I want to begin by quoting from Francis Chan's book, Forgotten God:
"Two years ago at a dinner I sat next to a man who runs a human trafficking awareness organization. He described how these children, most of whom were sold or abducted into the sex trade, are raped and abused every single night, again and again, how they have no one to advocate for them, and how there is no way out.
That night I literally lay awake in my bed for hours and imagined my own children in this situation. Maybe that was a stupid thing to do, but suddenly, vividly, I was sobbing and I couldn't get the images out of my mind. I started thinking about what I would do if this really happened to my little girl. I know that I wouldn't stop until I had saved her. I would mobilize everyone I know through whatever means possible to get them to help... then something happened. I'm not one to often hears God's voice distinctly, but on this night the Spirit of God said to me, 'I want you to love them as your own children.' This was overwhelming to me. After all, if I treated them as my own kids, I would never stop praying for them. I also wouldn't stop passionately begging people to figure out ways to seek them out and rescue them. I literally wept for hours. I was now on a mission. A mission from God.
... But over the course of several months, I got distracted. People around me started calming me down about sex trafficking. They said, 'Francis, you can't save the world,' and 'You're already doing so much, don't be so hard on yourself.' ... My wife and I recently decided to give all of the profit from my previous book, Crazy Love, to the Isaiah 58 Fund. All of the money goes to the needy of the world.We reasoned that if we kept this money, we would spend it on things we didn't need. I was a bit shocked and discouraged by some of the response we received.
People told us we were being foolish and irresponsible with the gifts God gave us. They said we should have at least put some away in case of emergency. My response back was, 'Is it not an emergency that children in Cambodia and Thailand and even in the US are being raped every single day of their lives? Why is that not an emergency??' I think the church often inadvertently teaches that the sex-slave trade is not an emergency. And this, I believe, is sin. Is an emergency only an emergency is it affects me and my immediate family?"
What comes to your mind when you hear the word "prostitute"? Maybe a person who is addicted to drugs and has no other way to support their habit. Or a promiscuous girl who was looking for a good time and decided to make a living that way. Well, what comes to mind when you hear "sexually exploited child"? It's not the same reaction, is it? This is where we start. We have to change the way we see this issue. It's not just prostitution, it's exploitation, slavery, abuse.
I'm not sure how to go about this. I have learned SO much over the last couple months about this injustice, and it's hard (and exhausting) to put the information into my own words whereas to convey to you the enormity of this darkness. I probably won't include everything in here, but it is a lot. And it will make you sick.
A definition: Human trafficking is the practice of humans being tricked, lured, coerced or otherwise removed from their home or country, and then forced to work with no or low payment or on terms which are highly exploitative.
This includes sex trafficking and labor trafficking.
Labor trafficking is widespread in a variety of situations that encompass domestic servitude and small-scale labor operations, to large-scale operations such as farms, sweatshops, and major multinational corporations. Sex trafficking is one of the most lucrative sectors regarding the illegal trade in people, and involves any form of sexual exploitation in prostitution, pornography, bride trafficking, and the commercial sexual abuse of children. Under international law, any sexually exploited child is considered a trafficking victim, even if no force or coercion is present.
- Approximately 30 million children have lost their childhood because of human trafficking in the last 30 years.
- Every 2 minutes a child is being prepared for sexual exploitation.
- The average age worldwide that a child is trafficked is 12 to 14 years old.
- 1.3 to 2.6 million children runaway from home every year. Within 48 hours, two-thirds of them are abducted and recruited into the sex trade.
- In the US alone, 300,000 children are trafficked every year.
- Approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year.
- The main consumers of pornography are 12 to 15-year-old boys.
- This is the second largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world. Currently, it generates $32 billion a year.
- A typical night for a victim of sex trafficking is 10 to 15 buyers. If you take the conservative approach, which is 5 buyers a night, for 5 days a week, and she is in captivity for 5 years, that means she has been raped 6,500 times.
Many people do not realize that it includes more than street prostitution. There are different "games" and places that buyers can choose from to find their victims-- street prostitution, gang originated prostitution, family based prostitution (a parent or family member sells the child), brothels/ pimp houses, strip clubs, adult bookstores, or online ads.
