In society, people tend to judge books by their cover. They see teen couples go through difficulties and shrug it off as if it is not an issue, because of the simple fact that they are young. Teen Dating Violence is an epidemic affecting one in three teens. It has no gender preference and could happen in any of relationship. Unfortunately, many teens are not aware of the war

Feb. 14 means different things to different people. For me, it’s getting 64 class cards and candy ready and scrambling to get pink hearts and glitter to decorate gift bags and boxes. Gone are the days of romantic dinners and gifts (wait, come to think of it, did that ever really happen?). Now, it’s all about a busy checklist. And that’s okay, it’s life. For others, Valentine’

I have to be honest, it was nowhere on my radar a few years ago. As a mother of three, I secretly thought: Why are people spending time advocating against animal cruelty when there are hungry, abused and abandoned children? Everywhere I went there were activists and animal lovers asking the community to get involved. These individuals ranged from those I didn’t know to those I

Safe Shopping is of high concern during the month of December since a lot of people have to get their holiday shopping done. Throughout the month, we educated Houstonians specifically on this topic by sharing eye opening facts and numbers as well as helpful tips to stay safe. Even though they are of particular significance at this time of the year, they should be paid attention

You see them as you buzz around Houston. You may wonder what their stories are or what went wrong in their lives. Some see them and wonder what crimes they have committed or might be intending to commit. Some look for pets that may be in their care and wonder if they are being properly cared for. For others, they are no more than an eyesore…. But to Buzz resident Tracy Faulkne

Last month, Harris County authorities found a 19 year old woman living in captivity at a motel on Highway 290. She was brought from her home state of Alaska to Houston “for the purpose of the commercial sex trade” after being contacted by human traffickers on Facebook. This incident is horrible, but it is no surprise. Unfortunately, Houston has become a national hub for human t

When people think of human trafficking, the images that come to mind are of cowering, scared and restrained bodies, involuntary victims who have been exploited and enslaved. Our reaction to these terrible images: we have to save these people. Campaigns defining human trafficking in this way have been extremely effective in raising public awareness and inspiring legislative re

January was National Human Trafficking Awareness month and organizations all around the U.S. took action to increase awareness about modern-day slavery. The staggering facts that 20% of human trafficking victims in the U.S. travel through Texas along the I-10 corridor and 50% of victims in the U.S. are children put it beyond debate that we cannot just ignore our country’s secon

A Legislative Update Human trafficking is a multi-faceted problem and fighting this egregious crime requires a number of stakeholders and tactics. Comprehensive legislation and sound public policy are crucial components to laying a successful framework for tackling this issue. In 2000, the federal government passed our nation’s hallmark anti-trafficking legislation: The Traffi

The common thread that ties all of us to human trafficking are the stories of people exploited by others without regard for their inherent humanity. When I started working for United Against Human Trafficking these stories sounded like fiction, as if this reality was too stark and painful to comprehend. Sadly, these stories are far too common and entirely nonfiction. The natura