A justice rally. A play called "The Johns." A walk for freedom.

These are some of the events being planned in Houston to raise awareness about human trafficking ahead of Super Bowl 51 on Feb. 5.

Although many experts don't believe the sporting event increases the prevalence of the crime in an outsized way, Houston is considered a hub for human trafficking because of its location along major highways by which victims can be transported, its international port and two major airports, and a diverse population and economy.

Advocates want Houstonians to know that sex and labor trafficking occur in the city every day, and they are eager to capitalize on the spotlight the Super Bowl offers to talk about it.

"We view this as an opportunity to tell our city... that this crime happens," said Misa Nguyen, director of programs for United Against Human Trafficking, a Houston-based organization.

Quantifying numbers of human trafficking victims is difficult. For years, many believed that the massive football event brought with it an incomparable surge in demand for paid sex. As a result, they surmised, it also carried an increase in the number of sex workers forced or coerced into the trade.

A recent study by Carnegie Mellon University found the crime may increase around major sporting events like the Super Bowl, but not as dramatically as had been professed. Still, advocates are seeking to spread awareness of year-round efforts to fight what they call modern-day slavery in one of America's largest cities.

"We have been moved to action because this is an issue in our city before, during and after the Super Bowl," said Minal Patel Davis, special advisor on human trafficking to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. "This issue has integrity on its own."

'Prime location for trafficking'

Human trafficking - which includes both labor and sex trafficking - means someone is being forced or coerced to perform a task. Victims do not need to be physically restrained; binds may manifest in something like a threat. They also need not be moved any certain distance; it could occur from their home.

The prevalence of major gatherings certainly contributes to the problem in the Bayou City, one study found.

"Multiple conventions, sporting events, and other large festivities make Houston a prime location for trafficking. Because of these reasons, it is easy to both recruit in Houston and to bring in victims who are subsequently easy to hide," the Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition, which is now known as United Against Human Trafficking, found in 2011.

The city of Houston, under Davis' guidance, recently launched a strategic plan to address trafficking through "a 365 day-a-year approach." It includes goals such as looking for possible changes to the massage establishment ordinance (complete), training Houston Health Department employees about combatting labor trafficking (in process) and exploring strategies to engage restaurant associations (not yet begun).

Some of this will come into play for the Super Bowl, Davis explained. The city will send text and email messages to taxi drivers on how to identify sex traffickers, as they do around other large events. A media campaign that began in August will continue through the end of 2017 and include TV spots, signs on buses and billboards.

The approach is one Davis believes puts Houston ahead of the curve when it comes to hosting the Super Bowl, allowing for a roll-out of more initiatives at a larger scale, rather than focusing on a specific event and time frame.

But Davis didn't fault groups for organizing around the event, either. For many, she acknowledged, knowing that any victim is out there is reason enough to act.

The Carnegie Mellon study aimed to use a quantitative measurement to evaluate claims that the Super Bowl brought with it more trafficking than any other event. To find out, researchers looked at the proliferation of "new-to-town" online escort ads posted between 2011 and 2016 around public events including, and of comparable size to, the Super Bowl. They found that while the ads did increase around the game, it was not the biggest draw. Memorial Day weekend at Myrtle Beach, for example, drew a more significant ad increase.

From a policy standpoint, researcher Artur Dubrawski said, the Super Bowl should not be viewed in isolation.

"There is some statistically significant activity, true," Dubrawski said, "but is it the only thing that everyone should be hearing? Probably not."

Polaris, a nationwide organization that operates the National Human Trafficking Hotline, another tool used to measure prevalence of the crime, has likewise noted no significant increase in call volume around the event, said Vanessa Chauhan, strategic relationship and engagement advisor.

"I think there's a lot of sensationalism," Chauhan said. "We definitely very much stand by the fact that human trafficking happens 365 days a year."

A research committee organized by a coalition led by United Against Human Trafficking further found no scientific evidence that trafficking increases around Super Bowls, said Melissa I. M. Torres, director of the human trafficking research portfolio at the University of Texas.

