Houston rapper Yung Corleon has been charged with forcing sex trafficking on 12 women and girls, according to Harris County authorities.
Court documents show that the 21-year-old was arrested on Nov. 27, 2019 by a Department of Public Safety trooper for unlawfully carrying a weapon and drug possession. During the arrest, authorities found out that Jackson was wanted for prostitution charges.
Born Aryion Jackson, the “Better Half” rapper is being charged with aggravated promotion of prostitution, trafficking of persons, sexual assault of a child and compelling prostitution. Jackson allegedly prostituted women out of his home in northeast Houston.
Police reports indicated that he would rotate about 12 women and girls along Bissonnet, a popular street in Houston. The women would perform sex acts for $100 to $300 per act in open spaces, cars, and motels.
One of the women alleged that the “finesse pimp” would force the women to “turn tricks” or sell their bodies until they reached a quota of $1,000 per day. If the women did not comply and return with the daily quota, they were threatened with physical violence and severe punishments.
Another woman reported that Jackson aimed a gun at her during a studio recording session because she wasn’t following his rules. Some of the girls were as young as 14 years old, according to authorities.
Jackson, who has an extensive criminal record, is currently sitting in the Jefferson County Jail. His bond is set at $55,000 for the drug charges.
Sex trafficking, a form of sexual exploitation, forced labor and modern day slavery, has always existed since the days of brothels and whorehouses. The epidemic is an open secret. Any time of the day, women are walking populated streets, such as Figueroa in Los Angeles, or join sex rings and escort services.
In 2018, 51,919 cases of trafficking was reported. Women account for 71% of those forced into the life. According to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, the average ages that many victims are forced into the life are between 12 and 14 years old.
Social media is now being used as a way to solicit more victims. A study performed by The University of Toledo (UT) Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute discovered that traffickers are using social media as a medium to solicit, recruit, and exploit children for sex.
While a predator cannot simply be determined by gender, age, socioeconomic background or physical appearance, there are many ways to tell if a person is a trafficker.
Traffickers tend to people watch and roam highly populated areas, such as schools, malls, bus stations and social media. They start with manipulation, making the victim feel loved and wanted. They sell their victims dreams, while working on isolating the person from friends and family.
“Traffickers use force, drugs, emotional tactics, and financial methods to control their victims,” the FBI said in a statement. “They have an especially easy time establishing a strong bond with young girls. These perpetrators may promise marriage and a lifestyle the youths often did not have in their previous familial relationships. They claim they “love” and “need” the victim and that any sex acts are for their future together.”
In recent news, people have been alerted that sex traffickers are driving around in white vans. Although this was most likely a social media rumor gone viral, there has been a spike of kidnappings and parents selling their children in the U.S.
“Young people are recruited into prostitution through forced abduction, pressure from parents, or through deceptive agreements between parents and traffickers,” the FBI reported. “Once these children become involved in prostitution, they often are forced to travel far from their homes and, as a result, are isolated from their friends and family.”
Parents should inform their children of the dangers of sex trafficking. Women and teens should be sure to take a friend or family member with them when they are handling errands after dark. Some other tips include avoiding revealing personal information to strangers, letting someone know their whereabouts, and keeping a cell phone on their person.
For more information on sex trafficking, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
