Without a doubt, last week was a bit emotional for me — and for some of you who read about our experience seeing the sex trafficking industry face-to-face while I was in Moldova.
“The Sex Cafe” was (by over five times!) the most read post on my blog in its entire existence and from what we can tell, has reached well over 50,000 people. I’ve never had a post shared over 1000 times before, and that’s what we can just count. Thank you so much for using your voice to share this story.
If you read through the comments, one of the biggest questions that was asked was “How can we help?”
One way is through donating financially to our Stop the Secret Moldova fund. Currently, we’ve raised $1000 for these projects and still have quite a ways to go — $24,000 left — so by donating to the Stop the Secret Moldova fund, know you are donating to prevention and restoration organizations in Moldova that desperately need it.
We personally spent time with these organizations, meeting both the women and girls who have been rescued as well as the staff and volunteers who support them and I can not express how much confidence I have in the organizations we’ve partnered with.
Any amount, $1, $5, $50…will help provide much needed care for these girls.
You can donate by clicking here, and please put “Moldova” in the notes section.
Other than donating and spreading the word, I was wondering…
Sex trafficking happens both here in the States and abroad (the US is actually one of the largest importers of trafficked women).
What do you think are some ways we can act?
Comments
38 responses to “What Are Some Ways We Can Act?”
How about finding more ways to minister to the (mostly) men, who’s depravity is leading them to buy and abuse girls/women? If we can introduce these guys to a better way of living, then we can reduce the demand for girls on the sex market.
It’s the law of supply and demand; Reduce the demand and the supply will have to diminish.
I dunno. It’s just a thought.
.-= Jamie, the Very Worst Missionary´s last blog ..Today I bought a bike that I couldn’t afford =-.
Great idea, Jamie! If you are on Facebook, look up Pastor Chadwick, who is doing just that! Or: http://www.breakthesilence.me
http://www.thepinkcross.org
http://www.chadwickwalenga.com
Unfortunately it seems that there are very few organizations directly involved in fighting human trafficking. In “Just Courage” (a book I HIGHLY recommend if you haven’t already read it) Gary Haugen (President of IJM) says,
“There is no other category of Christian calling which there is such an enormous disparity between the need in the world and the actual ministry addressing the need. Despite the hundreds of millions of people in the world who suffer violent abuse in their communities, the scale of hands-on Christian ministry addressing those needs is minuscule. While the number of people suffering from injustice is similar to the number of people suffering because of hunger, homelessness, sickness or a lack of access to the gospel, there are literally a hundred times more people and resources devoted to the latter than to the former.”
I’m very interested to read and learn more about Children’s Hope Chest that you traveled with. My involvement so far in the fight against human trafficking has been through International Justice Mission (http://www.ijm.org). For anyone wanting to learn more about their work (and read about the terrible world about sex trafficking in general) I would recommend the book “Terrify No More” by Gary Haugen. It’s a chilling read that takes you deep within the world of human slavery just like your posts last week did for you readers.
Above all, we have to be passionate about continuing to spread the word whenever and however we can. We have to give sacrificially to organizations like Children’s Hope Chest and IJM who are on the front lines of this terrible fight.
Thanks for your posts so far on this subject. It encourages me to see how many people have gotten behind this already.
.-= Brad Ruggles?s last blog ..Ten Years Ago =-.
Open our homes to the rescued girls? Is that even possible?
.-= Rocco?s last blog ..The Prodigal? =-.
I think it depends on where you live and the amount of psychological care you can provide. So many of these girls have issues of trust (and deservedly so) that being around men, especially in the beginning, can cause more harm than good.
Being open to foster parenting or adoption domestically or internationally could aid in the prevention of girls and boys being trafficked though, I think.
Anne,
Although the foster care system is ok…it is not the solution for these girls… I have been involved with fostering for years and i have had 3 trafficked girls in my home..the support that foster care gives these girls is not what they need… I have found that it is just a quick fix…but true restoration comes only through Jesus Christ…which foster care does not support… These girls are so broken and wounded they need a home with loving parents (house parents) and where they feel secure… in foster care counselors and housing and case workers change as often as 2 to 3 times every 6 months… these girls just begin to trust their counselor and they move them to some one else…believe me it is NOT the answer…like I said earlier just a quick fix….
The issue of child rape for profit in Phoenix is huge, along with human trafficking both in/out (border state).
Awareness is the biggest thing needed right now, IMO. It’s powerful, as I believe we’ve seen proof of that here on your blog.
