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Human Trafficking:
Conflict and Crisis
in the Americas
“The Global Slave Trade: The True Cost of Our Consumption”
Right now, almost 30 million people around the world are enslaved. Forced to work without pay
in factories, mines, fields, brick kilns, restaurants, construction, fishing industries and in private
homes. They are lured through desperation, with promises of good jobs, trapped under the threat
of violence in deplorable conditions. Human trafficking affects every country in the world.
Economic liberalization has paved the way and spurred an international market for the trade in
human beings based on high profits and demand for cheap labor and commercial sex.
There is a growing recognition of the links between labor trafficking, the regulation of supply
chains, and the power of the consumer to end widespread exploitation by choosing goods that are
not tainted by forced or child labor. The United States Labor Department and the International
Labor Organization estimates that there are over 122 goods produced with forced labor or child
labor, or both. The Women’s Studies Committee of South Texas College is focusing its sixth
annual conference on labor trafficking in the hopes of shedding light on this invisible crime by
providing a forum for policy makers and practitioners to come together to discuss all aspects of
global labor trafficking.
Our goals for the conference are to raise community awareness about the pervasiveness of the
labor and sex trafficking trades, both around the world and in our own neighborhoods, to
provide a forum for networking and training opportunities for professionals and practitioners
within related fields, and ultimately to take part in the larger international conversation about
how to stop this insidious crime. We hope to address these questions and to consider forms of
resistance to this deplorable exploitation of millions, which undermines basic respect for human
rights and dignity.
Main Location:
Cooper Center, Pecan Campus
South Texas College
3200 W. Pecan Blvd
McAllen, Texas
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Monday, April 16t
8:30–9:00am Registration & Continental Breakfast
9:00–9:15am Opening Remarks
9:15–10:15am Keynote Speaker: “"Labor Trafficking in South Asia"
Siddharth Kara, Fellow on Human Trafficking, Harvard University and Author of
Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Global Slavery
10:15–10:30am Break
10:30–11:30am “How Many Slaves Work for You?"
Justin Dillon, Artist. Entrepreneur. Abolitionist.
11:30–12:00pm “Challenges in Combating Human Trafficking: Findings from the U.N. Convention
on Human Trafficking in the Americas”
Victor Castillo, Analyst who specializes in U.S.-Mexico border and homeland
Security issues.
12:00–1:00pm Lunch
1:00–2:00pm “Child Trafficking for Labor Purposes in South America”
Fernando Mao, Executive Director, RATT Argentina
2:00–2:45pm “Deconstructing Human Trafficking among Ethnic Minority Groups. Rama People
(Serbia), BadiCommunity (Nepal), Devadasi Group (India)
Sasha Poucki, PhD Candidate, Rutgers University
2:45–3:00pm Break
3:00–3:45pm “Trafficking of Women and Vulnerability to HIV Infection in Urban Mexico ”
Arun Acharya, PhD, Institúto de Investigaciones Sociales Universidad Autónoma de
Nuevo León, Monterrey, México
3: 45–4:30pm "The Current Dilemmas of Mexico-U.S. Migration: Poverty, Drugs, and U.S.
Immigration Policy ”
Guadalupe Correa -Cabrera, Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Brownsville
4:30–5:15pm “You don't see them in the day time: perceptions of sex work and sex trafficking
among mexican-american johns”
Melissa Torres, Research Fellow/PhD Candidate, University of Houston
Conference Agenda
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Conference Agenda
6:00–7:00pm Reception
7:00–8:00pm Film: The Dark Side of Chocolate
Introduction and discussion led by U. Roberto Romano, Film Director
Tuesday, April 17th
8:30–9:00am Registration & Continental Breakfast
9:00–10:00am “Defining Slavery” – Panel discussion
U. Roberto Romano, Film director, Photojournalist
Siddharth Kara, Fellow on Human Trafficking, Harvard University
Anna Rodriguez, Executive Director, Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking
10:00–10:50am “Trends and Case Studies of Labor in the Border Region”
Marisa Ugarte, Executive Director, Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition, San Diego
10:50–11:00am Break
11:00am–12:00pm “Child Labor”
Anna Rodriguez, Executive Director Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking
12:00–1:00pm Lunch
1:00–1:30pm “Texas State Joint Committee on Human Trafficking Update”
The Honorable State Representative Sergio Muñoz, District 36
Joint Interim Committee to Study Human Trafficking
1:30-2:15pm “Labor Exploitation, Trafficking and Migration “
Estela de Los Rios, Executive Director CSA, San Diego County
2:15–2:45pm “Labor Trafficking Cases,”
Stacie Jonas, Lead Attorney, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, Human Trafficking Project.
2:45–3:00pm Break
3:00–4:30pm Cost of Consumption: Analyzing Labor Exploitation in the Rio Grande Valley
Elliot Tucker, South Texas Civil Rights Project
Rudy Sanchez, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid
Juanita Valdez-Cox, Executive Director, La Union de la Pueblo Entero
Claire Antonelli, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid
Moderator: Hector Guzman, Coordinator of Fuerza del Valle
Conference Agenda
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Conference Agenda
Wednesday, April 18th
8:00–8:30am Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:30–9:15am “The Prevalence of labor Trafficking in the United States and Texas
Maria Trujillo, Executive Director, Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition
9:30am–12:00pm “Advance Human Trafficking TCLEOSE #3271
Daniel Guajardo, Texas Attorney General’s Office, Law Enforcement Division
12:00–1:00pm Lunch
1:00–2:30pm Advance Human Trafficking TCLEOSE #3271
Daniel Guajardo, Texas Attorney General’s Office, Law enforcement Division
2:30–3:30pm “Immigration Remedies and Other Benefits for Human Trafficking Victims: Law
Enforcement and Legal Options Available to Foreign National Victims of Human
Trafficking”
Claire Antonelli, Attorney, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid
Conference Agenda
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Conference Agenda
Keynote Speaker
Presenters
SIDDHARTH KARA
Fellow on Human Trafficking, Harvard
Author of "Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Day Slavery"
Siddharth Kara is one of the world's foremost experts on human trafficking
and modern-day slavery. He is the first Fellow on Human Trafficking with the
Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a founding mem-
ber of Harvard’s Advisory Collective on Human Rights Kara’s book, Sex Traf-
ficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery, is the first of three books
providing his groundbreaking new approach to the subject of contemporary
slavery. Kara first encountered the horrors of slavery in a Bosnian refugee
camp in 1995. Subsequently, he traveled to eighteen countries across five con-
tinents to further investigate these crimes. During his journeys, he witnessed
firsthand the sale of human beings into slavery, interviewed over four hundred slaves of all kinds, and con-
fronted some of those who trafficked and exploited them. In his first book, Kara draws on his background
in finance and law to provide the first ever business and economic analysis of contemporary slavery world-
wide, focusing on its most profitable and barbaric form - sex trafficking. He shares the moving stories of its
victims and reveals the shocking conditions of their exploitation. He describes the local factors and global
economic forces that gave rise to sex trafficking and other forms of modern-day slavery across the last two
decades and quantifies, for the first time, the size, growth, and profitability of each slave industry. He then
identifies the sectors of various slave industries that would be hardest hit by specifically designed interven-
tions, and he recommends the legal, tactical, and policy measures that would target these vulnerable sec-
tors and help abolish slavery, once and for all. Kara speaks and consults extensively on contemporary slav-
ery and human rights around the world. He advises several governments on antislavery policy and law, as
well as several private and non-governmental organizations, including the Clinton Global Initiative, Hu-
manity United, Free the Slaves, and the American Himalaya Foundation. He serves on the committee
founded by Kirk Douglas that is lobbying the US Congress to provide an official apology for pre-bellum
slavery. In 2005, he testified as an expert on human trafficking before the US Congressional Human
Rights Committee. In 2009, he was selected as a Fellow for the acclaimed TEDIndia conference. Kara is
currently working on a documentary film on human trafficking as well as his second book, which provides
an economic and strategic analysis to debt bondage and forced labor. Kara holds a Law degree from Eng-
land, an MBA from Columbia University, and a BA in English and Philosophy from Duke University.
Previously, he worked as an investment banker at Merrill, Lynch, then ran his own finance and M&A con-
sulting firm.
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Conference Agenda
U. ROBERTO ROMANO
Award-Winning Producer, Director, Director of Photography, Still Photographer
U. Roberto (Robin) Romano is one of the most respected investigative filmmakers in
the world. Robin is also an award-winning photographer and photojournalist. He has
traveled extensively documenting human rights issues for advocacy organizations
around the world including Human Rights Watch, GoodWeave, Amnesty
International, The International Labor Organization, Stop The Traffik, The Hunger
Project, Free The Slaves, USAID and Antislavery International.
