Human trafficking is one of the most organized and profitable criminal enterprises in the U.S., and we are failing to stop it — not because we don’t care, but because we aren’t willing to treat it like the systemic, complex threat it is.
As a former city council member in Austin, Texas, I worked on public safety, housing and nonprofit coordination, the very systems that touch trafficking survivors most often. I saw firsthand that, despite the proclamations, awareness months and periodic funding bursts, we haven’t built anything close to a serious strategy to end trafficking.
We don’t need more press conferences — we need policy. And the policy we have now is not working…