I am passionate about finding ways to use what we’re gifted in to give towards things like this. That will look different for a lot of people, but giving of ourselves and raising awareness is key.
I’m a big fan (not affiliated with) of Streetlight Phoenix, which is a Christian-based organization in Phoenix that will be opening a safehouse for girls rescued from child prostitution. With the opening of this safehouse, it will double the number of safehouse beds in the US.
I’ve been fortunate to be able to play some of my music at an event for Streetlight, with more to possibly come this year. If I can do that to get people to listen about the issue, then I’m all for it.
A lot of people think human trafficking is an international problem….they have no idea what is happening on our streets as well. I think the awareness for America’s human trafficking issues are severely lacking. I’m thankful that it’s starting to change.
.-= Josh´s last blog ..What’s Your Passion? =-.
Josh you are so right…. people have no ideal what is happening on the streets in America… Our ministry “Oasis of Hope” is also a ministry here in America who is building safe homes for our US children that have been trafficked…I was just in Harrisburg Pa. to the capitol to lobby for new laws to take affect in Pennsylvania… Even the senators are clueless about what is happening… I am proud to say that the resolution was passed on posting the hot line in truck stops and any place serving alcohol….this is the first of many bills that will be placed for our girls to get help in the U.S.. Getting involved in the political realm is also a great way to make awareness known… the Polaris group is doing a great job of that… also check out Shared Hope International… these are 2 organizations that have helped me in starting a safe haven here in PA…. We must continue to speak out on behalf of these girls….Wow Josh how many beds is the safe haven in Arizona gonna house… there are less than 100 in America now…
I have seen in the past where churches have come together to do conferences on it. They bring various speakers in to talk about what is going on – awareness is half the battle.
Another thing I have seen work is bringing missionaries in who are actively working with trafficking organizations into classrooms (seminary, college, highschool) and sharing specific ways to help).
Keep publishing stories. I reposted your story on my blog last friday and I got several emails – getting the PERSONAL stories out ther makes a huge impact.
There is an organization that I know of called “Wonderfully Made Jewelry” that 1 – raises money to assist exploited women and 2 – teaches women a trade (jewelry making) to help give them a way out
http://www.wonderfullymadejewelry.com/
Deal with orphanage after care – this is a forgotten area. When orphans are “graduated” from orphanages, they have no where to go. We need missionaries in this specific space to help direct these kids.
.-= Jenny´s last blog ..Let’s talk about Sex, Baby… =-.
Thanks for caring about this you all. Still in Russia and with each story of an orphan who has been trafficked, I’m more shocked than the time before.
I live in San Francisco and am starting law school in the fall to study international human rights, I have read a lot about the trafficking issue and have gotten involved with AMAZING NPO’s in san francisco that directly aid trafficked girls.
SAGE san francisco is an incredible organization I have volunteered with here in the city, they are based on the idea that rehabilitation is key to getting these women into a better situation. They offer drug rehab programs, safe housing, and job training to all of their clients. Many cities and organizations have begun using their model to help girls being trafficked into the US, it is a huge problem that is often ignored in the states.
I realllly encourage individuals to get involved with organizations such as SAGE to help combat trafficking in their own city. Awareness is key.
I think the response falls into four areas:
1) Prevention – Working to prevent the abusers from doing what they do, and the victims from becoming victims. This is extremely complex as there are countless reasons behind each situation.
2) Intervention – Getting the victims out of the situation and shutting down the operations.
3) After care – Both immediate short term needs such as shelter, medical care, and safety, but also longer term care such as returning home, emotional care, spiritual support, PTSD response, etc.
4) Awareness – Sharing the stories, telling others about the need, and opening people’s hearts and minds through correct facts (e.g. truth).
All of these take manpower, money, and passion.
Acting starts with making a decision that we will do something. Choose an area (and if I have missed any big categories please add) that best matches your heart and skills and then delve into how you can be involved in that area. My heart falls most with after care and prevention, but I know that to be really effective with those areas someone has to do the awareness piece. Until the awareness is raised so opportunities arise for me to serve in the areas I will be a mouthpiece and share the stories.
.-= Sherie´s last blog ..No longer! Not on my watch! I will…. =-.
I think we should nip this disease of not feeling good enough in the butt. Since we may not always be able to work with these girls personally we can show girls acceptance. I have heard many stories of girls around here feeling tarnished and worthless. If we can infuse a confidence in their beauty and purity imagine how much it will change. Girls will not feel so much pressure to have a boyfriend to feel confident and they will not need to feel self conscious like society infuses in all of us. This may seem like a big task but there are girls all around us and when there are girls most of them are self conscious. It is our responsibility to accept them and drowned them in a overwhelming love.
