Child Trafficking & Exploitation
35,000+ Texas children attend public schools that are within 1,000 feet of a suspected illegal massage business
CHILDREN AT RISK is committed to strengthening laws and policies on human trafficking and improving the response to children who have been commercially sexually exploited.
Center to End the Trafficking & Exploitation of Children (CETEC)
The Center to End the Trafficking and Exploitation of Children, the only center of its kind in Texas, was established to combat domestic minor sex trafficking. CETEC’s works to: educate the community through training, presentations, publications, media outreach and an annual summit; engage in legal research, study trafficking trends, and explore best practices; collaborate with organizations on the front lines to determine community needs; and provide resources for public officials, draft and support positive legislative change.
CHILDREN AT RISK’s Center to End the Trafficking & Exploitation of Children aims to improve public policies in order to
- Prevent instances of human trafficking
- Protect victims and support human trafficking survivors
- Increase the prosecution of traffickers and buyers
Featured Resources
Our Latest Human Trafficking Research & Resources
CHILDREN AT RISK Releases 2022 Annual Report
2022 was a year of huge growth for CHILDREN AT RISK, both in our work and as an agency! In addition to our main office in Houston, we are proud to report C@R now has multiple staff members based in North Texas, Central Texas, and El Paso. Having this statewide...
C@R Leads Learning Tour in Mexico City
In May, CHILDREN AT RISK hosted 20 guests in Mexico City for a human trafficking and immigration learning tour. The group spent a busy 4 days visiting with local organizations, touring cultural sites, and (of course) enjoying the food! The trip focused on exploring...
Illicit Massage Business Toolkit
Illicit Massage Businesses (IMBs) use the cover of a legitimate service to engage in prostitution and often human trafficking by using force, fraud or coercion to compel the women working there to provide sexual services to the buyers who patronize these places. IMBs...
Economic Empowerment: A Path to Recovery for Survivors of Human Trafficking
By Lauren BiegelDiscussions around human trafficking are often focused on identifying victims and punishing their traffickers. Unfortunately, removing a victim from the situation in which they are being exploited is far from the end of the road to recovery and...
Accountability for Buyers in the Commercial Sex Market | Brief
Texas House Bill 1540 went into effect this September. The bill is a key component of the 'Texas Model' to combat commercial sex - and its associated harms including the fueling of sex trafficking - through strengthening buyer accountability. The bill makes...
C@R Honors Child Advocates & Anti-Trafficking Leaders at North Texas Luncheon
On September 23rd, 2021, CHILDREN AT RISK celebrated North Texas and honored local leaders working to end human trafficking and child exploitation with our first ever Speaking Up + Speaking Out Luncheon. North Texas community leaders, advocates, and trafficking...
Edward & Margaret Marsh Foundation Awards Grant for CEASE El Paso
CHILDREN AT RISK was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Edward N. and Margaret G. Marsh Foundation to help fund the nonprofit’s Center to End the Trafficking and Exploitation of Children and expand the Cities Empowered Against Sexual Exploitation in El Paso.
Opinion: Vulnerable LGBTQ+ youth need support
Coming out is a testimony in itself. I told my mother when I was a sophomore in college. Preparing to come out wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. I drafted numerous speeches and spent countless tearful nights racked with anxiety. But, to my surprise, the best speech...
How did Children Fare in the 87th Texas Legislative Session?
Over the last 140 days, Children at Risk monitored thousands of bills, registered support for bills 93 times, provided written testimony 23 times, and provided oral testimony 20 times. Out of our initial legislative priorities, 17 bills ultimately made it to the...
Testimony in Support of HB 1540: Preventing Child Trafficking from RTCs
Children at Risk Senior Staff Attorney and Anti-Trafficking Expert, Jamey Caruthers, testified in support of House Bill 1540 (S. Thompson) in front of the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee on March 15, 2021. In Fiscal Year 2019, 1,973 children and youth...
VIRTUAL ROUNDTABLE: Keeping Children Safe During COVID-19
Child safety experts from Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, and the Rio Grande Valley highlight how COVID-19 is impacting their regions, what they are doing to adapt, and what Texas Legislators need to know. While children have largely been spared the worst of the...
“Stop Trafficking Now”
By Caroline Roberts On Tuesday, January 22, 2019, over 200 advocates, legislators and concerned citizens from around the state gathered on the south steps of the Texas Capitol to support human trafficking legislation. Members of the crowd excitedly braved the cold,...