Blog
The Fight to Survive: How Our Brains Protect Us
Excited laughter and happy squeals morph into a single pain-filled screech. It pierces the humid summer air and suddenly my surroundings melt away. Just a moment before, my hair flowed behind me in the cool wind. My fingers wrapped around the handlebars, one foot...
Is Human Trafficking the Worst It’s Ever Been?
The human trafficking hotline has received more reports of human trafficking than ever before. In its first year, the hotline received just over 3,000 reports of human trafficking in the U.S. The hotline became inundated with calls as years passed, reaching 10,949...
7 Holiday Gifts that Fight Human Trafficking
"What can I do to help fight human trafficking?" It's the most common question we hear from you, our motivated community. Every day, you can disrupt the cycle of abuse. You can change lives through gift giving. You don’t need to work at a non-profit or receive special...
3 Survivors You Helped in 2019
As we near the end of 2019, we want to say thank you. Your support throughout the year ensures that we can work in our community, helping people understand human trafficking and supporting those who have endured it. You are the reason that it's possible. Because of...
3 Fair Trade Halloween Candy That Are Affordable
Halloween is just around the corner! As you stock up on candy for Trick or Treaters, consider offering fair trade treats! We know that finding fair trade halloween candy can be challenging, and when you do find ethically-sourced treats, they can be quite expensive!...
3 Things We Teach Parents of Trafficked Children
You scream as you dash through the door. A wave of heat courses across your body and your heart pounds against your collarbone as you gasp for air. This is trauma.
UAHT Partners with New York Times Reporter to Tell the Story Of Trafficking on the Sea
Introduce yourself with a short bio: My name is Ian Urbina and I am an investigative reporter for The New York Times. For the past four years I have been working on a series called The Outlaw Ocean, which chronicles the various types of crimes which occur at...
3 Ways to Tell your Kids About Trafficking Before School Starts
Mrs. Baker cheers as Riley marches across the field with plumes of feathers ascending from her head. Despite the sweltering August heat, Mrs. Baker proudly stands and claps for her child at the end of the halftime show. A bass drum weighs heavy on Riley’s shoulders as...
Boys: Too Tough to be Trafficked?
The bell rings. Moments later, a horde of boys bound into the locker room, tossing their clanking back packs in their lockers. Just outside, the goal posts anticipate the rhythmic pounding of cleats running towards them on the field. But it has to wait- this is more...
How Samuel Helped Free His Friends
“Here they are! These are my friends that are being trafficked.” Samuel’s voice was an eager whisper, as he and two others approached us at an April street reach. We’d slowly gained trust with Samuel during his many interactions with our staff: he spoke frequently...
How You Can Stop Trafficking While At Work
“I want to make a difference. Tell me how I can help.” We hear these passionate words from you every day. The burden of overlooked men, women, and children caught in exploitation weighs on your hearts and minds. We can’t end human trafficking without you. As a part of...
3 Critical Ideas Survivors Learn In Real Talk
Dear Jamie*, The last few years of your life were rough. You’ve lived on the streets, running out of friends and family to rely on. Now you're living in a residential facility and are currently in several programs, each promising support and help. Yet your voice feels...
Our Most Powerful Year
Because of your support, 2018 was a breakout year full of courage and changes! We engaged with nearly 23,000 individuals and during our first full year in providing direct services, weconnected 81 victims to care. We also trained over 12,000 parents, police...
Trafficked Through Social Media
“That’s what happened to me,” Jackie stated confidently in front of her peers. While I receive disclosures of human trafficking frequently, this one caught me off guard. Our Real Talk Program consists of 10 sessions; each focused on different themes of...
Mya’s Story
By age 16, Mya was familiar with life on the streets. She was pimped out for sex and forced into young motherhood. Shuffled between multiple foster homes, she finally ran away. Bounced around from facility to facility, program to program, her rough exterior made it...
Protecting Houston Youth. What It Takes.
When we talk about protecting our children and teenagers from human trafficking, what do you think is most important? Is it about teaching our kids the behaviors of traffickers? Or maybe it's providing the right safety tips for social media? We spoke with our newest...
Empowered. Overwhelmed. Encouraged.
Two years ago, UAHT set out to increase the identification of exploited men, women, and children in Houston. We expanded our services from professional education and community awareness to include outreach and supportive programming. We were excited, eager, and ready...
Top 3 Ways to Fight Human Trafficking Now
When life kicks someone down, often traffickers swoop in, masking exploitation with kindness. They are the first-responders, grasping easy prey to make money for their own gain. Soon after, victims want to break free - yet how? Many times, they are unaware of avenues...
Women Like Us
Before this program I did not know that resources existed for women like us… - Nikki Women like us. When I heard Nikki say those words I was reminded why we created Real Talk. Our team developed the ten-week, trauma informed program in 2017 after recognizing how many...
Prevention With Educational Empowerment: UAHT’s Youth Programs
With Written Contribution from Quin’tara Spencer. Contrary to some misconceptions, American children can be victims of sex trafficking. These children are not only from at-risk, vulnerable populations, such as runaways, children of broken homes, or foster children:...