WACO, Texas (KWTX) – January marks National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Each year more than 313,000 people are victims of human trafficking in Texas, according to a study by the University of Texas.
In order to help reduce that number, Unbound Now – Waco hosted their annual “Not in My City” event on Saturday. From local parks to laundromats volunteers helped put up flyers at over 300 public spaces.
“As we know human trafficking is not discriminatory, so really any place we try to get these in,” Unbound Now – Waco executive director Kristi Hayes said.
Members of Baylor’s Kappa Omega Tau service fraternity, including Caul Mcauley assisted in putting the flyers in bathrooms around town.
“You know I’m not doing anything else on Saturday, there’s no football,” Mcauly said. “So really I would love to do this any Saturday.”
Experts say these spaces might be the only place victims are alone and away from their traffickers. Sometimes victims of human trafficking might not even know they are victims.
“I hope it gives them the courage to call and ask for help,” Hayes said. “I hope they see themselves as truly worthy of compassion.”
The day of service started with a presentation from Unbound Now – Waco on how traffickers control their victims and what’s involved with the reporting processing.
“Trafficking doesn’t just have to deal with just necessary kidnapping,” Jackson Jarratt, member of Kappa Omega Tau, said. “There’s grooming and a lot of processes that go into it.”
Jarratt used those lessons learned to educate others in the community.
“There’s never enough awareness that you can spread,” Jarratt said. “The only way it’s over is if sex trafficking is over and people know how to escape it.”
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