“When I realized how uneducated many communities are regarding the realities of sex trafficking, I promised myself to become an advocate. I knew it was my mission to combine a lived experience with service.” – Rhonda Kuykendall, Texas CASA Anti-Child Trafficking Consultant
Rhonda’s inspiring journey in anti-child trafficking advocacy began many years ago when she experienced domestic violence and sexual abuse as a young child. Between the ages of ten and twelve years old, she was forced into the hands of a four-time convicted child sex trafficker and taken on weekend trips where she eventually was put into a child pornography ring in Lubbock, TX. Years later, after the abuse had ended, Rhonda began to understand the depth of what happened to her. “I was always aware of the sexual abuse in my early life, but I did not identify as a sex trafficking survivor. Studying human trafficking, I began to understand my lived experience was sex trafficking. My victimization in sex trafficking started when I was ten years old in 1981. The term ‘human trafficking’ was not codified until 2000 in the federal law titled Trafficking Victim Protection Act. Until then, the language to explain sex trafficking simply did not exist.”
Years after her realization and while struggling to find justice for herself, Rhonda’s work in anti-sex trafficking advocacy began. “When I visited the police department in 2001, I wanted to press charges. A statute of limitations revealed I was too late.” According to Texas law, a victim had only ten years from their eighteenth birthday to bring charges forward. Angrily, Rhonda knew this had to change. “No victim of child sexual assault should be denied the right to justice because of a law on the books.” Rhonda went to work, and after two legislative sessions and five years of boots-on-the-ground advocacy, she succeeded in abolishing the statute of limitations for child sexual assault with an amendment to HB8: Jessica Lunsford Act in the 80th Legislative Session.
After Rhonda’s big success, she continued her legislative advocacy work, and in 2014, she was awarded a United States Congressional Honor for improving the lives of children in Texas who’ve experienced abuse. Soon after receiving this award, Child Advocates of Fort Bend (CAFB) invited her to their annual gala as a Guest of Honor. While attending the gala, Rhonda’s flame for the CASA mission was ignited, and shortly after she decided to become a CASA volunteer. After three years as a CASA volunteer, Rhonda was invited to become a member of the Board of Directors at CAFB where she chairs their Legislative Advocacy Team.
Rhonda has accomplished many impressive feats in her legislative advocacy work over the past few years. Here are a few of the bills she worked on that passed in recent legislative sessions:
- HB390 (87th session) – Relating to requirements for human trafficking awareness and prevention in commercial lodging establishments; authorizing a civil penalty
- SB1831 (87th session) – No trafficking zone in schools; first-degree felony for offenders contacting, arranging meetings, or picking up students within a designated no trafficking zone
- SB129 (88th session) – Relating to the prosecution and punishment for possession or, promotion of child pornography; increasing criminal penalties
- HB2313 (88th session) – Human trafficking education for rideshare drivers
….and many more!
Today, Rhonda lives in Fort Bend County with her husband, Tommy, two grown children, Alyssa and Ty, and two dogs, Max and Healey. She is a master’s student at the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work with a specialization in political social work. In addition to her service at CAFB, Rhonda also chairs the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Team where they work on implementing state and city laws and community awareness programs. Moreso, Rhonda was elected to serve on the Texas Human Trafficking Survivor Leader Council, representing the state of Texas along with eleven other survivors.
Rhonda has been the Anti-Child Trafficking Consultant for Texas CASA since November 2021. As the ACT consultant, she is responsible for crafting trauma-informed anti-child trafficking programs to educate CASA programs across the state of Texas. Over the next year, she will continue to create resources for local programs to be active stakeholders in their local anti-trafficking community, and to develop a framework for programs and volunteers to best advocate for children and youth who have been or are at risk of being trafficked.
Texas CASA is incredibly honored to have Rhonda on our team. Please join us in congratulating Rhonda for being the recipient of the 2023 National Paul H Chapman Award from the Foundation for Improvement of Justice. This award is given to individuals and groups who have improved local, state and federal systems of justice in the United States – to which Rhonda is so deserving! We are deeply grateful for her partnership and are thrilled to see what she accomplishes next. “Rhonda has taught me so much about child trafficking, been instrumental to the development of our ACT framework. We are so fortunate to have her working with us!” – Candice Dosman, Texas CASA Advocacy Initiatives Director