United Against Human Trafficking

On June 8, 2021, UAHT’s Youth Program Specialist Taylor visited the Fort Bend County Juvenile Detention Center. The last time he had visited the center was the Tuesday before Houston’s COVID-19 lockdown. Surprisingly, some of the children who participated pre-pandemic were still residing there. Both Taylor and the youths recognized each other. The children told Taylor they remembered the lessons and were even alright with re-doing the program because it was so meaningful to them. “Your group is the only one we really pay attention to! I actually remember the stuff you tell us.” “There will be random times when I remember what you said.” “I have more potential than I ever realized, and I only learned that because of your group.”

Maggie was the first trafficking survivor to enroll in our case management program. Abuse was a constant in her life, coming from both her trafficker and her ex-husband. She turned to substances to cope with the immense trauma. Her trafficker, ex-husband, and drug dependence posed an immense danger to Maggie’s parents and two children, who all exited Maggie’s life for their safety. When Maggie joined our program after escaping sex trafficking, she saw things begin to turn around. She worked tirelessly to become sober and confront her trauma with healthy coping skills. With Maggie’s newfound sobriety and safe distance from her abusers, she reunited with her children and her parents. Her dad was so proud of her progress that he agreed to bring Maggie onto his dental care plan and paid to fix her teeth, which had been knocked out in a violent encounter with her ex-husband. Maggie sent us a beautiful picture of her new smile; she felt ready to take on the world. In the summer of 2021, she started a job with one of our amazing partners. Congratulations to Maggie for embarking on a new life journey!