In 2018, Voice of Hope worked with 37 new victims of sex trafficking, a problem that Director Kristin Murray said is going on more than people think, and right under the public’s nose.
Murray said because of this issue, Lubbock annually hosts the Sex Trafficking Conference.
“It’s a two day event where we bring speakers in from outside of Lubbock to educate our community as well as the people who are working with these victims on what this crime looks like and how you can step in and help,” Murray said.
Murray said people in Lubbock need to be better educated on the warning signs.
“Those victims that are being trafficked are often in a position of submission,” Murray said. “They won’t talk to you, they won’t look you in the eye, the other person is making the decisions for them, answering for them.”
Murray also said that trafficking is not usually kidnapping or abductions, instead, the trafficker often grooms children for months before any action is ever taken.
“If your children come home with a friend that’s giving them expensive gifts, things that maybe your children can’t afford or has a new phone, there’s reasons for these things,” Murray said.
Rochelle Keyhan, CEO of Collective Liberty, said she traveled to the conference from Washington, D.C. and said trafficking is a national issue, so it needs to be addressed all together as a nation.
“We should be pooling resources, sharing information, seeing what worked here, what didn’t,” Keyhan said.
Keyhan said Lubbock especially is located near the interstate, allowing trafficking to happen from multiple angles, and attracting buyers.
“If we don’t care, nobody will, and our lack of compassion is why it’s happening,” Keyhan said. “And the more empathy and compassion we have the more we as a community can remove this evil.”
