Texas Attorney General’s Office Develops Human Trafficking Prevention Manual for Statewide Task Force

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today addressed the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force and issued the following statement about a new resource developed by the Attorney General’s Office and the task force to help criminal justice professionals dismantle human trafficking operations: “As our experience has demonstrated, human trafficking can only be stopped through the coordinated efforts of many organizations at all levels – local, state and federal as well as public and private. One of the most effective ways we have found to make a difference is through training. Training and awareness has improved the ability of law enforcement officers and prosecutors to identify human trafficking when they encounter it."

Media links: Human Trafficking Criminal Justice Manual

“In this spirit of training, the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the task force have produced a human trafficking prevention manual for criminal justice professionals. The manual is a key tool for law enforcement officers, prosecutors, parole officers, social workers and others who are positioned to make a difference in the lives of the vulnerable and the victimized. The criminal justice manual is one more step we are taking to fight back against the scourge of human trafficking.” During his address to the Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force, Attorney General Abbott noted the human trafficking criminal justice manual, which can be found at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov, provides numerous resources that will further the task force’s efforts to identify, investigate and prosecute human traffickers such as:

• Discussing how to recognize victims and help get them receive critical services they need to start their road to recovery;

• Providing human trafficking scenarios that different criminal justice professionals may encounter; and

• Empowering criminal justice professionals, communities and crime victim service groups to take action.

In 2009, the State of Texas took major steps to fight human trafficking by creating the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force.

Attorney General Abbott chairs the task force, which issues the “Texas Response to Human Trafficking” report prior to each legislative session. During the 83rd legislative session, Sen. Leticia Van de Putte and Rep. Senfronia Thompson sponsored new legislation that combined all of the recommendations presented in the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force’s 2012 report. For more information about the battle against human trafficking, visit the agency’s website at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov.