March 1-2: Sheriff Adrian Garcia, D.A. Mike Anderson, FOX26 News Anchor Sally MacDonald Join Forces at Free the Captives' 3rd Annual Houston Human Trafficking Conference

HOUSTON, TX., Feb.4, 2013-Human slavery, a dark and repulsive part of America's past, has reared its ugly head again. right here in Houston.

"We cannot ignore the reality that human trafficking is a thriving business in our own backyard," said Sally MacDonald, Fox 26 anchor and reporter, whose in-depth investigation of Houston's sex slave trade last year drew widespread attention. "Sex trafficking is a multi-million dollar business in Houston, which has become a hub for the selling and buying of human beings, including girls as young as 12 years old," described MacDonald in a series of reports that exposed the sex slave industry's threat to Houston, not only in the inner city, but in some of city's wealthiest suburbs as well.

"Human trafficking is a top priority for the Sheriff's Office, and we're not just targeting the traffickers who sell sex, but the people who are buying it too," said Harris County Sheriff, Adrian Garcia, who conducted several stings in 2012 that netted dozens of "Johns." District Attorney Mike Anderson adds that prosecuting the "Johns" is key. "It's a supply and demand problem-the "Johns" are creating the demand, and in response, the traffickers supply the girls," said Anderson. "Our strategy for cleaning up this city includes aggressively going after the buyers as well as the sellers."

MARCH 1-2, 2013: Sally MacDonald will join Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, District Attorney Mike Anderson, leaders from the Christian community (including KSBJ's Coppelia), and members of the community-at-large for Free the Captives' 3^rd Annual Houston Human Trafficking Conference.

THE PURPOSE of Free the Captives' Human Trafficking Conference is to educate people about the human trafficking problem in Houston; strategize ways to combat the sex slave trade; and provide practical ways in which members of the community can help eliminate sex slavery in the Houston area.

"We welcome anyone who wants to come and help us tackle this threat head-on," said Julie Waters, founder and director of Free the Captives, a faith-based anti-human trafficking 501(c)(3) organization that partners with law enforcement, government agencies, and other non-profits in the fight against modern day slavery.