Help Fight Human Trafficking
January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. DFPS makes fighting against human trafficking a priority, and strives to improve awareness, services, and prevention efforts to help eradicate trafficking in Texas.
Get the 2026 Participation Guide for ideas and activities that anyone can use to help fight human trafficking!
Visit our Social Media Toolkit for posts and graphics to help raise awareness in local communities!
2026 Highlights
GRACE – GOVERNORS RESPONSE AGAINST CHILD EXPLOITATION
A Week of Prayer to End Human Trafficking: January 5-11, 2026
A statewide interfaith week of prayer - a GRACE initiative - coincides with Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the state of Texas and serves as a call to action to the faith-based community to unite in prayer, learn more about human trafficking, and discern opportunities to prevent exploitation and support survivors. The 2026 Week of Prayer to End Human Trafficking will run from Monday, January 5th through Sunday, January 11th.
During this week of prayer, Texans of all faiths and religious backgrounds are encouraged to pray about the issue of human trafficking in whatever manner they choose. In a spirit of solidarity and interfaith collaboration, GRACE humbly offers daily prayer intentions for those Texans wishing to focus their prayers.
Texans can use the hashtag #TXPraysToEndHT on social media to share their support for the Week of Prayer to End Human Trafficking.
Wear Blue Day: January 11, 2026
January 11 marks National Human Trafficking Awareness Day—a vital opportunity to shine a light on an important cause! Join us in wearing blue to show solidarity and raise awareness about the fight against human trafficking. Whether you're at work, home, or out with friends, snap some pictures of yourself and those around you donning blue attire. Let's flood our social media feeds with positivity and purpose! Share your photos using the hashtag #WearBlueDay, tag DFPS @TexasDFPS, and together, we can spread awareness and inspire change. Remember, every small action counts, and your support matters!
Email your photos to: HumanTrafficking@dfps.texas.gov
Human Trafficking Awareness Day Symposium: January 12, 2026
Office of the Attorney General - Texas Capitol Event
In recognition of Human Trafficking Awareness Day, the Human Trafficking Division of the Office of the Attorney General is hosting a FREE full-day symposium, focusing on the realities and myths of human trafficking in Texas. Anyone interested in learning more about human trafficking is welcome to attend this special event.
The event will start at 9:00 a.m. and will feature a variety of speakers for an audience beyond those working in the human trafficking environment.
January 12, 2026
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Capitol Extension Auditorium
1101 Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78701
Register for the Symposium.
Light the Way End Human Trafficking: Lunch and Learn Series 2026
Join us this January for our Light the Way End Human Trafficking Lunch and Learn series, dedicated to raising awareness about human trafficking. Stating on Thursday, January 8th, we will host informative sessions addressing this critical issue. These gatherings offer a chance to engage with experts, gain insights, and discuss prevention strategies while enjoying your lunch. Together, we can create a community informed about the signs of human trafficking and the resources available for those in need. Your participation can help foster change and promote a safer environment for everyone. Mark your calendars and join us in making a difference this January!
January 8, 2026
The Illicit Massage Business - Trafficking in Plain Sight
Speaker: Assistant District Attorney Alicia "Ali" R. Crowley, Human Trafficking & Transnational Organized Crime Division, Office of the Attorney General of Texas
In the first installment of the Light the Way End Human Trafficking 2026 Lunch and Learn Series, ADA Crowley will delve into the Illicit Massage Business and how trafficking is occurring in communities throughout Texas in plain sight. She will provide participants with an understanding of how the illicit massage business (IMB) operates and its connection to human trafficking as well as how to recognize IMB’s in their community and where to report concerns. ADA Crowley will also discuss steps taken to address IMBs by the Office of the Attorney General and their work with other state agencies. Additionally, participants will be provided with a general understanding of the challenges facing victims of trafficking in the illicit massage business industry.
