The Texas foster care system is facing criticism after two teenage girls, under the state’s care, were allegedly drawn into a sex trafficking operation, as reported by Dallas Morning News on September 7. According to the details, the girls, from Bell County north of Austin, disappeared from an unofficial foster care placement, igniting concerns that they became victims of a trafficking ring.
Unlicensed motels or rental houses, sometimes provided by religious institutions, serve as makeshift homes for these children when Child Protective Services (CPS) can’t allocate a licensed foster home or shelter. Alarmingly, family court judges have voiced concerns about sex traffickers targeting such unofficial homes, even though their locations remain undisclosed.
The gravity of the situation was further highlighted by District Judge Aurora Martinez Jones. She revealed a chilling case where a girl from Travis County was trafficked into prostitution in Tennessee after leaving one of these unregulated foster care placements. The young victim was subsequently located and is in the process of being returned to Texas.
Astonishingly, CPS contemplated placing her back in the same dubious location, a decision that Martinez Jones found incomprehensible. “If we have youth being trafficked out of these locations that have been compromised, why on earth… would we put them right back to those locations?” she lamented to the Dallas News.
In response, CPS spokesperson Marissa Gonzales refrained from commenting on this particular case of sex trafficking in teens. However, she assured the Dallas News that children aren’t returned to compromised locations when “there is a known security risk.”
If you or someone you love has been affected by sex trafficking, the Women’s Rights Group is here to help. Reach out for support in pursuing financial claims for the pain endured. You’re not alone; we’re here to help. Call us today.
