Houston dad saves daughter who was lured into sex trafficking through Snapchat

John Clark has an online petition pressuring Texas politicians to create tougher penalties on pimps and kidnappers involved in sex trafficking. Image via ipetitions

Click through the slideshow to learn more about human trafficking in Houston. less John Clark has an online petition pressuring Texas politicians to create tougher penalties on pimps and kidnappers involved in sex trafficking. Image via ipetitions

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A Houston father who lost his daughter to sex trafficking through Snapchat is pushing lawmakers to crack down on kidnappers and pimps.

John Clark recovered his 18-year-old daughter in May after she went missing in April. Clark told KHOU that his daughter was taken by a man in his 20s that she met on Snapchat.

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In May, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office asked the public to help find her. Before she was recovered, she was last seen by her family on April 30. She told her parents she was going to Lifetime Fitness. Later, Clark's daughter left her vehicle and cellphone at the gym parking lot to go to a party with a friend.

Clark told the Chronicle at the time, "She's said that she doesn't want to come home. We don't know what is behind her choice." Clark also said she told her family to call of the search and dropped off social media.

To get his daughter back, Clark set up a website, 800-number and a Facebook page to gather information on where she might be. Clark told KHOU that he found his daughter and her alleged captor at a Houston apartment building.

Now Clark is looking to strengthen anti-human trafficking laws and penalties for those who force people into the sex trade. He's met with Texas lawmakers since she was recovered and has started an online petition to crack down on pimps. Clark says the legal system should treat pimps like drug dealers.

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"The police don't focus on pimps in the first place, but even when pimps get caught, prosecuted and convicted, they receive punishment much less severe than drug dealers," Clark wrote in the petition.

With his petition, Clark aims to change the minimum age for sexually orientated businesses from 18 to 21. Clark also wants increased penalties for anyone convicted of compelling or promoting prostitution of anyone under the age of 21.

Clark also wants to extend parental guardianship to girls over the age of 18, in certain circumstances. Clark said he and his wife were not allowed to talk to doctors and counselors about their daughter since she was 18 and legally an adult.

Clark is hoping his petition will inspire new legislation in January when state lawmakers meet for a new session. He points to Louisiana as a possible model, where strip clubs are required to have dancers who are 21 and older as of Oct. 1.

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In another Facebook post, Clark wrote sex trafficking often starts with a man or woman a few years older than the targeted teenage girl. The groomer takes the teenager to new places, is fun and acts like a mentor, according to Clark. The groomer then introduces the teenage girl to drugs and alcohol while trying to isolate her from her parents. The teenage girl is then introduced to new people and brought to adult places like clubs.

Eventually, the teenager meets a pimp, usually disguised as a musician, club owner or something else exciting to the teenager. After building some rapport, the pimp usually invites the teenager to a party after she turns 18, Clark wrote. That's the point a teenager is most likely forced into sex trafficking.

"If she is 18, law enforcement is handcuffed," Clark wrote in the post. "Unless there is clear evidence of a crime, she is just another young adult who decided to leave her home."

READ MORE: You can help stop human trafficking by using the TraffickCam app

Clark warns that teenage girls can be taken from even the most cautious of parents.

"We went through her phone several times a week. We didn't even let her have her phone upstairs," Clark wrote about his daughter. "We had all her passwords. I had a GPS tracker installed on her car and monitored it every time she left the house. We Facetimed her every time she went out to make sure she was where she was supposed to be, and she was with the people she was supposed to be seeing."

Clark warns other parents to watch for any signs of groomers and to talk to their daughters about the danger of sex trafficking. He also adds to beware of Snapchat, as he and his wife found it difficult to monitor.