ACF Region 6 Cheers on Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking

Partnership to combat human trafficking: (left to right) ACF Deputy Regional Administrator Carolyn Meier, ACH-Child and Family Services Vice President Alan Schonborn, Mosaic Family Services Assistant Program Director Sulan Chang, Office of Women's Health Regional Health Coordinator Angela Girgenti, ACF Children and Families Program Specialist Sharon Butler and Mosaic Family Services Deputy Director Bill Bernstein.By Elma Z. Goodwin, Management and Program Analyst, ACF Region 6

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers use force, fraud or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or labor services against a person’s will. According to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, our Region 6 states of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico and Texas reported 659 cases of trafficking in 2013. In 2015, 615 cases were documented — a reduction of 45 cases. While the numbers reflect a downward trend, in reality there is still much work to be done.

For the third consecutive year, ACF Region 6 and the Office on Women’s Health have hosted a forum to reach and educate its grantees and community partners on this great humanitarian injustice. This year’s theme, Human Trafficking, From Information Sharing to Taking Action, included opening remarks from the Office on Trafficking in Persons and presentations by two local organizations engaged in human trafficking services: Mosaic Family Services (since 1993) and ACH-Child and Family Services (since 1915). There were 39 attendees from various disciplines including education, state and federal governments, and community-based organizations.

ACF Policy Advisor Dr. Rochelle Rollins in her welcome emphasized the importance and need for awareness of human trafficking work. She thanked the group for their attendance and interest in the issue and acknowledged the importance of the work and the holistic nature of the services provided by the presenting organizations.

Mosaic Family Services Deputy Director Bill Bernstein shared scenarios of where human trafficking has been found:

• Domestic workers in affluent areas
• Boys who had come to America for education and opportunity but found themselves enslaved in labor and substandard living conditions

He stressed that human trafficking occurs and is engaged in by likely and unlikely places and people. Many people do not see themselves as being trafficked. In the Dallas/Fort Worth area, more cases of domestic servitude are being uncovered, and “debt” bondage is a common form of human trafficking. If trafficking is suspected, here are a few questions to ask: 

• What type of work do you do?
• Are you being paid? Do you get to keep the money?
• Could you leave your job if you wanted to?
• Do you have your own identification/documents?

Mosaic Family Services Assistant Program Director Sulan Lang informed the group of their services. Mosaic is a safe haven for survivors of human rights abuses, including human trafficking and domestic violence. The organization's emphasis is to provide a one-stop shop approach to basic services that may be needed including free shelter, legal representation, counseling, education and support services in more than 25 languages. The organization's service area is Dallas and surrounding counties.

The last speaker was ACH-Child and Family Services Vice President Alan Schonborn, whose service area is Tarrant County. He shared information on Surviving: Human Trafficking on the Streets and in Child Welfare Settings. The audience got a look at the various reasons people are lured into trafficking: survival sex—to meet basic individual and family needs and feeling special for being signaled out to participate (the aggressor made me feel pretty, special and mature).  Foster children are likely to be trafficked because of their negative life experiences—abuse, neglect, and abandonment.  Many of those controlled are done so without chains—through mental persuasion.  Finally, Alan shared the following red flags for children who may be in the trafficking network:

• Psychological, sexual and/or physical abuse
• Malnourishment
• Frequent STI’s/ER visits to different hospitals
• Poor dental health
• Has few personal possessions
• Not allowed to speak for themselves or hold own identification documents
• Unusual/not age-predicted injuries to and around genitalia

For reporting suspected abuse, speakers encouraged use of the 24-hour National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline, 1-888-373-7888 or text BeFree (233733).

In addition to the educational aspect of the forum, it was helpful in connecting attendees with speakers to be used in their upcoming events and informed them of resources available for their future needs.

More information on human trafficking is available at

• /programs/endtrafficking
• http://traffickingresourcecenter.org/
• http://www.mosaicservices.org/
• http://www.achservices.org/

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