Human trafficking is not something that I would normally talk about on Rock His World, but I feel strongly about it and I feel it is a topic that needs to be talked about among Christians. I first heard about Human Trafficking about 4 years ago. I am saddened that I do not hear more about than I do. Even in the face of the 300 Nigerian Girls who were abducted by Boko Haram, we hear little about trafficking. There is a silence on this issue that needs to be changed.
We fought a war about 150 years ago that was suppose to end slavery in this country. However, it continues to exist in the United States and in the World. The difference now is that we are not enslaving people because they are of a particular race, now we are enslaving our own sons and daughters as well as people from other nations. It is hard to get accurate information on Human Trafficking, but I am going to use information from A21, (Link is listed below.)
A21 is Ministry of Christine & Nick Caine. I heard Christine speak at a conference a little while back and I was blown away by her testimony and by her energy. A21’s goal is: Abolishing Injustice in the 21st Century. They are a good place to start if you want to know more about this topic.
Some Facts:
- There are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in human history, with an estimated 27 million in bondage across the globe.
- The average age of trafficking victims is 12 years old.
- Only 1-2% of all victims are ever rescued.
- Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings, mainly for the purposes of forced labor and sex trafficking. As the world’s fastest growing criminal industry, it affects every nation across the globe. Every thirty seconds, someone is forced into this type of bondage—modern slavery.
Some Thoughts
This is slavery and slavery is about exploitation and devaluing others, for the sake of profit and power. A couple of sites I looked at said that only about 25% of those who are trafficked are sent into the sex trade industry. The rest are farm workers, domestic servants, and factory workers.
RHW is a opposed to prostitution in all forms. The Bible clearly speaks about the dangers of it. I think the fact that the vast majority of the prostitutes out there are slaves makes it an even greater crime, both against God and against women (and men.) If guys would stop using prostitutes that would end one part of human trafficking and save almost 7 million people from that form of slavery.
All too often, we have thought of prostitution as a victimless crime, there have even been cries to legalize it everywhere. Or society has romanticized prostitution, almost making it noble that woman turns to something hard, something beneath her in order to survive and give her a future.
The truth is, most of the women (and men) in prostitution are captives of the
ir pimps. They are controlled, watched, and dominated by the pimp. They cannot leave; they are punished if they don’t make enough money. They are starved, they often times forced into drug addiction to help them be more controllable. All of this so that some guys can satisfy his desires outside of marriage.
It bothers me, as a man that so much of this problem comes because of men’s actions. Sometimes we think we have come so far as people, as a society, as a world wide community, yet we allow this to happen. We have not come very far at all.
In looking back in history, we see that the biggest cry against slavery, the biggest voices that sought to stop it, both in the United States and in Great Brittan was that of Christians. Christians spoke out and acted, we must be willing to do that again. For if we don’t who will?
What We Can Do:
- Pray – Pray that this form of slavery will be abolished right away. Pray for organizations that are seeking to end human trafficking.
- Raise Awareness – Talk about this issue, let people know that it exists.
- Open Your Home – When people are rescued, they need a place of sanctuary, a place of escape. What a great way to share the love of God.
- Donate – Find an organization that seeks to end Human Trafficking and help support them.
More to Come…
Source:
The A21 Campaign: Abolishing Injustice in the 21st Century
Rock His World 