By Mimi Mayo-Smith | Intern
One year ago, 3 Generations produced a short documentary: "Miami-Dade Takes on Sex Trafficking". We captured how police, prosecutors and local activists have come together to revolutionize sex trafficking interdiction through collaboration in Miami, Florida.
Not all the U.S. States are taking similar actions to end sex trafficking. Lately, we’ve been tracking media on the sex industry in Texas. We learnt that direct intervention can only be part of the solution. In order to end child sex trafficking, it is crucial to look at the institutions and social spaces that child sex victims navigate.
In a recent editorial, The Texas Tribune reports how the state is home to over 80,000 child sex victims. This number not only reveals the ferocity of the sex trafficking industry but also the widespread failure of the child welfare system to shelter and protect vulnerable children. Most child sex workers have gone through multiple foster care homes or youth shelters - but bad living conditions and domestic abuses have led teenagers to fall into the grasp of pimps.
The child welfare system is broken mainly because of two interconnected reasons: there is not enough capacity to provide for all the children in need and the system is extremely under-funded. In February 2017, Texas leaders refused to provide more money to organizations trying to increase their capacity and quality of services. The Texas Department of Child and Family Services have outlined a crucial budget of $1 billion to make basic improvements to the child welfare system, yet lawmakers only proposed to allot less than one third of what the agency needs.
The 80,000 sex-trafficked children do not seem to be a priority for the Texan government. But at 3 Generations, we are committed to changing this reality. In February, we co-hosted a successful awards ceremony for the 4th Annual Malone Prize for Law Enforcement Vision and Leadership in Miami. Our Executive Director, Jane Wells, spoke out on the issues of sex trafficking and honored law enforcement officers who are working year round to end sex trafficking across the United States.
3 Generations will continue using our visual platforms to share the personal stories of victims and the brave efforts of those combatting sex trafficking.
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