Study Counts Exploited Girls in TX

A WFAA story featured a study that was conducted and funded by the Dallas Women’s Foundation to count the number of sexually exploited girls in Texas. Researchers identified 740 girls under 18 that were being promoted on internet sites such as backpage.com and newspapers such as The Dallas Observer. The actual number in the state is higher as this research does not include girls that may be exploited through other methods such as street prostitution or brothels in the area. According to the news story, “Dallas Women’s Foundation paid for the research, hoping hard numbers will influence lawmakers in Austin to recognize that girls are victims. The foundation wants the state to fund programs for long-term care and housing.”

New Friends New Life protege leader, Tekla Roberts, shared about these young girls’ plight within the news story. Tekla is active in the community raising awareness about the need to intervene for these girls as they are victims. Tekla also volunteers at the Letot Center to work with and support underage girls that have similar experiences as her own.