.-= kamrie´s last blog ..Desire =-.
I agree that there needs to be better awareness of the realities of human trafficking. I was at the Catalyst in So. CA last year and there was a panel that talked about human trafficking. One of the people that was in the conversation was a pastor from a church in Las Vegas – Jud Wilhite. One of the things he said was that when he talked about this with the police in Las Vegas, they told him they could take him to several places that they knew of where trafficking was happening. And what I got from the conversation was that the reason they haven’t done more to shut those places down was that they didn’t know what to do with all those girls. My heart was broken about that. There must be something more the church can do. I understand that those girls have very specific needs. Many of them don’t even speak English and that has been very purposeful on the part of their captors so the girls are even more helpless. And I agree that the foster care system isn’t the answer, but is there someone out there trying to set up some other kind of system that CAN be a better answer? Something where people can go through training to know how to have one of these rescued girls in their home? A home that can help them through the process of getting counseling and job training while learning about the love of Christ in a secure and loving home?
I’ve heard time and time again that in order for real change to be made, these brothels have to be shut down and the people who run them need to be arrested. There needs to be a consequence for the action that is real. Right now, there is lots of monetary reward and they get away with it partly because we don’t have a better system to deal with what it means to shut them down. The police can’t just go in and confiscate like they do with a drug ring.
I know God’s heart breaks over this. What about starting with a grass roots type of movement to get God’s church praying and fasting on a wide scale across the United States to find out from God what He wants His church to be doing?
Rhonda that is what our ministry is doing and there are other ministries out there doing the same…I believe that in the next year you will hear about more and more people standing up for these girls…and there are trainings on helping people understand how to deal with these girls… hopehouse in North Carolina does this as does Courage2bU in California… and what we are doing in Pa at Oasis of Hope… as far as taking these girls in your own personal home I don’t think that you could because of legal procedures… since most of these girls are arrested as child prostitutes here in the states they go through the juvenile court system… to be honest the government doesn’t know what to do with these girls thats why they treat them as criminals instead of victims….again that is why it is so important for people to get involved in the legal end of this problem. We want the correct bills passed not what the government thinks should be done but what we know as Christians need to be passed…. A rescue is NO rescue at all if there isn’t complete restoration…its would be just a temporary fix…These girls need a total life change so that when they grow into adults they can become productive young women who have a reason to live….
Thanks! I have tried to search for ministries that do that kind of work in my area and haven’t been able to find any. I will look up Courage2bU. It’s sad that they are treated as criminals. I will continue to PRAY!!! Thanks again.
We need to speak up. Too many Christians and too many churches have avoided this crucial ministry because of the worldly stigma attached to it. The thought that churches would rather have a drug addict or alcoholic in the pew than a victim of sex trafficking just sickens me…yet I know quite a few churches that would have that very preference. (Not that they’d say it out loud.)
The more we can have people standing up and speaking out this and getting people from their churches involved in the fight the faster we can work toward removing the stigma on these women.
Thanks for your thoughts, Jason. Glad to have your voice back.
There was recently an informational meeting about human trafficking in my area. A police officer asked why these girls and young women were being called victims rather than criminals. It made me so frustrated that everything inside of me wanted to just attack, but I kept it in and just cried later instead (cried a lot). Hopefully his question was answered enough for him to see the truth, but it just shows how important awareness is, and how much we are lacking in that area.
Everyone has shared some great ideas, and it looks like there are a lot of great organizations to check out.
That is one reason women all over are afraid to leave or seek help from authorities because many are seen as prostitutes and not victims. Several countries have identified prostitution as not a crime in and of itself and as weird as it sounds, I hope that helps some people find freedom.
There seems to be a lot of great organizations doing great things…what if they all got together? Powerful! I know of a grass roots movement that is wanting to unite all these organizations in a type of alliance. They recently did a documentary called Sex and Money and I think you can find it at http://www.sexandmoneyfilm.com. They are currently entered into a competition to get funding to set up a site that would provide a place for these organizations to be listed, like a reference guide to people like us who want to help but dont know where to begin or who is doing what. The site to vote for them is http://www.refresheverything.com/gosetfree
Another organization I know is out there doing the real thing in Thailand and some other places is Women At Risk International. http://www.warinternational.org
Adoption seems to be something the Lord is bringing to the forefront right now. It is His heart as we are all adopted. Adopting children before they are turned out on the street seems to be a good way to reduce the number of children available for trafficking. Are there enough in the body of Christ willing to make this kind of commitment? I know God has been working me over lately about adoption! Lord have your way in us!!
