A two-day human trafficking sting out by the Denton County Sheriff’s Office landed 11 men in jail and uncovered a dozen potential victims NBC 5’s Tahera Rahman reports how one North Texas nonprofit is helping many of those survivors.
Eleven men are facing charges after a two-day sex trafficking operation in Denton County.
According to the Denton County Sheriff's Office, deputies worked with the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, Department of Homeland Security, and Arlington Police on a sting earlier this month.
In a press release Thursday, the Denton County Sheriff's Office said the first day of the operation was called "demand suppression," identifying people who had, through online communication, arranged to meet someone and pay for sex acts. The sheriff's office said they arrested 11 people who are now accused of solicitation of prostitution. Ten of those men were from Denton County and one was from Wise County.
On the second day of the operation, investigators focused on "victim outreach," according to the press release.
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The sheriff's office said law enforcement posed on social media sites as someone looking to purchase sexual favors and then agreed to meet people offering those services. The people met by law enforcement were detained and interviewed.
Investigators said counselors from nonprofit organizations specializing in helping victims of human trafficking met with the detained individuals and identified 12 possible victims. The sheriff's office said all of those possible victims accepted assistance from nonprofits Refuge for Women, Unbound Now, Bob's House of Hope, and Kainos International.
Bob Williams, founder and CEO of Bob's House of Hope, said although their safe house is at capacity, they are still helping 10 of the 12 victims from this operation.
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“We do have a complete case management team that’s working with them, right, to provide services, to get them off the streets, to get them away from traffickers, and to help them get into programs," he said.
Williams, who said he is the first safe house in the country for young men who have been victims of sex trafficking, has a waiting list of 50-60 people.
He said most of them are referred by law enforcement across the country after busts.
“They’re all very afraid," Williams said.
Their program spans four to five years, and the first step is often immediate medical care.
"We’re dealing with HIV, all kinds of health issues," he said. “They control these kids by drugs. So, we have meth addicts and heroin addicts, and the list just goes on.”
Williams said most survivors only have up to a 7th-grade education, so their program also includes enrolling in school, getting GEDs, and even college enrollment.
"These kids need a chance at life," he said. "The goal is so that they can become productive members of society, to get them through their trauma work, to get them hope, to help them heal, and either teach them a trade or get them through college.”
The program also includes teaching tasks like how to do laundry and make the bed, job training, and a lot of counseling.
“There’s not one rational person that can comprehend what these kids have been through," Williams said.
Bob's House of Hope sits at Ranch Hands Rescue, which rehabilitates animals, many from abusive homes, themselves.
“They sense the trauma these kids have been through," Williams said.
He said many times, that victims will open up to the animals before they do counseling.
“It’s amazing how it works, you know, we say it’s like magic," he said.
Magic that he first discovered, himself.
“I’m also a survivor. I was one of these boys. I was raped as a teenager, struggled with drugs and alcohol, homeless at 20," Williams said.
He said more people are becoming educated about the problem, but more needs to be done.
“We believe it’s up to 50% of sex trafficking victims are boys and young men," he said. “Parents need to understand what is happening. And typically, these boys are trafficked by somebody that they know.”
He said as law enforcement agencies like the Denton County Sheriff's Office crackdown on human trafficking, he's getting more calls for help.
They hope to expand and build another facility, adding about 50 more beds, so that survivors don't have to live in fear, anymore.
"I tell every one of them when they come in, that, ‘I will keep you safe. No one will ever touch you again,'" Williams said.
Texas has a human trafficking initiative and task force. They say to call 911 in an emergency. If you want to report possible human trafficking in non-emergency situations, you can contact iWatchTexas at 844-643-2251 or iWatchTx.org.
