Frequently Asked Questions

T. Denise Ministries is a nonprofit organization that provides support and assistance to those in need.

There are many ways to get involved with T. Denise Ministries, such as volunteering, making a donation, or attending one of our events. Please visit our website for more information.

T. Denise Ministries offers a variety of services, including food assistance, housing support, and job training programs. Please visit our website for more information.

Human Trafficking survivors whom have undergone extensive training  from various governmental and non-governmental agencies who focus on providing education in the various areas of human trafficking such as, sex trafficking, involuntary servitude & debt bondage.

Yes, we offer online counseling for individuals who are unable to attend in-person sessions or prefer the convenience of virtual sessions.

Human trafficking is a complex issue that takes various forms. The three main types of human trafficking are:

1. Sex Trafficking: Involves the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act, in which force, fraud, or coercion is used.
2. Labor Trafficking: Involves the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of involuntary servitude, debt bondage, or slavery.
3. Child Trafficking: Refers to the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a child for the purpose of exploitation. This can include both sex trafficking and labor trafficking of children.

Each type of human trafficking has devastating consequences for its victims, and it is essential to raise awareness, advocate for prevention, and support survivors in their journey to heal and rebuild their lives.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) defines human trafficking based on three separate elements that explain what traffickers do, why they do it, and how they do it. The act itself involves the recruitment, transportation, trafficking, harboring, or receipt of persons.

Traffickers do this by intimidating or luring victims through:

• Force
• Coercion
• Kidnapping
• Fraud or deception
• Abuse of power
• Payment

Once traffickers have acquired a victim, they exploit them for their benefit by forcing them into sex work, forced labor, and other types of non-consensual activities.

Forcing someone to participate in the sex industry against their will is known as "sex trafficking." Anybody under the age of eighteen who works as a prostitute is legally regarded as a victim of human trafficking, according to the Polaris Project.

The following are signs that someone may be a victim of sex trafficking:

*Expressing a wish to quit the sex industry but being afraid to do so.

*Being forced or forced to work in the sex industry.

*They always had companions, called "guards," with them wherever they went.

*Being in the sex trade industry and being managed by a manager or other authoritative figure.

*Having someone controlling every part of their life—a mentor, a partner, or someone else altogether.

*Working in fields, whether legal or illicit, where there is constant pressure to engage in sexual actions in exchange for money.

As per the National Human Trafficking Hotline, forced labor, or labor trafficking, is described as "a form of modern-day slavery in which individuals perform labor or services through the use of force, fraud, or coercion." This can manifest in various industries like farm work, domestic servitude, and factory labor, where victims often receive minimal or no compensation for their efforts. Disturbingly, a significant portion of forced labor victims are children.

In 2019 alone, the organization documented over 1,200 cases of forced labor and identified more than 2,500 individuals, showing indicators of likely being victims of labor trafficking. Texas ranked third in reported forced labor cases nationwide, with a notable focus on the trafficking of foreign citizens. 

According to End Slavery Now, Bonded labor, also referred to as debt bondage or peonage, occurs when individuals pledge themselves into slavery as collateral for a loan or inherit a debt from a family member. This situation may be masked as an employment agreement, or; loan, but in reality, the worker commences with a debt to settle—often under harsh conditions. Unfortunately, the repayment of the loan sometimes becomes unattainable, leading to the entrapment of the individual in permanent enslavement.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a U.S. government agency responsible for overseeing financial products and services for consumers, has published details of a new credit repair law and process for victims and survivors of trafficking to block adverse information from their consumer and credit reports that resulted from their trafficking experience.

This was created in response to efforts by survivors and other advocates to create and design an accessible process. This will change the lives of many survivors by providing a new pathway to financial freedom.

This process is new and will continue to evolve. There are some questions about the process that have not been answered yet. We will continue to provide updates as we get more information.