The first time I heard about human trafficking and sex slavery was in 2000. I was MORTIFIED then and still am today. But after that initial time of hearing about it, I didn’t hear about it again for YEARS. I think that getting the word out–ESPECIALLY the Church–is key. In general, they really don’t know that it’s going on and I know that because when I’m going into churches, I’m asking people about it.
Anne, THANK YOU for doing your part to make us aware and keep us aware! Keep caring, keep sharing, and stay encouraged because God is using you!
.-= Sarah Salter´s last blog ..The Question =-.
I confess to not being sure what we can do other than reaching out to people and keeping our eyes open. We can certainly educate ourselves about the problem, support ministries and organizations that are specifically working to rescue young girls. Perhaps we can address the issue of the men who are seeking out these young girls for sex in the first place. Do more to educate these men about viewing women as more than objects.
.-= Kristine McGuire´s last blog ..He Never Stopped Waiting For Me =-.
–has reached well over 50,000 people..
–one of the biggest questions that was asked was “How can we help?”
–Currently, we’ve raised $1000 for these projects and still have quite a ways to go
Maybe I’m looking at this all wrong, but I can’t shake the face that for 50,000 views, with the vast majority of comments being “How can we help?”, only $1000 was raised so far. Now I know that not everybody is able to donate, but still… $1000 / 50,000 = $.02 per person (only I know that it is actually even lower).
My only question (more of a challenge really) is why can’t we put our money where our mouths are? Even literally – instead of going out to McDonald’s/Burger King/etc. tonight, why not donate $10/$20/$30 (or more) right now to this fantastic cause? Imagine if 50,000 did that!
Anne – thanks for bringing this subject to the forefront. This is something that we really can do something about if we join together and actually do something instead of just talking about it. This will definitely be in my prayers for a long time to come. May God do wonders through Hope Chest in Moldova.
.-= Matt´s last blog ..iPad – First Impressions =-.
You said it. :) I was too afraid to. I’m grateful for the $1000, but I was a little surprised, too. Thanks for speaking up where I was a chicken.
Rhonda – Another organization that’s really going the grass-roots road, and really focusing on prayer, is Exodus Cry out of Kansas City, Missouri. Check them out at ExodusCry.com.
They’re also working in a documentary that they plan to release in December called Nefarious: Merchant of Souls. If the trailers on the website don’t stir a person’s soul, nothing will.
.-= Lex´s last blog ..Book Review: Everyone Communicates Few Connect =-.
Thanks! I’ll check them out.
Awesome. This is so encouraging, Anne. I know that you were worried about posting meaningful content and seeing action. Thanks for being true to your voice. Excited to be a part of this.
.-= Jeff Goins´s last blog ..Do Demons Wake You Up at Night? =-.
This summer we are organizing a bicycle tour along the Underground Railroad to fight modern-day slavery through the work of International Justice Mission. We will be stopping at churches along the way and educate people/communities about this crisis. We will challenge people to respond to this crises by becoming IJM Freedom Partners and supporting the work of IJM. We still have a few spots open on our tour. If you love cycling and this cause, this is a great opportunity for you to DO something. You can learn more about IJM here http://www.ijm.org and the bike trip at http://www.ventureexpeditions.org.
Anne, when your new book on speaking freely is published, perhaps it can ordered by all Pastors and Churches immediately, if not sooner. Since my Hubby and I have retired from Senior Pastoring, we have noticed as we visit churches in our travels, there is a great gulf fixed between church members and visitors or guests. No name or address was taken from us. Just think of the prospects (females and males) that no one knows at all who can be “rescued” and are hurting for help. Thanks for all you do and have done!
.-= Carol´s last blog ..Small Stuff – Don’t Sweat It! =-.
Okay I am kind of a day late and a dollar short on this discussion but I wanted to let you know that EVERYDAY my heart breaks more and more for these women and girls who have NO CHOICE to enter into this. For me it started with the movie Taken. I had nightmare after nightmare after nightmare for months about the movie. Having thoughts of people taking me or my daughter who is three. One day I had enough of the nightmares and broke down to God (yes duh this would have been a better place to start, with God, then go into sleep deprivation.) I started to do research only to come and find that Toledo, Ohio where I grew up was FOUR on the transport list due to their location close to Canada. How quickly someone could be swept away and lost FOREVER out of the country maybe before anyone even knows they are missing. We also had an organization, Destiny Rescue, come to our church (to talk mostly to the high schoolers)and sell jewelery that girls who have been rescued made. I not only bought some for me but the women in my life to remind them of their freedom. I get lots of compliments on it and it gives me a way to share about what is not just going on in other countries but here too. I spread the word as much as I can. I can’t wait to go in and get a girl out and share Jesus’ love with her. For as I type this I am in tears. I think that we mostly have to make people aware that it happens and not just in developing countries but right here probably in our own neighborhoods. Thanks Ann for giving me more resources and organizations to blog, twitter, talk, donate to ect about. I am spreading the word as much as I can. If you find out others ways we can help please let me know. This really needs to STOP.