Robin Romano’s powerful photography has been published in Ore24, Ekstra Bladet,
The Ford Foundation Quarterly, Stanford Review, Scholastic, The New York Times
and other leading newspapers and magazines around the world.
In addition to his film and photography, Robin is a human rights educator and
advocate whose knowledge and expertise is highly valued by policy makers at home and abroad. His many TV
appearances include Quest Means Business for the Freedom Project on CNN and the Trafficking special for CNBC.
Robin has spoken before congress and on advisory boards around the US on labor and human rights issues. Recently
he participated in multiple panels on Capitol Hill including a special Department of Labor panel with Sec of Labor
Hilda Solis and Dolores Huerta, co-founder and First Vice President Emeritus of the United Farm Workers of
America. In September 2010, he appeared before Congress with The Harvest Executive Producer Eva Longoria and
Congresswoman Roybal-Allard to promote The CARE Bill. He has also addressed international training sessions for
the Department of Homeland Security, ICE and Interpol on slavery and commodity supply chains at sessions in
Guatemala and Italy and presented at TEDx Fruitvale this year. He is the recipient of the 2011 NCLR Alma Award
for Special Achievement in the Media and has been nominated for the Best Documentary of 2012 Award by Cinema
for Peace at the Berlin International Film Festival.
ARUN KUMAR ACHARYA
Dr. Arun Kumar Acharya, research professor at Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales,
UANL, Monterrey, Mexico. He specializes in demography particularly in Migration
and gender. Dr. Acharya has published more than 30 articles in different international
journal and published 5 books on migration and trafficking issues in Mexico.
Currently he is analyzing the social suffering of trafficked women.
Presenters
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Conference Agenda
JAMES ARANGO
James Arango is a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of South Florida's
Department of Anthropology and the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health
Institute's Department of Child and Family Studies. His research interests include
migrant health, disaster migrations and vulnerabilities associated with displacement
within the Americas and the Caribbean. He is currently pursuing graduate degrees in
Applied Medical Anthropology and Public Health (Global Disaster Management/
Humanitarian Assistance) at the University of South Florida.
VICTOR CASTILLO
Former Investigative Journalist, Channel 4
Víctor Castillo was born in McAllen, lived in Reynosa until 13 years of age, then
moved to Sterling, Illinois, where he went to high school and earn a college degree in
Engineering Technology. In 1992, he returned to McAllen. While working in the
manufacturing engineering field, Victor began his communications career in a
Spanish Christian radio station in Edinburg. Years later, he joined World Radio
Network producing his own show for most of the 19 affiliates and repeaters in the
country. He joined Telemundo as a news reporter, and later became a news anchor.
Castillo then continued his career by having dual duties as a reporter and weekend
news anchor for Univision. Victor also has written stories for several Spanish
newspapers in the Valley, the United States and Mexico. Living in McAllen for the
last 14 years, Victor has seen how the Rio Grande Valley has grown and has become a
strategic area for all kinds of industries, not only important to Texas but to the nation. But the Valley also faces many
challenges, in health, education, immigration and border security among other issues. Many of Victor's stories are on
immigration, border security, politics, economy and news happening south of the border.
Presenters
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Conference Agenda
GUADALUPE CORREA-CABRERA
Assistant Professor,University of Texas at Brownsville, Government Department
Dr. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera is an assistant professor in the Government
Department of the University of Texas at Brownsville. Her areas of expertise are
comparative politics, Mexican politics, Mexico-U.S. relations, and border studies. Her
teaching fields include public policies in the Mexico-U.S border region; U.S.-Mexico
relations; American Hispanic politics; and Latin American politics. She is currently a
developing a project on the explanations of violence in the Texas-Tamaulipas border
region, mainly focused on organized crime, poverty, unemployment and endemic
corruption in Mexico’s “new democratic” times. The project is supported by the Open
Society Institute and the Social Science Research Council through the Latin American
Security, Drugs and Democracy (LASDD) Postdoctoral Fellowship. Correa-Cabrera
received her Ph.D. in political science at the New School for Social Research (New
York City) and bachelor’s degree in economics at Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico
City). She was also awarded a Fulbright Scholarship as a graduate student. Her previous work experience includes
positions with the Mexican government at the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Finance, and director of
political analysis at Fundación Ethos, a Mexican think tank dedicated to research, analysis, evaluation and design of
public policies in the areas of poverty alleviation, social and economic sustainable development, and the
consolidation of democracy in Latin America.
