The Illegal Commercial Sex Industry in Dallas and North Texas
As a state, Texas is a hub for international human trafficking. Its busy interstate highways, international airports, countless bus stations, shipping commerce through the Gulf of Mexico, and shared border with Mexico make it easier for pimps and traffickers to move throughout the area and elude police detection. Additionally, the North Texas area is a major draw for trafficking and prostitution because of its economic stability, cultural diversity, two major airports, and large number of sexually oriented businesses. As a result Dallas has become a center point in a larger sex trafficking and prostitution route.
The illegal sex industry in Dallas largely takes place in massage parlors and through street prostitution, though online sex-buying is establishing a growing presence in the area. Local law enforcement encounters a wide variety of prostituted people of varying ages, ethnicities, and social status. Outside of massage parlors—where most of those prostituted are of Asian descent or immigrants from Asia—the typical prostituted individual in Dallas is an American woman or child.
How CEASE Dallas is addressing the problem
The CEASE Dallas team is comprised of a group of specialists, philanthropic partners, survivor leaders, law enforcement officers, and other dedicated individuals committed to end the commercial sexual traffic in the North Texas region. CEASE Dallas is working towards this goal by implementing john schools, engaging in prevention and training campaigns at local schools, developing cyber patrols, posting weekly ads on john boards to track buyer information, collaborating in local law enforcement operations, and working with the Secretary of State’s office to implement demand-reduction trainings and implementing anti-demand policies and procedures.