If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can receive confidential help by calling the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network’s 24/7 toll-free support line at 800-656-4673 or visiting its online hotline.
The judge overseeing the 11-year-old case to fix Texas’ troubled child welfare system will ask federal investigators to look into allegations of sex trafficking at a Bastrop shelter for teens after saying she's lost confidence in the state’s investigation into the same claims.
U.S. District Judge Janis Jack’s comments came Wednesday during the latest hearing in a lawsuit against Texas on behalf of the children under the state’s care. Much of the hearing dealt with the situation at The Refuge, a state-licensed shelter for sex trafficking victims where a former employee is accused of selling nude pictures of two girls. Officials for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission also testified on the progress they’ve made toward implementing an expert panel’s recommendations to fix the foster care system.
