The Importance of Balance: An Analysis of Labor Trafficking in Texas

Though there exists a widespread modern movement in the aim to end human trafficking, a lack of reliable empirical data has cultivated an imbalanced approach toward this end. A heightened focus on emotional appeals has dissipated energies and emphasis that otherwise would be directed at research and policy, which more effectively combat human trafficking. This thesis serves as a call to rebalance current trafficking efforts by adding an empirical lens to a movement that has primarily been driven by emotions. Texas provides a helpful view into this reality as it is at the forefront of both the problem and the solution. Through a discussion of labor trafficking in Texas, I propose a rebalancing of efforts to incite a data-driven model that ensures root-level change and effectively mitigates trafficking.