Wednesday, September 1, 2010 View Comments
The 5th Annual International Weekend of Prayer & Fasting for Victims of Sexual Trafficking will be taking place September 24-26, 2010.
The Salvation Army, the Initiative Against Sexual Trafficking (IAST), and the Faith Alliance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAAST) invite you to join with them in observing the 5th annual International Weekend of Prayer and Fasting for Victims of Sexual Trafficking. You can join the observance by praying and fasting individually, and/or by organizing workplace or church-based events of prayer and fasting on behalf of those exploited in the commercial sex industry. Please join with us as we lift our petitions to God to free the captives and loose the chains of injustice.
If you’d like to participate in praying and fasting for victims of sexual trafficking, you can download the flyer for the event here and register for it here. 
Also, check out the ‘Prayer Guide for the Victims of Sex Trafficking’, which I wrote about here, for more information on sex trafficking and many specific ways to pray about it.
Visit The Salvation Army’s website for some helpful prayer and fasting resources as well as other resources about human trafficking. You can also learn more ways to get educated about trafficking and take action to combat it at FAAST’s website, and find out what you can do to stop sex trafficking at IAST’s website.
“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6)
“…praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” (Ephesians 6:10-20)
Monday, August 23, 2010 View Comments
Almost every day people visit my blog and website searching for “human trafficking statistics”, so I thought it would be helpful to gather some information* about slavery and trafficking that Stop Child Trafficking Now has recently been sharing on Twitter and post it here for reference. Here are some facts and statistics about human trafficking in general and child trafficking specifically…
- Child trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world.
- There are 2.5 million child sex slaves in the world today, some as young as 4 and 5.
- More than 1,000,000 children worldwide will become victims of child trafficking this year.
- Over 100,000 children in the U.S. are currently exploited through commercial sex, and 300,000 children in the U.S. are at risk every year for commercial sexual exploitation.
- Investigators and researchers estimate the average predator in the U.S. can make more than $200,000 a year off one young girl.
- The global market of child trafficking is over $12 billion a year.
- The total market value of illicit human trafficking is estimated to be over $32 billion a year.
- An estimated 14,500-17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the U.S. each year.
- Approximately 80% of human trafficking victims are women and girls and up to 50% are minors.
- 600,000-800,000 people are bought and sold across international borders each year; 50% are children, most are female. The majority of these victims are forced into the sex trade.
- There are open sex slavery cases in all 50 states.
- U.S. citizen child victims are often runaway and homeless youth.
- Runaways, orphans and the poor are targets for sexual predators.
- Approximately 80% of trafficking involves sexual exploitation, and 19% involves labor exploitation.
- There are more slaves today than ever before in human history.
Stop Child Trafficking Now is working to put an end to child trafficking by addressing the demand for child sex slaves and targeting the source of the demand – the predators who drive the sex industry. By prosecuting and convicting the predators and putting them behind bars, child sex trafficking can be stopped. Learn more about how SCTNow and their Special Operatives Teams are working to achieve this by reading more about them at their website.
Visit Stop Child Trafficking Now’s website, twitter page, and facebook page to learn more.
* Information from various sources ~ U.S. Dept. of Justice, U.S. Dept. of State, UNICEF, UN, UNODC
Tuesday, August 17, 2010 View Comments
The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today, written by Kevin Bales, president of Free the Slaves, and Ron Soodalter, is now being published in a paperback edition. Now is the time to get this book and become educated about modern-day slavery in America. You can purchase The Slave Next Door at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million. I have not yet read this book, although I am planning to, but Anna, from Free the Slaves, provided the following information and kindly asked me to share it on my blog.
Here’s a description of the book…
In this riveting book, authors and authorities on modern day slavery Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter expose the disturbing phenomenon of human trafficking and slavery that exists now in the United States. In The Slave Next Door we find that slaves are all around us, hidden in plain sight: the dishwasher in the kitchen of the neighborhood restaurant, the kids on the corner selling cheap trinkets, the man sweeping the floor of the local department store. In these pages we also meet some unexpected slaveholders, such as a 27-year old middle-class Texas housewife who is currently serving a life sentence for offences including slavery. Weaving together a wealth of voices—from slaves, slaveholders, and traffickers as well as from experts, counselors, law enforcement officers, rescue and support groups, and others—this book is also a call to action, telling what we, as private citizens, can do to finally bring an end to this horrific crime.
The following was written by Ron Soodalter, co-author of The Slave Next Door…
Friday, August 13, 2010 View Comments
There are so many different ways to take part in the fight to abolish modern-day slavery and human trafficking. Here are just some of the ways people and organizations are working to fight for justice and bring an end to slavery and trafficking…
- education
- prevention
- rescue
- aftercare/restoration
- stopping demand
- research/investigation
- spreading awareness
- going after predators/prosecuting perpetrators
- law enforcement/justice systems
- working with governments
- helping the poor, orphans and widows
- helping homeless youth
- protection
- prayer
- advocacy
- legal aid
- financial support
Not everyone can do everything, but we can all do something. We each have different gifts and passions that we can use in the battle for justice and the abolition of modern-day slavery and human trafficking. What part could you take?
Check out these organizations that are working in various ways to abolish slavery and human trafficking and help support them in their efforts.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010 View Comments
You can help rescue precious young girls from sex slavery in India! A rescue operation is in the works, and you can get involved in this through prayer and financial support.
Tom Davis, president of Children’s HopeChest, has written on his blog, ‘Red Letters’, about the reality of young girls trapped in sex slavery in India and their need for rescue. I’ve copied it here, but please visit Tom’s blog for more information…
How to make a profit selling virgins for sex
It’s apparently very simple.
First, you establish yourself as a respected community leader who heads up a women’s rights group in India. This will solidify your reputation as someone who protects and defends young girls.
Next, you need to really specialize in something to keep the customers coming back for more. You need, as the marketers call it, a “unique value proposition.” You decide to focus on virgin girls. Highly prized and more expensive than girls with experience.
For clientele, you cater to corrupt police officials, local authorities, and the occasional visiting VIP or dignitary. That way, you’ll always remain safe from raids and prosecutions.
Last, and most importantly, you need a good supply of virgins. For that you have an arrangement with the local boarding school for girls. Potential customers browse through your photo book of potential child sex victims. Once they make their choice, you bring the girls to your brothel to be raped for profit.
Sadly, this true story is unfolding right now in India.A well-respected women’s leader and her husband run a trafficking and prostitution ring specializing in virgins and young girls. The description above is true in its details, documented by our partners in India.
A rescue operation is in the works, and I am raising funds through this blog to free as many girls as we can. Will you help us?
Wednesday, July 14, 2010 View Comments
What’s your passion? What breaks your heart? What spurs you on to do something? People starving and dying from diseases? People without clean water to drink? Babies being aborted? Christians being persecuted? Homeless people with no place to live? Orphans with no family to care for them? People trapped in the horror of slavery and human trafficking?
There is so much heartache in the world and so many people who need help, but we can all do something.
My heart breaks over all of the things I mentioned, but when I learned about the suffering of 27 million people enslaved today, I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t continue just living my own life, ignoring the hurting of others, doing nothing for those who are suffering from injustice.
If you too have a heart for justice, specifically in the area of slavery, here are some ways to take action…
Friday, July 2, 2010 View Comments
If you haven’t read Priceless yet, I really encourage you to do so. Not only is it a very well-written book that grabs your attention with the first page and keeps it until the end, it is also an eye-opening and informative book about the reality of sex trafficking.
Priceless takes you on a heartbreaking yet hopeful journey through Russia and into the dark world of sex trafficking. There, you will encounter girls who are enslaved in the sex trade, and you will get a glimpse of the terror and suffering they have to live through every day. But you will also encounter people who go out and rescue them, bring them to safety, and care for them.
Tom Davis has taken a difficult topic and written a compelling story of courage, suffering, rescue, compassion, healing, and hope. Take the journey! Read the book and join the fight to stop sex trafficking!
Take a look at my other post about Priceless and visit the She Is Priceless website to learn more about this book, the issue of sex trafficking, and what you can do about it.
Tom has put together five great videos that go behind the scenes to various settings in the book. The first two are in my previous post about Priceless and here are the rest…Enjoy!
Friday, June 25, 2010 View Comments
What comes to your mind when you think about The Salvation Army? Someone standing outside a store in the cold during the Christmas season, ringing a bell next to a red tin bucket, collecting money? A place where people drop off their old clothes and stuff they don’t want anymore? A store where people can buy used things for really cheap prices? That is what used to come to my mind (and maybe yours too) when I thought about The Salvation Army. But there is much more to this organization than that.
The Salvation Army is quite involved in combating human trafficking. They state on their website,
The Salvation Army firmly believes that the abuse and exploitation of human beings through any form of human trafficking is an offense against humankind and against God. This belief, combined with our mission to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination, motivates us to work vigilantly for the prevention of human trafficking and for the restoration of survivors.
Something I found to be very interesting is that over 100 years ago, William and Catherine Booth, the founders of The Salvation Army, reached out to help women and children in London, England, who were trapped in commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking. The Salvation Army opened homes for these women and girls to help protect them from the horrors of sex trafficking. You can learn more about this by reading ‘Why The Salvation Army Fights Human Trafficking’ at their website.
Friday, June 18, 2010 View Comments
International Justice Mission has launched their biggest campaign ever ~ ‘Stop Injustice: 5 Weeks For Freedom’. A team of 15 people will be cycling 1800 miles of the Underground Railroad over 5 weeks this summer.
The purpose of this journey is to raise awareness about modern-day slavery and other kinds of oppression and injustice. From June 26-July 30, events will be held in various cities along the route to encourage people to join the fight for freedom and justice.
IJM has a goal to raise $1 million so they can continue their work to seek justice for the oppressed. You can invest in the fight for justice by donating to the cause and work of IJM!
Check out the 5 Weeks For Freedom website to learn more about the campaign and IJM, to find out 5 ways you can get involved, to get instant access to news and updates, to meet the riders, to find out when and where events will be held, and more!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010 View Comments
I came across the following prayer requests, concerning the issue of sex trafficking, in the ‘Prayer Guide for the Victims of Sex Trafficking’, a resource from The Salvation Army.
Please take a look at the prayer guide for more prayer requests, Scripture passages to prepare your heart and mind, and much more information about sex trafficking including: Defining the Problem, Scope of the Problem, Demand, and Impact.
The prayer guide is available in many different languages, and you can find links to them and many other prayer and fasting resources on The Salvation Army’s website.
Here are some prayer requests for rescue and restoration, breakdown of the sex industry, reduction of demand, and the church…
