The City of Houston hosted an invitation-only screening of the Hollywood feature film Trafficked on October 24th, 2016 at the Wortham Center in order to raise awareness of human trafficking. Starring Ashley Judd, Anne Archer, Patrick Duffy, and Sean Patrick Flannery, Trafficked is written and produced by Siddharth Kara, an… Read More
“Big assist needed to battle modern-day slavery,” op-ed by Mayor Sylvester Turner and U.S. Representative Ted Poe in Houston Chronicle Mayor Sylvester Turner and U.S. Representative Ted Poe call for fighting human trafficking each day of the year. (Published on April 1st, 2016). Read More
“City strengthens law to crack down on illicit massage businesses” by Katherine Driessen, Houston Chronicle Reporter Read about how the City of Houston made it easier for law enforcement to access illicit massage establishments. (Published on December 2nd, 2015). Read More
“Houston, Texas Case Study: Amending City’s Massage Ordinance” by Oriene Shin, Specialist at Polaris Case Study Overview During the second half of 2015, the End Trafficking in Illicit Massage Businesses Initiative focused on local government efforts and began to encourage cities to create or… Read More
The Special Advisor to the Mayor on Human Trafficking presents to the City Council’s Public Safety Committee on what approach the City of Houston is taking to prepare for Super Bowl 51. The presentation draws on a recently-released study that puts in context past claims about increases in human trafficking… Read More
Minal Patel Davis, Special Advisor to the Mayor on Human Trafficking, and Todd Latiolais, Staff Attorney from Children at Risk, present on illicit massage establishments in Houston before City Council’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee on November 19th, 2015. https://youtu.be/qyjAbWa2LJw… Read More
On October 29, 2015, the City of Houston Mayor’s Office arranged for world renowned panelists to share their thoughts and expertise on human trafficking. Panelists included Bradley Myles (President and CEO, Polaris), Siddharth Kara (Director of the Center on Human Trafficking, Harvard Kennedy School of Government), Dorchen Leidholdt (Legal Director,… Read More