Greg Abbott is the Republican governor of Texas who just won re-election in 2022. He contributed to rape culture by vetoing a bill to protect children from being prosecuted when they are the victims of sex traffickers.
One of the great injustices of our legal system is that when children are trafficked, they are prosecuted for prostitution even though they are trafficking victims. The Texas bill would prohibit criminal prosecution of trafficked minors, but would allow police to apprehend them and return them to their parents or to Family Protective Services.
Abbott’s argument is that not prosecuting the children would mean traffickers would use more children. Except this bill does not protect the traffickers; it protects the children.
Abbott first campaigned on protecting child sex trafficking victims, but they have been victimized by their traffickers and by the justice system that punishes them. Worse, some have even been trafficked by the state facility created to protect trafficking victims. The Refuge, according to reports, a facility for foster kids who have been trafficked has been trafficking those victims as well.
Greg Abbott campaigned against sex trafficking which he called a modern form of slavery, but has only been interested in punishing the victims, not protecting them.
Employees of a Texas-contracted facility meant to care for female foster children who are victims of sex trafficking were discovered to be trafficking the same children, according to a federal judge.
Seven children, ages 11 to 17, were victimized by nine alleged perpetrators, according to discussions held during an emergency court hearing called by U.S. District Judge Janis Jack on Thursday. The children remained in the facility for over a month after the abuse was first reported before they were removed.
The children were sexually and physically abused and suffered from neglectful supervision and medical neglect while at The Refuge, a facility located in Bastrop contracted by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, a current Refuge employee reported to state authorities on Jan. 24. The court and the court monitors — watchdogs of the foster care system appointed by the judge — were not notified until Thursday.
The Texas Tribune: Kids in foster care who’d been victims of sex trafficking endured fresh abuse at a state shelter, report says
- The Texas Tribune: Children can still be charged with prostitution in Texas after Greg Abbott veto
- Lonestar Project: Abbott’s Assault on Texas Women and Kids
- The Texas Tribune: Kids in foster care who’d been victims of sex trafficking endured fresh abuse at a state shelter, report says
