It’s the 27th of the month, and so I’m remembering the 27 million slaves in the world today. I’d like to highlight stories of human trafficking in the news right now. I’m sharing with you some links to news stories published within the last several days, each one highlighting some aspect of human trafficking.
Will you take a few moments of your devoted time and attention to learning just a little bit about what’s happening in the world (and right here in our country) today? Trust me, I know it’s much more comfortable to ignore this huge problem we feel helpless to solve.
We might call it self-preservation. We might call it protecting ourselves from more bad news we can’t handle. We might even call it spending our time wisely on matters we can actually impact in some way.
But I have a feeling what it really boils down to is unbelief. And instead of yielding to that feeling that there’s nothing we can do, we need to get down on our knees and do the one thing we can do (which is also the best thing anyone can do): take this issue to God. Take these people to God. And let Him know that if there is something else He wants us to do for them, all He has to do is show us and we’ll obey. And then tell Him in the meantime He’ll be hearing a lot from us…for them.
(Do you need some guidance in how to pray for slaves? In my last post, I compiled 27 ways to pray for them, straight from the Bible.)
Human Trafficking in the News
First, the bad news…
The terror being inflicted by ISIS has been thoroughly documented. Well-known for their brutal treatment of Christians, this piece explains that ISIS views as their enemies anyone who refuses to convert to Islam, and that they don’t hesitate to take women captive as slaves.
This informative article looks at sex slavery in the suburbs of Chicago. It also highlights the National Human Trafficking Hotline — (888) 373-7888. Will you take two minutes and commit this number to your memory? There are three 8’s at the beginning and three at the end, with “3737” in the middle. See? Easy as pie. Now use this number to report suspicious activity. What is suspicious activity? I’ve always wondered this myself. Here’s some good information from The SAGE Project:
Suspicious activity may include situations where individuals live, eat, sleep and work in the same location. Individuals may be heavily surveilled, had their documents confiscated, show signs of fatigue and exhaustion, and have a severely fearful disposition. Girls with an older “boyfriend” or boys with a “Sugar Daddy” may be under pimp control – a form of human trafficking. Children forced to panhandle or sell a product may be victims of human trafficking. Runaway, homeless, and foster-care youth are at high risk for being trafficked.
This article provides a thorough overview of the transnational trafficking taking place in Asia, as traffickers kidnap victims and transport them on prison ships.
And now, some good news…
I love this inspiring piece about women in North Carolina who educated themselves about trafficking and then created a way to make a difference in the lives of trafficking victims.
Here’s another uplifting article about a human trafficking victim who is now helping to rescue others in similar situations.
These stories from last week will be old news in just a few days. But they represent hundreds of stories, told and untold, about millions of people in slavery today.
Thank you for taking a few moments of your time today in their honor.
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