There are 313,000 victims of human trafficking in the state of Texas, according to a new groundbreaking study by the University of Texas. That puts the number of human trafficking victims in the state at fifty percent larger than the entire population of Amarillo.As The Austin American-Statesman reports,80,000 of those victims are minors involved in sex trafficking.
To come up with these numbers, researchers combed through existing databases, and “conducted interviews, focus groups and web-based surveys with professionals at social service agencies who provide outreach and relief services to trafficking victims.”
Besides sex trafficking, there is a massive problem with labor trafficking in the state. Traffickers exploit $600 million a year from victims of labor trafficking in Texas. Workers are exploited in many areas, including migrant farm work, construction, restaurant work and landscaping.