What most frustrates me about this crime is its secrecy and organization. If, for example, a girl is forced into trafficking in California, she is quickly and constantly moved around the US, and possibly out of the country. This is why it is essential for everyone to educate themselves about the signs of trafficking.
Here are a few I have learned: (for more tips, visit the Polaris Project link at the bottom of the page)
- The girls must refer to their trafficker, or pimp, as "Daddy." There is a family-oriented relationship that is formed. The other girls who "belong" to him are often referred to as the stable, or wife-in-laws.
- A girl must not, at any time, make eye contact with another pimp. If she does, she is brutally punished.
- The phrase, "Pimps up, hoes down" means that the girls must walk on the street while the pimps are walking down the sidewalk. It enforces the idea that the girls are simply property, something to be sold and used as her trafficker wishes.
- If you want to approach a girl you assume is being held against her will, your contact with her must be very fast. The pimps are always watching their girls and know when a person is intervening and trying to mess with their business.
- The pimps will often brand the girls that they own. Usually, they will tattoo their names on a girl's arm, neck, or breast.
- Dates, johns, or tricks are some commercial names for the buyers.
Now to something that REALLY angers me-- how these young girls are coerced and manipulated into slavery. There are many different ways of going about it, but mainly the recruiter, or trafficker, will observe in neighborhoods, schools, malls, and other public places. He will look for the girls who are obviously insecure, and will prey on that insecurity. If there is an apparent void in her life, like a missing father figure, he will use that to build a bond with her. It's often called "love bombing" when he makes his move & showers her with affection and gifts to make her feel like she is special to him. He sleeps with her for a while to build a physical bond. After this, she is hooked, and so begins the rape and abuse from not only him, but other men as well.
Children (anyone under the age of 18) who are trafficked do not receive any payment for their "work." Sometimes, if a girl has been with her trafficker for several years, he will allow her to keep some of her money. But to my knowledge, this is rare. Every part of the victims' lives are controlled. Everything about this life is a mind-game. The victim does nothing without their permission. This is why when someone is rescued from this industry, it is so easy for them to return to that lifestyle. It is what they know, and they have formed what is called a "trauma bond" with their captors. You may know this as Stockholm Syndrome. Even if a girl really wants out of the life, their fear and dependency on their captor usually keeps them from escaping.
There are 4 major relationships that a trafficker represents to these girls: father figure, landlord, boss, and boyfriend. The trafficker finds a need in their victim's life, and in some way, fills that need. He provides a form of "love" for her, creates a false sense of hope for her future, provides instability that causes intimacy, and even though he severely abuses her, at least he is always there.
Can you see how this is the church's responsibility? We are the one who carry the very Spirit of God inside of us, who have the ability through His power to love our neighbor, and yet this is happening still. We aren't loving. We aren't paying attention. We must change this!
I praise God for a hope that never fails, and a love that conquers sin! Confronted with all the realities of this injustice, I am still full of passion to make a difference, and I hope you are too. Not everyone is called to this specific issue, but we are called to pray without ceasing, to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, and to loose the chains of injustice that are binding this world and preventing the positive work that people are trying to accomplish. Just by informing communities that this CAN happen and DOES happen in their own backyard, we will be able to find more missing children who have been brought into this terrible crime, and we will restore countless lives around the world.
There are SO many organizations, churches, and individuals who are bringing this darkness to light worldwide. This is just a small list of some that I am working with, praying for, and contributing to. Most of these sites have videos and other resources available to help spread awareness about human trafficking.
"He who knows what he should do, yet does not do it, to him it is sin." Do what you can; what you feel God leading you to do. We know about this now, and we are held responsible for our action or inaction. I pray that this has opened your eyes, like it has opened mine. And I pray that we would not be so distracted by our comfortable, safe lives that we ignore the lives all around us that are being ended. We can make a difference. We can help save them.
- Global Child Rescue
- KLAAS Kids
- Love 146
- Not for Sale
- Polaris Project
- GEMS Girls
- Jenny Williamson, Courage to be You
- The A21 Campaign
- SHE Rescue Homes
"Welcome to the movement."
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