Cab and Taxis Fiesta, both of which have agreed to send out emails and text messages in English and Spanish to educate their drivers about human trafficking and how to report it. The taxi companies have also agreed to display the City’s new ‘Watch for Traffick’ public awareness campaign on their cabs. Deutser, a local management consulting firm, donated the creative capital to develop the media ads, which will be rolled out in two phases, before and leading up to the Super Bowl.

In Texas, there were 2,035 confirmed cases of human trafficking between December 2007 and June 2015. 717 of those cases originated in Houston. Because this is a crime that often goes unreported, the actual rate of human trafficking may be higher.

The City of Houston offers all interested cities free toolkits for download at www.humantraffickinghouston.org. In conjunction with the Strategic Plan, toolkits can be used to develop a comprehensive municipal approach to addressing human trafficking through policy advocacy, direct outreach, and public awareness campaigns.

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