January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and The Janelle Grum Family Crisis Center of East Texas is focusing on escaping sex trafficking and where to find safety.
Safe Dreams, Secure Nights is the local human trafficking awareness theme for 2025. The Janelle Grum Family Crisis Center of East Texas chose this campaign theme because a warm bed and clean linens to go on a bed are more than just essentials, they are symbols of safety, dignity and hope for survivors that are rebuilding their lives and moving forward after escaping abuse. Survivors of sex trafficking need these items to be snug and cozy when they lay down their head at night, just like anyone else.
A bed and bath drive is taking place through January 31st at the Family Crisis Center of East Texas, benefitting survivors of human trafficking and their families. Many survivors live with discomfort as a reality of their everyday lives, whether emotionally or within their environment. “Being able to have clean, soft bedding and a safe and secure place to sleep in the emergency shelter is vital for survivors to start their healing process after escaping from abuse. New bedding such as sheets, blankets and pillows or new bath towels, hand towels and washcloths are much needed,” said Whitney Burran, Executive Director.
Imagine not knowing where you will sleep, who you will be staying with, or what conditions you will find yourself in. This is a reality that survivors may face while controlled by their trafficker or when escaping a life of bondage and forced sexual labor. Your donations create comfort and promote necessary rest in a survivor’s life, who may have experienced little to no rest while living under duress.
Human trafficking, as defined by federal law, involves the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person through force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of commercial exploitation. This modern-day form of slavery takes various forms, including sex trafficking, labor trafficking, and exploitation of minors. The exploitation may involve stripping, pornography, prostitution or forms of forced labor.
Sex trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which individuals are forced, coerced, or deceived into engaging in commercial sex acts against their will. Traffickers may gain the victim’s trust through promises of a better life, job opportunities, or a romantic relationship. It is a global issue affecting millions of people, including men, women, and children, though women and girls are disproportionately affected. Victims of sex trafficking are often exploited by traffickers who use violence, threats, manipulation, and other forms of control to force them into prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation.
Traffickers often prey on people who are vulnerable due to poverty, lack of education, unstable home environments, or migration status. Traffickers may entrap victims by claiming they owe large sums of money for transportation, food, or housing, forcing them into exploitation to repay the debt. Victims are often moved to unfamiliar locations, isolated from family and friends, or controlled through surveillance and threats.
Victims of sex trafficking tend to be very exhausted due to being overworked with long hours and little to no pay. They may have previously had to work all night and into part of the day, leaving them a couple hours, if that, for sleep. They may not be able to sleep even in these couple hours, facing unimaginable danger at all times – making it hard to get rest. Sleep is vital to us as humans and when we go without it, we may even suffer consequences to our health. These victims being forced to work with no rest, live day to day with tremendous pressure on their bodies. Survivors of sex trafficking often need medical, psychological, legal, and financial support to recover and rebuild their lives.
The Family Crisis Center of East Texas will be holding an open house on Thursday, January 23rd, at the Lufkin Administrative & Outreach Office, 2401 Davisville Rd. The community is welcome to attend between the times 9am-11am or 2pm-4pm, addressing how the agency — with community support — is able to serve human trafficking survivors and what is needed to serve them. Supporters will hear remarks from staff members at both 10am and 3pm. Bed and bath items can also be dropped off during this time and donors will receive a FREE human trafficking awareness t-shirt while supplies last. Come and visit the agency January 23rd and learn about the shelter program and how you can provide safety and support for survivors!
As Human Trafficking Awareness Month unfolds, the Family Crisis Center of East Texas urges the community to stay informed, share knowledge, and actively contribute to the prevention of human trafficking in all its forms. Human trafficking often thrives unnoticed. Learn to spot the signs, report suspicious activity, and support survivors. Together, we can create safe nights for everyone.
If you or someone you know is the victim of human trafficking, domestic violence or sexual assault, call the agency’s 24/7 hotline at 1-800-828-SAFE (7233) or text 936-552-9256.