The one one element that is 'better' than rescuing someone out of slavery is preventing them from ever having to enter it. In order to properly do prevention work, you have to do two thing: First, you need to identify the most at risk population and customize programs and point resources towards that population in order to make prevention possible. Second, you must educate and raise awareness to the general public.

In studying to figure out who the most at risk, and seemingly most neglected population is for central Texas we have come up with - foster children ready to age out of the foster system with no place to call home. National studies tell us, that by the time a teenager becomes homeless they are propositioned by a trafficker within 48 hours, the time is even less in major cities. Traffickers who approach these teenagers play to the child's insecurities, longings and unmet needs in order to 'convince' them of a better life. When a teenager "ages-out", they begin their new life with the belief that they are not wanted and therefore must not be good enough for community or family. They have no one guiding them to gain the education that will allow them to lead a better life than they statistically should. And the idea of being loved with no strings attached seems like a fantasy. The traffickers know this, and play to it.

An eight part case-study was done on human trafficking in Oakland, California, specifically domestic girls trafficked for sex, in order to identify the most at risk population. Through this report and others they found that around 80% of Oakland's domestic-trafficked teens came from the foster system. We are not in Oakland, but based off of what we have studied, we believe the stats aren't far off here in central Texas.

So, how do we do prevent human trafficking against the most vulnerable? We are partnering with Caring Family Network and LifeWorks to develop a Transitional-Prevention Home for girls getting ready to age-out of the foster care system with no place to call home. This house will be a place that offers the comfort and acceptance of family. This house would offer community. This house would have the environment to inspire the girls to continue with their state-sponsored education through college, in order for them to create a future for themselves that would other wise seem unattainable.

If you would like any more information on this please email us at prevention@restorecommunities.org