The Tarrant County 5 Stones Taskforce will feature a panel discussion at its April meeting on the challenges of identifying and reporting on statistics of male sex trafficking victims.
The City of Fort Worth published a blog post about the panel on Tuesday. According to the blog, the panel will feature human trafficking prosecutor Danielle Bonanno with the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office, Detective Maria Orand with the Fort Worth Police department, and Landon Dickeson with Ranch Hands Rescue.
Tuesday, April 29, 11 a.m.-12:15 a.m.
100 N. Forest Park Blvd., Ste. 200, Fort Worth 76102
RSVP is not required, but pre-register if you're attending virtually.
The Tarrant County 5 Stones Taskforce is a community network engaged in collaborative efforts to end sex trafficking in Tarrant County. It functions as a coordinated, multisector enforcement that unifies various levels of government entities, law enforcement, service providers, nonprofit organizations, and community stakeholders.
According to Ranch Hands Rescue, recent studies show that up to 50% of trafficked youth are male. Sex trafficking affects males across sexual orientations, racial and ethnic identities, socioeconomic status, and age.
Traffickers often use various forms of force, fraud, and coercion to control and exploit victims. This might include imposing debt, fraudulent employment opportunities, false promises of marriage or a better life, psychological coercion, and violence or threats of violence.
Ranch Hands reports that the problem qualifies as a local, state, national, and global epidemic. It says support must come from all levels of government, as well as partnerships with the private sector, to help solve it.
Learn more about the Tarrant County 5 Stones Taskforce page on the Fort Worth Police Department website.
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