January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said he wants to help make a difference.
The City of Dallas announced at a ceremony on January 20 that Mayor Eric Johnson will expand on his Mayor’s Domestic Violence Advisory Council by adding human trafficking among their priorities. According to a press release, the team will now be called the Mayor’s Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking Advisory Council.
According to a press release, Mayor Johnson believes human trafficking should be on the city’s priority list right along the side of domestic violence by the statistics that the crime shows.
“Human trafficking preys on the vulnerable,” Johnson stated. “It is fed by people’s worst impulses and ugliest intentions. It’s evil. And like other evil acts, it hides in the shadows, often obscured by the messy realities of people’s lives. By expanding the Mayor’s Domestic Violence Advisory Council, we can work together to help survivors and make our city safer for all of our residents.”
The newly made team will have a City Council liaison, which Johnson appointed Councilmember Gay Willis, who is also a member of the Public Safety Committee, to fill the role. Jennifer Staubach Gates, a former City Councilmember who has history being the chair of the Public Safety Committee, will chair the Advisory Council team.
“This is a natural extension of the important and ongoing work of the Mayor’s Domestic Violence Advisory Council,” Gates said. “I am thrilled that Mayor Johnson is taking this issue seriously, and I look forward to working with Councilmember Willis, our police department, our criminal justice system, and our community advocates to help fight this destructive crime.”
In the press release, Willis said human trafficking is a crime that is difficult to address and difficult to track statistically.
“But it’s a crime that has a devastating impact on our communities, and we must work to stop traffickers and assist victims,” Gates said.
The Fraternal Order of Eagles presented $83,000 to the cause, and the North Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking hosted the event.