ESTELA DE LOS RIOS
Born in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico, Estela De Los Rios grew up in California's Imperial Valley and picked grapes at the
age of 13 in the Central Valley during the Cesar Chavez movement. She earned a BA in Sociology from San Diego
State University and has been employed with CSA San Diego County for eleven years, including five years as its
Executive Director. As an international activist and grassroots organizer for the past 30 years, Estela has helped to
develop at least three local human rights organizations and tirelessly volunteers her time to mentor many others. In
addition to lending her leadership and professional acumen, she is a hands-on advocate who promotes respect,
acceptance and equal opportunity for all people. Ms. De Los Rios has chaired the San Diego Immigrant Rights
Consortium, the JOB Immigration Taskforce, and United for a Hate Free San Diego. This year, Ms. De Los Rios
took on the role of chair of the Newcomers Committee, which addresses the immediate medical, employment, and
educational needs of underserved refugees and immigrants with limited English proficiency. Ms. De Los Rios was
the 2012 Recipient of the Ashley Walker Award for Social Justice.
Ms. De Los Rios has provided over eight years of leadership in combating human trafficking. In this capacity, she has
facilitated and coordinated training sessions, and conducted outreach activities, targeting the migrant population in
order to improve response to victims of human trafficking. Additionally, Ms. De Los Rios has been involved in
regional, state and national policy work. Ms. De Los Rios has worked tirelessly to build and sustain community
relationships on a bi-national level, establishing networks and resources to benefit victims of human trafficking. She
also collaborates with local, state, and federal law enforcement, local public agencies, victim service providers and
nonprofit and faith-based organizations to enhance services to victims of human trafficking.
Presenters
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Conference Agenda
JUSTIN DILLON
Artist. Entrepreneur. Abolitionist.
Justin first got involved in the anti-slavery movement when he and his band,
“Tremolo”, hosted benefit concerts for organizations addressing the problem of
modern-day slavery. Justin took his passion for abolitionism to another level when he
made his directorial debut in the film, “CALL+RESPONSE”. The “rockumentary” was
one of the top documentaries of 2008 and combined critically acclaimed artists such as
Moby, Natasha Bedingfield and Matisyahu with social luminaries such as Cornell
West, Ashley Judd, Julia Ormond, Nicholas Kristof, and Madeline Albright.
Over 350,000 people have seen the film in public venues, which has helped raise over
$250,000 for front line groups helping to free slaves and rehabilitate victims.
In 2011, Justin founded the non-profit organization Slavery Footprint. Partnering with
the U.S. State Department, they launched an online and mobile platform that answers the question, “How many
slaves work for you?” It allows consumers to visualize how their consumption habits are connected to forced labor
and provides them with an opportunity to have a conversation with the companies that manufacture the goods they
purchase. Slavery Footprint is also engaged in off-line community education, mobilization programs, and supply
chain assessment.
Justin Dillon and his work have been featured on CNN, New York Times, Today Show, MSNBC, Dr. Phil Show,
Washington Post, Chicago Sun, and Huffington Post. He has spoken at a variety of venues including the White
House, Dept. of State, United Nations Events, Clinton Global Initiative, Princeton, Harvard, and Columbia
University.
Most recently, Justin produced the CNN documentary “Common Dreams”. In the film, Justin and Grammy award
winning hip-hop artist Common travel to Haiti to experience for themselves the plight of the estimated 300,000
children working as domestic servants. The film was shown in nearly 200 countries and has raised thousands of
dollars for the “Restavek Freedom Foundation.”
DANIEL GUAJARDO
Lieutenant Daniel Guajardo began his Law Enforcement career in 1999 as a City of
Corpus Christi Police Officer. In 2005, he joined the Texas Attorney General's Office,
Law Enforcement Division, where he primarily investigated Public Integrity and
Election Fraud cases. He is currently assigned to the Special Investigations Unit, where
he supervises investigations of Public Integrity and Human Trafficking. Lt. Guajardo,
is a U.S Army Veteran having served as a combat infantry team leader with the 82nd
Airborne Division. He is a graduate of Midwestern State University with a Bachelor of
Applied Arts & Science degree in Criminal Justice. He hold a Masters Peace Officers
Certification from Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and
Education.
