Human trafficking survivor from Texas visits White House
KATY, Texas -- A Texas woman wants the nation to know human trafficking can happen even in wealthy suburbs. She just had an audience with Advisor to the President, Ivanka Trump.
Courtney Litvak grew up in Katy and attended Cinco Ranch High School. She said during her junior year human traffickers recruited her by preying on her vulnerabilities. She recalled how a fellow athlete pursued her on campus and arranged a meeting with a pimp.
Ultimately, Litvak said she spent two years being sex trafficked around the United States. She eventually escaped and said she's still in the process of healing.
"I had to be broken in order to realize how much God loved me," Litvak said. "I will not be silent. I will not be put into fear. I live by faith, no longer by fear. I am not a victim. I am a survivor."
Litvak and her mother, Kelly Litvak, are part of Childproof America. They, alongside Texas Congressman Michael McCaul, met with Ivanka Trump on Tuesday at the White House to discuss human trafficking.
How to identify a human trafficking victim
"It was incredibly humbling to meet with Courtney and Kelly Litvak today. The scourge of human trafficking does not start at the waters' edge. It's affecting people in our own neighborhoods and throughout the United States. This administration is deeply committed to ensuring that Courtney's experience will never be repeated," Ivanka Trump said in a statement.
Katy ISD sent the local ABC station the following statement:
"Human trafficking is a nationwide crime that does not discriminate - victims can be any age, race, gender, or socioeconomic status. In Katy ISD, it is our mission to provide safe and secure learning environments that support the physical and emotional well-being of students. As such, the District actively partners with community services, law enforcement and families to participate in, as well as offer, informational and training sessions that educate and build awareness among staff and community members. Likewise, Katy ISD's police department includes a unit specifically dedicated to investigating Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC), a space where human trafficking often lives. This is an important issue among our school community, and together we will continue our work to inform and protect."
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