Rescue Her Comes To Texas State
By: Shelby McElwee February 27, 2018
An organization at Texas State is joining the fight against human trafficking.
The Department of Homeland Security defines human trafficking as modern-day slavery and it affects millions of of men, women and children around the world. According to the Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault at the University of Texas's School of Social Work, it is estimated that there are more than 300,000 victims of human trafficking in Texas alone.
Texas State junior Megan O'Shea has started a Texas State chapter of the anti-human trafficking organization called Rescue Her.
“Rescue Her at Texas State University is the first collegiate chapter of the non-profit organization Rescue Her that’s based in Dallas, Texas. We focus heavily on doing motel outreaches,” said O’Shea.
She says raising awareness is a big part of Rescue Her, but the organization focuses more on taking action.
“We’ll outreach to local motels and then work with the staff and train them on how to identify and then safely report human trafficking that could potentially be going on in their motels,” said O’Shea.
O'Shea is passionate about the organization and its purpose. She says she can use her freedom to help those who aren't free.
“As a student that has the opportunity to be attending an institution of higher education, and that is free to do whatever I want in life, I want to use my freedom to bring freedom to others so they have the same opportunities that I do,” said O’Shea.