Presenters
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Conference Agenda
STACIE JONAS
Stacie Jonas is the lead attorney for Texas RioGrande Legal Aid’s (TRLA) human trafficking project, which provides
legal services to victims of labor and sex trafficking in Texas and six southern states. She also represents workers who
have suffered other forms of labor exploitation. Prior to moving to Texas, Ms. Jonas was an attorney at Southern
Migrant Legal Services (SMLS), a project of TRLA serving migrant farmworkers in the South. She has represented
dozens of victims of labor trafficking seeking immigration relief and in civil lawsuits against their traffickers. Ms.
Jonas is a graduate of the Yale Law School and holds a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame. She served as a law
clerk to the Honorable Keith P. Ellison of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston. As
a Liman Fellow with SMLS, Ms. Jonas sought to improve working conditions for migrant farmworkers by
strengthening ties between workers’ centers, community organizations, and other advocates. Prior to attending law
school, Ms. Jonas was the director of the Pinochet Case Project at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington,
D.C. She also worked for community and economic development organizations in Nicaragua.
FERNANDO MAO
Fernando Mao is the Founder and Executive Director of “RATT MERCOSUR &
Associated Countries United Against Human Trafficking,¨ an international network
that helps combat sexual and labor exploitation of children, adolescents and women.
Since assuming his leadership role with the network in 2006, he has been responsible
for implementing a National Plan to combat human trafficking with the government
of Argentina.
He is a member of the Argentinean Network to Stop the Human Trafficking since its
beginning and has contributed significantly to the organization’s fundraising, program
development, and awareness efforts. He was also responsible for the first anti-
trafficking program with the NGO CIRSA in Misiones, a province in the Argentinean
border with Brazil and Paraguay, from 1999 to 2002.
From 1996 to 2008, he was a board member of the Argentinean Committee for the Children’s Rights and Advisor to
the Social Network for Children, Youth and Families (FADO) presided by Nobel laureate, Adolfo Perez Esquivel.
Presenters
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SERGIO MUÑOZ, JR.
Texas State Representative, House District 36, Joint Interim Committee to Study Human Trafficking
Being elected by the voters of House District 36 in 2010, Sergio Muñoz, Jr. is serving his first term in the Texas
House of Representatives. This district includes parts or all of the cities of Hidalgo, Granjeno, McAllen, Mission,
Palmview, Penitas, and Pharr in Hidalgo County. Rep. Muñoz completed his first legislative session recently,
winning accolades from his colleagues by earning the inaugural House Democratic Leader’s Award from the House
Democratic Caucus.
Rep. Muñoz authored and co-authored a myriad of bills during the five month session. Among them, a measure that
restored $630,000 for a bachelor’s degree program at South Texas College, and bills that will reduce high school
dropout rates, punish human traffickers and sexual predators, and protect private property rights. He consistently
voted to provide resources for our schools, the health care system and for border security, and for a better way of life
for our veterans, families and young Texans.
Also during the 82nd Legislative Session, Rep. Muñoz was appointed by the Speaker of the House to The Energy
Council, a multi-state executive council charged with overseeing a regional approach to energy and environmental
policy.
SASHA POUCKI
Sasha Poucki is Ph.D. Candidate (ABD) in the Division of Global Affairs at Rutgers University in New Jersey. His
area of expertise is human trafficking among marginalized groups in the national and international context.
Currently, Mr. Poucki is conducting a content analysis of chat room discussions related to human trafficking in the
United States and Europe. Mr. Poucki is scheduled to complete his doctorate in Global Affairs at Rutgers University
in April of 2012.
His doctoral dissertation is entitled: The Quest for Root Causes of Human Trafficking: A study on the experience of
marginalized groups, with a focus on the Republic of Serbia. Mr. Poucki holds a J.D. from The University of Novi
Sad, Serbia, and an M.S. in Global Affairs from Rutgers University. Mr. Poucki is a native of Yugoslavia. He is the
recipient of a highly competitive dissertation fellowship from Rutgers University and a teaching fellowship from the
National Science Foundation. Mr. Poucki has presented his work on human trafficking at numerous conferences
throughout the country.
Presenters
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Conference Agenda
ANNA I. RODRIGUEZ
Executive Director and Founder, The Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking
In 2011, Anna Rodriguez, was inducted into the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame. This
honor was bestowed upon her by Florida Governor Rick Scott, who felt that the work
that Anna did not only in the state of Florida but both nationally and internationally
was very important. Recently, Anna’s work against human trafficking was commended
by Florida U.S Senator Marco Rubio. Anna has been considered to be “The mother”
of the anti human trafficking movement within the United States.
