Whatever It Takes: Staying the Course in the Fight Against Sex Trafficking

Written by: Bianca Davis, CEO of New Friends New Life

This year, New Friends New Life is recognizing 25 years of working in the Dallas community to restore women and girls who have been trafficked and exploited. As an agency, we have grown a lot since that very first woman reached out for help well over two decades ago. And every day we continue to learn how to best serve survivors, educate the community, and hold perpetrators accountable.

In fact, the most recent local sting operation proves what we know to be true - that buyers are often everyday men who are purchasing other human beings, and that this illegal crime is happening right here in our community. If we are going to collapse the trafficking industry, we must hold both the trafficker and the buyer accountable. By addressing the demand, as exemplified by the valiant work of our Men’s Advocacy Group, we can put traffickers out of business.

While we have a long way to go, the good news is that Dallas is always up for a good fight.

Looking back on Human Trafficking Prevention and Awareness Month, I am encouraged by the engagement displayed by law makers, neighbors, and the faith community. From being recognized by the Dallas County Commissioners Court to discussing the resigning of the Abolish Human Trafficking Act with co-author Senator John Cornyn, lawmakers and civic leaders are listening and acting. From our well-attended bus tours to invitations to speak to social organizations, corporations, and educational institutions, our community members are learning and advocating. And, most of all, the women and girls of NFNL are doing the hard, transformative work of restoring their own lives.

 By the time women graduate from our Four-Phase Women’s Program, they have secured stable housing, are emotionally healthy, and are gainfully employed. On National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, we were cheering on a graduate of our Women’s Program as she shared all that she has accomplished, and the powerful way she is giving back to her community today. It is her story, replicated time and time again, that keeps me going.

I ended Human Trafficking Awareness Month last Sunday standing before a congregation of several thousand members of Concord Church, with many more watching online. It was not lost on me how far we have come in raising awareness across all sectors and fields. And this is what it will take – all of us coming together to take a #StandforHer, not only in January, but every day of every month, every year, for as long as it takes to create a safe community where sex trafficking does not thrive.

To support our work all year long, and to lock arms with us in this fight, I invite you to join New Friends New Life’s Power of 10 Club today. For less that the cost of your favorite streaming service, you can make a difference in the lives of trafficking survivors every month, every year, for as long as it takes.