Shining a Light in the Darkness
Poiema Foundation’s Fight Against Human Trafficking
By Sonia Duggan
Human trafficking thrives in the shadows, preying on society’s most vulnerable. The statistics are staggering—Texas ranks second in reported trafficking cases, with an estimated 79,000 minors victimized by sex trafficking. Amid these grim realities, Poiema Foundation is shining a light where it is most needed.
Founded in 2012 by Rebecca Jowers, the Rockwall nonprofit is making a tangible impact in the fight against modern-day slavery with a mission built on three pillars: educating the public, engaging communities and empowering survivors.
Education and Outreach
Education is at the heart of Poiema’s mission. From training healthcare workers to speaking at churches, businesses and schools, the foundation equips individuals with the knowledge to identify and prevent trafficking. Poiema’s flagship training, Human Trafficking 101 (HT101), covers all aspects of domestic sex trafficking and is offered to anyone—in-person and monthly via Zoom.
Speaking to Farmersville Rotarians last month, Natalie Alonzo, Poiema’s education and outreach director, told the group, “You may come in with a little bit of knowledge or a lot about human trafficking. Wherever you are on that education journey, we’re going to talk about just what is it and how do we spot it in our everyday lives.”
Human trafficking involves controlling a person through force, fraud and coercion, to exploit them for sexual or labor services, or both, said Alonzo, explaining that laws differ significantly for those 18 or older.
For minors, any involvement in commercial sex automatically makes them trafficking victims. Many victims don’t realize they are being trafficked; some are manipulated by false promises, threats, or financial dependency, while others are controlled through violence or psychological coercion.
Alonzo, who previously worked with child trafficking victims, emphasized the importance of education before sharing firsthand accounts from her work with them.
“My everyday working in that job was taking 13, 14, 15-year-old kids to the doctor for STD testing,” she said. “Meanwhile, in the car, they’re telling me how many times they’ve been sold for sex that day. It was extremely heartbreaking and heavier than I could ever communicate to you.”
For Alonzo, it fostered her passion to teach people about human trafficking. “Because there’s still so many people in our world today that don’t know this exists, and furthermore, don’t know that it’s happening right in our backyards.”
Trafficking infiltrates small towns, suburban neighborhoods and online spaces, she added.
Her presentation challenges the stereotype that human trafficking mainly involves kidnappings, like in the movie Taken, which accounts for only about 1% of cases in the U.S. Instead, 99% of trafficking cases are relationship-based and familial-based.
While protecting children from kidnappers is still important, the real danger often lies in online and personal relationships, said Alonzo. Parents should monitor their children’s social media interactions and be aware of who they are talking to.
Alonzo and the Poiema team also teach a class on Internet Safety, highlighting the risks online platforms pose to minors.
“When we give a kid a cell phone with full internet access, we’re also giving perpetrators access to them,” Alonzo warned, urging parents to use monitoring apps.
The foundation also addresses the link between pornography and trafficking.
“It’s extremely tied into human trafficking because that’s often where the demand starts,” Alonzo said. Many perpetrators begin by consuming explicit content, then escalate to purchasing sex.
Armed with years of education and knowledge gained through her work, Jowers developed a curriculum for healthcare workers, now approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“Anyone with a medical license—whether you’re a massage therapist, dental hygienist, doctor, or nurse—must complete mandatory human trafficking education every two years,” she said.
Additional trainings offered by Poiema, such as Survivor Care Training and Realities of Aftercare Training, teach trauma-informed care.
“Understanding why trafficking victims return to their perpetrator is crucial,” Jowers said. “Taking away the stigma and judgment is a huge part of our mission.”
Poiema’s outreach efforts extend beyond education, mobilizing communities to search for missing and exploited children. Partnering with 17 churches in 16 cities, along with law enforcement and private investigators, volunteers distribute posters of missing minors to high-risk locations every Saturday throughout Dallas and surrounding areas.
The tip line listed on the posters is monitored by a private investigator associated with 4theONE, a Carrollton nonprofit dedicated to rescuing missing teens. Each outreach team includes an experienced leader, a driver, a data collector and a prayer warrior.
Poiema’s outreach has even expanded to South Carolina, thanks to a connection through a volunteer.
During Jowers’ first weekend training session in South Carolina, a hotel employee called her after recognizing a girl from one of their posters.
“She was in a trailer a mile and a half away from where I was staying,” Jowers recalled. The hotel employee warned her, “There are guns, drugs, and the man with her father is on house arrest with an ankle monitor.”
What followed was a jurisdictional dispute between law enforcement agencies, complicating efforts to help the girl, said Jowers.
“It got law enforcement talking to each other,” Jowers said. “And that’s how our outreach started. Now, that church is one of our strongest campuses. They’re faithful.”
A Haven for Healing
Over a decade ago, Jowers was asked to help form an anti-human trafficking ministry at Lakepointe Church in Rockwall. Her research revealed a critical unmet need—housing for survivors of sex trafficking.
“It’s a huge problem,” she said. “No single church can support a safe house alone.”
Because true recovery requires a safe space for healing, Poiema opened its safe house for trafficking survivors in 2017. Initially, the house had two bedrooms, each shared by two residents, but the team soon realized that healing happens more effectively when women have their own space.
“We wanted to accommodate women with higher recovery needs by giving them a private room and bathroom,” Jowers said.
In 2022, four bedrooms and bathrooms were added to better serve survivors with severe trauma.
The upgrade significantly reduced recidivism and increased the average stay to a minimum of six months said Jowers.
“Some women had such traumatic experiences that they couldn’t sleep at night,” she explained. “They would wake up screaming from night terrors.”
Private rooms made a profound impact, allowing survivors to process emotions in privacy. “They can cry, scream, get angry, reflect—and most importantly, rest,” she said.
For many, having their own space is a new experience.
“One young woman grew up moving from extended-stay motels to overcrowded apartments,” Jowers said. “When she walked into her bedroom for the first time, she just stood there in tears, unable to believe it was truly hers.”
Looking ahead, Jowers, who will complete her doctoral dissertation next year at Dallas Theological Seminary, is focusing on the power of storytelling in healing from human trafficking—a concept she believes could also benefit staff and volunteers.
Additionally, she’d like to create training programs and a model for those working with survivors, including domestic violence and anti-trafficking shelters and foster care providers.
“My heart is to really equip and train people, and a lot of that has to do with them dealing with their own trauma first,” she said. She emphasizes the need for staff to be properly supported, as many are drawn to this type of work due to personal experiences.
Eventually, Jowers envisions stepping into a founder’s role, focusing on teaching, training, fundraising and sharing Poiema’s mission.
“When I opened our safe house, there weren’t safe houses,” Jowers said. “We were all trying to figure it out together…what does this look like and how do we do it? We’ve come really far in the past decade.”
National Human Trafficking Hotline
888-373-7888 or text info to 233733
To shine a light in your community, visit poiemafoundation.org