Anna’s work has been recognized by author David Batstone in his book Not for Sale,
as well as a Human Trafficking documentary produced by Robert Macarrelli. Anna
has also been recognized by Producer Michael Cory Davis on “Cargo: Innocence
Lost,” Marynoll Production on “Lives for Sale”, The Florida Channel on Crossroads:
Slavery in Florida, CBS Evening News and CBS Early Show, Univision, Telemundo,
Wink TV News, Fox News, CNN, Atlanta Journal, Miami Times, Terra Communications, Naples Daily News and
News Press. She is currently working on a book on the issue of human trafficking and two documentaries.
In 2004 Anna founded the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking in Naples, Florida. Today the Florida
Coalition Against Human Trafficking has offices in Orlando and their headquarters is located in Clearwater, Florida.
They have also established 4 new Rescue and Restore Coalitions in the State of Florida as well as 3 human trafficking
task forces.
RODOLFO SANCHEZ
Rodolfo “Rudy” Sanchez graduated from Brown University in 1983 and from the
University Of Texas School Of Law in 1989. Rudy has been employed at Texas Rio
Grande Legal Aid - commonly referred to as “TRLA” and formerly known as Texas
Rural Legal Aid - since his graduation from law school. Rudy currently serves as
TRLA’s Deputy Director. Prior to being appointed Deputy Director, Rudy served as
Director of TRLA’s Farmworker Division, as Coordinator of TRLA’s Labor and
Employment Practice Group, and as manager of TRLA’s Weslaco Texas Branch office.
Rudy is licensed to practice law in Texas, and he is admitted to practice before the
Fifth and Seventh U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals, the U.S. District Courts for the
Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas, and the U.S. District Court for the Central
District of Illinois.
Presenters
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Presenters
MELISSA I. M. TORRES
Melissa I. M. Torres, MSW received her Master’s of Social Work at the University of
Houston, where she is currently a PhD candidate. She holds a Graduate Certificate in
Women’s Studies, a Specialization in Professional Writing, and Baccalaureate degrees
in Theology and Literature.
Melissa has been honored by the United States Congress with a Certification of Con-
gressional Recognition for her presentation at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wom-
en’s Bureau Conference. She has twice served as a delegate to the United Nations
Commission on the Status of Women representing women’s peace-building organiza-
tions and speaking on risks faced by women in conflict zones.
Currently, she works at the Center for Drug and Social Policy Research at the Univer-
sity of Houston studying drug use and sex work among Latin populations. She has
worked with various innovative organizations in the fields of HIV, human trafficking, and drug research. Her work,
internship, and volunteer experiences include being an HIV tester and counselor, young women’s mentor, a state
legislative researcher and advocate for child trafficking victims, an investigator on heroin use among Mexican-
Americans, sex worker and day laborer outreach, and trainer to social service and medical providers on human traf-
ficking.
Her research and studies explore international women’s issues including sex trafficking, global AIDS, and conflict/
crisis response. She has a focus on public policy and Latin populations using a feminist perspective.
MARIA A. TRUIJILLO
Executive Director, Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition
Maria A. Trujillo serves as the Executive Director of the Houston Rescue and Restore
Coalition (HRRC), a non-profit organization dedicated to raising public awareness of
human trafficking and harnessing the power of the community to combat this horrible
crime, through the identification and rescue of victims. Ms. Trujillo first learned
about the issue of human trafficking in 1996 while working on a year-long research
project on the use of sweat shops in developing countries. While living in DC she took
on a leadership role with the grassroots community group, DC Stop Modern Slavery,
which focuses on raising community awareness about human trafficking. Ms. Trujillo
is currently a member of the Domestic Minor Victim Task Force, the Human Traffick-
ing Rescue Alliance, which is the local, Houston-area law enforcement task force on
human trafficking. In 2010, Ms. Trujillo was appointed by the Attorney General of
Texas to serve on the state-wide Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force. In addi-
tion, she was recently appointed by the Mayor of Houston to serve on the Mayor’s Advisory Council of Immigration
and Refugee Affairs and will Chair the Sub-Committee on Human Trafficking for the Advisory Council.