Stepping up police operations

Instead, they kept hearing the same lessons learned from past host cities: not to focus on the Super Bowl alone.

Sgt. Inspector Antonio Flores, of the human trafficking unit for the San Francisco Police Department, said the agency prepared well ahead of Super Bowl 50, which was hosted in the Bay Area, and executed stings around it. But they considered it a chance to work with others on how best to approach the crime - and then keep those efforts going in advance of the next large gathering. "The Super Bowl in San Francisco, like in big cities, is every weekend," Flores said. "This is nothing new."

The police department in Glendale, Ariz., which hosted the game in 2015, devoted a unit specifically to combat trafficking, said Sgt. Scott Waite, a department spokesman. The arrests were minimal, which they took as a good sign.

It is possible the event didn't draw the crime in the way some supposed it would, Waite acknowledged, but he also pointed to an effort they had made earlier, in December, when the city hosted the Fiesta Bowl. The department then made a dramatically higher number of arrests. "I think it set an early tone," Waite said.

As with any large event, the Houston Police Department expects the crime may go up somewhat. They plan to ramp up operations 10 days prior to the event, said Capt. Dan Harris of the vice division.

The agency plans to focus on several areas: Finding the traffickers, checking for prostitution in clubs and running decoy operations to track "johns," whose pictures and information they intend to publish via media outlets. Officers will be paid overtime. "We're just taking our regular approach and streamlining it," Harris said.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office stands by a year-round approach, too, according to Capt. Tim Navarre. The agency will largely operate as normal, monitoring social media, working in hotels and doing reverse prostitution stings.

They may increase operations somewhat, but the agency stays busy already, Navarre continued. By the end of November, they had conducted 87 prostitution or trafficking-related operations, Navarre said.

"The studies show that there's not a significant rise during the Super Bowl, but that's not going to keep us from being out there, beating the streets," Navarre said.

Chance to raise awareness

Nonetheless, a number of organizations have rallied around the event because of the attention it draws.

United Against Human Trafficking's coalition has organized more than usual this year to coordinate events that groups wanted to pursue.

The coalition members' efforts include the play, which has been adapted to be set in the Houston suburbs, and the justice rally, being run by the group Elijah Rising.

The rally will involve four days of training, deployment and outreach, Elijah Rising founder Cat French said. Her ultimate goal is to reach every woman in the sex trade and to provide them with a phone number to call if they want to get out.

"We take every opportunity," French said of reaching out to women. "We don't particularly need a Super Bowl for sex trafficking to be very robust here."

Houston has had a larger number of commercial sex ads on the well-known website backpage.com per person than did Manhattan and part of New Jersey during a period in 2014 when that region hosted the Super Bowl, according to a study done by a local group, Free the Captives. French said she had heard of strip clubs recruiting 18 months ahead of the 2004 Super Bowl, also hosted in Houston. She expected to see an influx this time, too.

"There's no doubt that there are way more buyers in town," said Robert Sanborn, president of Children at Risk. "For us, we will use the Super Bowl to talk about this being a year-long deal."

The ride service Uber also organized a press conference tied to the event, announcing that it would be making information available to its drivers about recognizing child victims of sex trafficking.

The initiative included input from Carol Smolenski, director of ECPAT-USA, who noted that such training can bring lasting change. People don't lose that knowledge just because the Super Bowl ends, she said.

"This is an opportunity," Smolenski said. "It's an opportunity to get the message out."

Want to go?

Labyrinth Prayer and Walk for Freedom, Dominican Sisters of Houston

7 p.m., Wednesday Jan. 11

6501 Almeda Road., Houston

The Johns, Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company

Showtimes Jan. 19 through Feb. 4

1824 Spring St. #101, Houston

Justice Rally: The Abolitionist Battlefield, Elijah Rising

Feb. 1 through Feb. 4

2800 Antoine Dr., Suite 2842, Houston