.-= Faith´s last blog ..Compassion International =-.
One of the ways I have found to get involved is through buying power. There are several organizations out there who work in the areas others have commented on – prevention, aftercare, emergency shelter, etc. These organizations help the victims in these situations get back on their feet and learn how to pursue life in a new direction. Many of these women and men learn vocational trades and then sell their products, offering them a fair wage, vocational learning, financial education, savings accounts, etc. They sell these products to people which greatly enhances their hope and gives them something dignified to stand behind and be proud of. Several choices of products are on display at http://www.delicatefortress.com as well as links to organizations that are helping. I have put this together in the hopes of raising awareness and supporting these courageous individuals. There has also been a new initiative launched that invites you to craft and sell items, the proceeds of which go to particular organizations to stop human trafficking, modern day slavery, extreme poverty and child exploitation. If interested, please check it out. http://www.delicatefortress.com. There are many many great organizations out there helping with these issues. This is just one option to help.
Anne,
The “Sex Cafe” post was so powerful, and I couldn’t help sharing it around, either. You helped put faces and names and images and context to something that otherwise remains mysterious or abstract. Thank you for starting these conversations and inviting everyone to share their ideas and knowledge.
You’ve heard some of this from what I’ve shared with you personally, but other readers might be interested in hearing it, too …
Earlier this year, I started working for a company called Storyville Live. We are the philanthropic division of Storyville Coffee Company, created purely with the intention to help raise awareness about the issue of human trafficking and resources to fight it.
We do this by producing private concerts inside people’s homes. During the evening, we take some time to share about the issue, and then we donate 100 percent of the profits from any coffee-related sales at the concerts directly to International Justice Mission.
This is a great way to raise awareness about the issue with people who wouldn’t otherwise hear about it or attend a straight-up fundraiser.
If you’d like to learn more about how to host a concert when we tour through your city, feel free to e-mail me directly at csquires (at) storyville (dot) com. You can also check out our website here: http://www.storyville.com/storyvillelive/
.-= Christianne´s last blog ..Where on the Journey into Love are You? =-.
It’s great that the dialogue is growing on this blog. I teach about Trafficking in my high school religion class. Two of my favorite resources for hope are:
http://www.stopthedemand.org
and
http://www.notforsalecampaign.org
Enjoy!
Anne:
Thank you for your courage and commitment. I am in Moldova now and know of what you speak. The organization I work with is involved in prevention. We focus on helping the young people who are required to leave orphanages at age 16 transition safely to independent living. Part of our effort is to inform them about human trafficking, help them go to school, teach them to make good decisions and provide counselling, mentoring and some financial assistance. We also utilize volunteers from local churches as mentors and tutors to give the youth a connection to a faith community. This program has provided reentry help to several girls that were trafficked. I would appreciate the opportunity to connect. My blog is http://cerikidsmoldova.blogspot.com/ There is a great deal of work to be done – thank you.
Go on a mission trip to Moldova and develop long lasting relationships with girls and boys who will change your heart forever. These relationships can provide hope, security, and accountability, and will lead to prevention of trafficking!
So many of these children have no one looking out for them. Sponsoring a child or developing a relationship in person can make the WORLD of a difference.
This will be my 5th summer going to Moldova, and it is incredible see kids grow up and have deep relationships with the Lord.
There are open spots on my team that is going to Chisinau this summer.
Anyone interested check this out!-http://justiceandmercy.org/advocate/go-on-a-mission-trip/
I’m not sure if this was mentioned or not, but it’s another organization helping to rid the world of child sex-traffic – they have practical ways to raise awareness, funds, etc.
http://www.love146.org
Check it out!
I’m not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but read “Half the Sky” by Nicolas Kristof. He details exactly what steps can be taken to dramatically reduce trafficking. Essentially, make it less lucrative. If the risk is too great or the financial reward too low, then the traffickers will start some other “business”. It sounds difficult, but they have supportive evidence showing countries who have done just that.