HYDERABAD: The U.S. Consulate General in Hyderabad arranged for a media engagement with Minal Patel Davis, Special Advisor on Human Trafficking to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. Appointed in July 2015, Davis is charged with making a local impact on human trafficking in the 4th largest city in the U.S. from a policy-level perspective and by advancing systems change. She developed and is currently implementing Mayor Turner’s Anti-Human Trafficking Strategic Plan, which is the first comprehensive municipal response to human trafficking by a U.S. city.
Minal Patel Davis serves as Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Special Advisor on Human Trafficking, the first municipal-level position of its kind in the U.S. Appointed in July 2015, Davis is charged with making a local impact on human trafficking in the 4th largest city in the U.S. from a policy-level perspective and by advancing systems change. She developed and is currently implementing Mayor Turner’s Anti-Human Trafficking Strategic Plan, which is the first comprehensive municipal response to human trafficking by a U.S. city. It aims to eliminate human trafficking by institutionalizing the city’s response, leveraging key city departments like the health department, coordinating funding and services, implementing Houston Area Council to Combat Human Trafficking’s initiatives and increasing awareness.
Some plan highlights include successful passage of amendments to the massage establishment ordinance which increased police efficiencies. Minal also continues to manage the affairs of HAC-HT, a 42 member task force which has served as an incubator space for several creative ideas incorporated into the plan. Davis is passionate about helping other cities in their own anti-human trafficking efforts, and has spoken on several local, national, and international panels to present the City of Houston’s approach. She is a past speaker at the United Nations World Humanitarian Summit, United States Conference of Mayors, and recently traveled to Halifax and Montreal, Canada at the request of the State Department to discuss municipal leadership in trafficking with government officials. Minal earned a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in English from New York University and a J.D./M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut.