Human Trafficking Is A Big Issue In This Small West Texas City
They say everything is bigger in Texas. Most of the time, that is a good thing. But, one thing that is not good and that has become a huge issue in this small city is human trafficking.
Abilene Texas is known for being a very tight-knit community that supports a variety of causes including homelessness, child advocacy, domestic abuse, animal welfare, and so much more.
But human trafficking is one glaring issue and is something that we all need to be aware of and talk about.
Human Trafficking Is A Bigger Issue In Abilene Than Most People Know
My co-worker and Texas Country Music Hall of Famer, Rudy Fernandez recently wrote an article on how bad human trafficking is here in Abilene. In Texas alone, over 300,000 people are being trafficked through our state.
Because Abilene is close to larger cities and has a major highway with I-20 running through, our city is seeing a vast increase in cases with several recent reports of human trafficking.
I was able to sit down with Blake and Jocelyn with Arrow Ford who also advocates for Beyond Trafficking, a non-profit organization that raises awareness and provides assistance to survivors of human trafficking.
Interview With Blake and Jocelyn of Beyond Trafficking
In this first segment, we talk about human trafficking in Abilene and a story that inspired the formation of Beyond Trafficking.
In this last segment, we discuss ways you can help as well as a few events that will raise awareness.
If you would like to know more about the human trafficking issues in Texas and how you can help, please go to Beyond Trafficking's website, and join the fight against this heinous crime.
Abilene Missing Person Cold Cases
Gallery Credit: Chaz