January 15, 2026
Human Trafficking Enforcement Challenges & The Texas Program
Speaker: Tyler Dunman, Vice President of Programs, Human Trafficking Institute
In our second installment of the Light the Way End Human Trafficking 2026 Lunch and Learn Series, Tyler Dunman will share the importance of effective identification, investigation, and prosecution of traffickers as part of an overall strategy to combat trafficking. The session will examine the roles of the public, community stakeholders, police, and prosecutors in securing successful criminal justice outcomes in trafficking cases. The session will also share an overview of the Human Trafficking Institute’s newly launched Texas program designed to enhance enforcement efforts in identified jurisdictions across Texas.
January 22, 2026
Youth System Approaches Combat Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Youth
Speakers: De’Asia Wiggins, Sedoo Ijir, MPH, Director of Practice, Texas Network of Youth Services
In this week’s installment of the Light the Way End Human Trafficking 2026 Lunch and Learn Series, Texas Network of Youth Services (TNOYS) , a member network of over 100 organizations working across seven youth-serving systems including youth homelessness, child welfare, and victim services, and their intersections, will present. TNOYS has spent years spearheading cross-systems collaboration in and around commercial sexual exploitation of youth (CSEY) serving as a centralized information resource for preventing & responding to CSEY, a facilitator of training & technical assistance (T&TA) to strengthen CSEY services, a bastion of youth and survivor voices, and a convener of youth-serving organizations, Office of the Texas Governor, regulatory agencies, and other key stakeholders.
This webinar will dive into TNOYS' CSEY work at large, the intersections of CSEY and other youth systems, as well as strategies for meaningfully engaging youth and survivor voices in practice.
January 29, 2026
Leading with Curiosity and Care: Trauma-Informed Interactions with Youth
Speakers: Sarah Hall, LPC-Associate, Director of Anti-Trafficking Initiatives, Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services, Texas Center for Child and Family Studies
In the final installment for the Light the Way End Human Trafficking 2026 Lunch & Learn Series, subject matter expert and survivor of Human Trafficking, Sarah Hall, will introduce participants to a trauma-informed approach for engaging youth by emphasizing curiosity, empathy, and emotional safety in everyday interactions. Attendees will learn how trauma can shape behavior and practice practical strategies for responding in ways that build trust, reduce conflict, and avoid re-traumatization. Through real-world examples and simple tools, participants will leave better equipped to support youth with compassion, confidence, and care.
Office of the Governor Child Sex Trafficking Team
Webinar: January 21, 2026
Mind the Gap: Using Civil Remedies as a Creative Approach to Combating Crime
Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Please join the Child Sex Trafficking Team for the January installment of its Monthly Webinar Series.Shantal Ortega, Assistant County Attorney with the El Paso County Attorney’s Office as she discusses using the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies code to address common nuisance properties in El Paso communities including those where suspected human trafficking is occurring. This webinar will address how this tool can aid in bridging the gap between criminal prosecution and addressing the crimes occurring on a particular property. This webinar will also include a discussion on working with different law enforcement and regulatory agencies in Texas to build a case and how prosecutors can bring different agencies to the table who share in the same goal of addressing criminal activity.
Human Trafficking Prevention Month History
President Obama proclaimed January as the Human Trafficking Prevention Month in 2010. Following the start of Human Trafficking Prevention Month, National Human Trafficking Day began and is observed annually on January 11.
During the Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the priority is to shine a light on every dark corner where human trafficking still threatens the basic rights and freedoms of others.
Victims of human trafficking are often invisible because we do not recognize indicators of human trafficking. Identifying signs of human trafficking and reporting a tip may save a life.
Together, every Texan can protect and help those who have been trafficked heal and bring offenders to justice. Be informed and attend an event!
Our fight against human trafficking is one of the great human rights causes of our time, and the United States will continue to lead it - in partnership with you. The change we seek will not come easy, but we can draw strength from the movements of the past. For we know that every life saved - in the words of that great Proclamation - is 'an act of justice' worthy of 'the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.'
- President Barack Obama, September 25, 2012