Leigh Scarborough grew up in SE Asia with missionary parents. He served in the Royal Australian Air Force within the Australian Defense Force as an operational intelligence linguist and electronic warfare operator. He is fluent in six languages. While training in Vietnam he was accidentally confronted by a little girl in a case of child sex trafficking. God used this little girl to break his heart for all victims of sex trafficking which led him to start Shield of the Children in 2016 to rescue children and put traffickers in jail. He has gone through extensive training and certifications to lead and train teams of trafficking investigators.
Leigh now leads a team of 50 people in SE Asia that plan and execute investigations, rescues, and rehabilitation in various SE Asian countries. Shield works with law enforcement and focuses on arrests to stop trafficking. Because of his expertise, he was called upon to help in California. In March 2022, the Shield team was deployed to Los Angeles with the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force. Several establishments were confirmed to be part of a larger trafficking ring, and the evidence was then handed to the FBI. In August 2022, Shield deployed to Virginia to pursue a hub of the trafficking ring in California. Multiple raids and arrests occurred, girls were rescued, and the case was taken over by the FBI.
Leigh has been asked to do more rescue operations in the US and establish a US headquarters in DFW.
It’s Time to Tackle the Texas Triangle of Human Trafficking
Although California is the number one state for sex trafficking, Texas, especially Houston, has California beat per capita. Three major areas in Texas combined, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio-Austin, are known as the “Texas Triangle”, possibly the largest concentration of human trafficking in the nation.
Today, Dallas is one of the top ten cities in the nation with the most sex trafficking. Every night, there are over 400 girls on Dallas streets, and the average age when these young girls enter the sex trade is 13. Officially, there are over 3,000 young homeless people in Dallas which also contributes to increasing sex trafficking. This does not include Fort Worth and the mid-cities. The DFW metroplex rivals Houston for the most trafficking in the nation.
The Texas Triangle is comprised of several interstates, making it easy for human trafficking to go undetected. Illegal border crossings flooding Texas include many unaccompanied women and children which increases the prevalence of this awful crime in Texas. According to a study conducted by the University of Texas, Texas has over 313,000 human trafficking victims, with the largest portion of them in Houston and the DFW area.
Our plan is to start in DFW, and then expand as donor funds are available. Leigh has had favorable conversations with both Dallas and Fort Worth Police Trafficking Units. We are positioned to tackle Texas as soon as we are funded.
How Bad Is the Problem of Human Trafficking in the United States?
The United States is officially one of the worst countries in the world for human trafficking. There are about 200,000 human trafficking incidents reported in the United States annually. Human trafficking usually occurs around international travel hubs and areas with large immigrant populations, especially California, Texas, and Florida.
A report from the University of Pennsylvania puts the number at between 100,000 and 300,000 children and women are forced into sexual activities every year. It is difficult to research the official number of victims, but it continues to grow. One study from the Department of Health and Human Services estimated the number between 240,000 and 325,000 each year. Trafficking is growing and law enforcement is understaffed. It’s time to put a stop to this crime.
Help us build teams of Trafficking Investigators by supporting the operations of Shield of the Children with your prayers and tax-deductible contributions. Leigh is available for speaking engagements when he is in the area.
for Donor Support, Call at (817) 898-1444. Shield is now a Texas-based 501c3 tax-exempt organization. You may give online at ShieldoftheChildren.com or check to PO Box 122, Colleyville, TX 76034.
Donor partners will receive progress updates. Thank you for joining us in the fight to rescue the children.
