The Westside Baptist Church Youth Ministry and the Killeen Police Department held a meeting to share stories of human trafficking from survivors.
As initially reported by the Killeen Daily Herald, roughly 75 people attended on Jan. 17 to listen to a scripture reading and prayers before hearing facts and stories about human and sex trafficking.
Fort Hood victim’s advocate Dietra A. Woods said that Texas reported 79,000 cases of child sex trafficking, ranking them among the top three states in the nation behind California and New York.
Woods referred to human trafficking as “modern-day slavery” and compared it to a disease, the Killeen Daily Herald reported.
Woods also explained several emotional signs of a human trafficking victim for people to be aware of. These include a disconnected attitude, behavior changes or appearing disoriented, afraid or confused.
“If you know someone who is at one point so much fun, the life of the party, and then they don’t want to have anything to do with you, ask why,” Woods said, as reported by the Killeen Daily Herald. “If they stop attending school, ask why.”
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