Andrea Flores Edinburg- The Hidalgo County Criminal District Attorney’s Office marked January as National Human Trafficking Awareness month in a proclamation during the first County Commissioners Court meeting of the year last week.
In an interview with KVAQ-TV, Onorio Pelayo, agent for the special investigation unit in the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, explained what human trafficking is.
“You don’t have to actually have somebody tied, but when you control every aspect of their ability to do everyday functions, then you are in absolute control,” Pelayo said. “They are a form of slave.”
Medical Liaison for the Rio Grande Valley Anti Human Trafficking Task Force Rosa Hernandez said in an interview that anyone can be at risk of human trafficking, from young children to adults.
Hernandez said it is important to educate the community about this modern-day type of slavery since some victims may not be aware they are being trafficked.
“Sometimes victims don’t see themselves as victims, and so it is important to kind of bring out that information and be there to advocate for them”.
Pelayo added some of the red flags someone could be a victim is restricted access to communication or a cell phone and no control of their own money or identifications.
In an interview with KVAQ-TV, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission Lt. Rick Balli said he has worked with cases where traffickers use social media to lure their victims to meet somewhere.
Some venues for sex trafficking in Texas include illicit spa businesses and hotels or motels, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline website. Case demographics also show 616 victims are adults, 240 are minors, 758 are females and 137 are males.
For immediate assistance, the National Human Trafficking Hotline offers confidential calls at any time, all days of the week at 1-888-373-7888.
