BOB’S HOUSE OF
Igniting Ho
FOR HEAL by Jean Eisenmann | photo courtesy of Helen’s Photography
B
y Presidential Proclamation, January is known as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The goal is to raise awareness of heinous crimes against humanity, including children. Human traffickers generate billions of dollars by enslaving individuals through coercion, violence, blackmail, and other manipulative tactics, forcing victims to provide labor or services against their will, including commercial sex. This degradation of human dignity is prevalent throughout the world, including communities across America. And Texas is no exception. According to the U.S. Department of State, there are 300,000 children lured into the commercial sex trade each year in the United States. Surprisingly, roughly 150,000 of them are boys.
Enter Bob Williams, founder and CEO of Ranch Hands Rescue Counseling Center and Animal Sanctuary in Argyle. Bob initiated the nonprofit more than a decade ago to pair abused and neglected animals (the worst-ofthe-worst) with individuals suffering from complex trauma, resulting in unconventional and hugely successful therapy for both man and beast. Bob had always planned to add a safe house to the center as a separate facility, possibly for treating veterans. But after learning of the alarming lack of support and aid for male sex trafficking victims, he had to get involved. “I refer to these boys as the unseen survivors, because of the stigma associated with sex trafficking,” Bob said.
THE UNSEEN SURVIVORS 22 | LAKE CITIES LIVING | JANUARY 2021
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