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ELLIOTT TUCKER
Elliott Tucker is an attorney at the South Texas Civil Rights Project. He focuses on defending the rights of migrant
and low wage workers in the Rio Grande Valley. He obtained his JD in 2008 from Georgetown University Law
Center, where he was the executive editor for the Georgetown Journal of International Law. He received a B.A. in
Political Science at Emory University in 2005.
MARISA UGARTE
Executive Director, Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition
In her role as the Executive Director of the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition, Marisa
Ugarte brings more than 20 years of experience in advocacy for exploited men, women
and children, and in assisting and at-risk youth. Ms. Ugarte spent three years
developing social services programs in Tijuana, Mexico. Ms. Ugarte is founder of the
Binational Crisis Line in Tijuana, as well as the Domestic Violence Crisis Center for
the Sistema Nacional para el Desarollo Integral de la Familia, Tijuana (DIF Tijuana).
Ms. Ugarte continues to be an advisor to DIF and to the Civil Protection and Disaster
Crisis Prevention Program in Mexico. In the United States, Ms. Ugarte convenes an
annual anti-trafficking conference in San Diego, and is an active speaker at conferences
nationwide and internationally of human trafficking and the commercial sexual
exploitation of women and children. Ms. Ugarte has also taught at both the University
of California, San Diego; the University of San Diego, and a Masters degree-level
module of classes for Crisis Intervention at the University of Xochicalco, Mexico. Ms. Ugarte is an alumnus of the
San Francisco College for Women/USD; and Dun Barton University, Washington, D.C.
JUANITA VALDEZ-COX
Executive Director, La Union del Pueblo Entero
In 1979 her family moved to Austin TX and Juanita accepted a position with ACORN as a Community Organizer.
In her time there, she participated in many excellent training seminars where participants studied the work of Cesar
Chavez and Saul Alinsky among others. That training formed the foundation for all her future organizing initiatives.
When the family returned to the Rio Grande Valley from Austin at the end of 1980 Juanita decided to devote her
full energy to the cause of assisting farmworkers and other low-income families to build a society that respects their
contributions and honors their labor. Since that time she has worked with the Farm Workers Movement, first as
Regional Coordinator and then as State Director for the United Farm Workers. In 2000 Juanita was elected to a
position on the UFW National Executive Board, where it became increasingly evident that the Union’s work in
Texas was dramatically different from that in California. Gradually the Board concluded that the efforts in Texas
would be more appropriately conducted under the auspices of a non-profit organization. At the beginning of 2003,
all the Texas staff was transferred from the UFW to LUPE, and Juanita was assigned to continue managing the
operations and efforts in Texas. Late in 2007 she accepted the assignment as Executive Director when her
predecessor decided to retire. At LUPE she continues working to expand their unique organizing model into other
areas of South Texas and continue building momentum for fundamental social change
Presenters
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Conference Agenda
Organizing Committee
Denese McArthur
Jennifer Mendoza
Sharmila Nambiar
Te Norman
Sharon Rice
Jennifer Reid
Esther Rodriguez
Marisa Taylor
Carol Woods
Patricia Ballinger
Tammy Cepeda
Phyllis Evans
Mark Gadson
William Hancock
Yolanda Hake
Hidetoshi Hashimoto
Nihan Kayaardi
Jennifer Mendoza
Catherine MacNeil
South Texas College Women’s Studies Committee
Chair and Conference Organizer – Jenny Bryson Clark
Conference Assistant Coordinator –Nihan Kayaardi
Webmasters/Designers – Daniel Ramirez, Sam Pena, William Collins
Secretary – Tammy L. Cepeda
Continuing Education Credit Coordinator – Yazmina Lopez
Logo Design and Artistic Consultant — Phyllis Evans
Video Recording – Lee Basham
Women’s Studies Committee Members
Honorary Members
Corinna Spencer-Scheurich , Director, Texas Civil Rights Project
Hector Guzman, Coordinator of Fuerza del Valle
Yazmina Lopez, Social Worker, Nuestra Clinica del Valle
Honors Student Members
Jesus G. Alaniz
Susan L. Cantu
Patricia Duran
Giovanna A. Enriquez
Yessica Garcia
Ilsse L. Gracia
Hilda E. Hernandez
Caroline Laboy Santiago
Nadia I. Loaiza
Gabrielle E. Marroquin
Rebecca Mendez
Edith Pacheco
Sara I. Perez
Yariza L. Ramirez
Mirjam K. Schmitt
Paula C. Sierra
Jonathan Zani
