Anyone who knows me and sees the title of this article will immediately wonder, “What on earth could Heather possibly have to say about human trafficking that she hasn’t already shared?” It’s a valid question.
Back in October I had the blessing of meeting with a trafficking survivor turned trafficking rescuer and her story changed my life. I wrote an article for Military Mom’s blog after our conversation that literally went viral. I shared 7 things most of us wouldn’t have already known about human trafficking with an audacious title suggesting that Your Child Has Already Been Targeted.
The fight to eradicate modern day slavery is not a new fight but it has recently claimed the deepest passions of my heart and I cannot seem to stop talking about it. For the past four months God has been gently blowing that tiny spark He planted in my heart and now there’s a burning fire that I just don’t know what to do with.
So, I did what any sensible woman would do when she has a fire she doesn’t know how to control – I threw a little grease on it. 😉
This morning I met with my friend, Tina, the survivor I mentioned earlier, and we talked about her ministry, Love Missions. We met to discuss ways I could get plugged-in with the work they do, but it led to stories of how God has worked in the lives of both the rescued women/children AND the lives of the volunteers. My heart and my passion erupted. Story after story led me to one conclusion: there are two HUGE things I wish I didn’t know about human trafficking.
#1 Children Are Being Sold into Human Trafficking
It isn’t news that children are being sold. We know this. But can you stop for just a moment and let your mind wrap around the enormity of that statement?
I want you to imagine that you woke up today and your little boy or little girl were not in their beds. Would you panic? Would you cry? Would you call the police? Imagine if after telling your story through tears to the police dispatcher that the voice on the other line simply stated, “Yeah, that happens a lot. It’s a shame, really.” Imagine they then hung up on you.
You and I would NEVER stand for that. We would move heaven and earth to find our children and we would demand justice. We would give every penny we owned to fund a nation-wide search. We would put everything else in our lives on the backburner until our babies were safe and sound in our arms.
I wish I didn’t know that children were being sold because my conscience allows me no choice but put things aside and fight for each and every missing and exploited child. I wish I could pretend I don’t know that these atrocities are occurring. But I know. I wish I could sleep at night without wondering how many children are crying late into the darkest hours because they’ve been abandoned, sold, raped, abused, neglected, and demoralized in horrific ways. But I can’t.
Please don’t get me wrong; I know that adults are trafficked, too. It is equally as disturbing, immoral, and rampant as child slavery. Yet, as a mother, it bothers me to my very core knowing there are babies being sold for sex. I hope it bothers you, too. It really should.
#2 The Church Isn’t Doing Enough About It
The other thing I wish I didn’t know about human trafficking is that I’ve been complacent in my small donations to anti-trafficking organizations. When I say the church isn’t doing enough, I’m not talking about my church or your church; I’m talking about THE church- the collective church that includes you and I.
God forgive me for the times I’ve heard missionaries speak about children in their countries who have been exploited, and I didn’t bat an eye. God forgive me for the times I’ve seen yet another warning about yet another social media app and I haven’t even bothered to read the article. God forgive me for the times that I’ve been too busy to look through my kids’ phones, too distracted to notice the warning signs written all over one of my children’s friends, too uncomfortable to let my mind consider that it could happen to one of my own.
I know some of you are thinking, “Heather, I’m glad you’ve found your cause but we can’t all do everything.” That’s so true. God gave the body of Christ different passions so that we could spread out and be light in all the dark corners of the world, not just in the dark pocket of human trafficking. That doesn’t give you an out, though, my friend. Whether eradicating human slavery is our personal calling from God or not, we all have a responsibility and an opportunity to make a difference.
Here Are Ways You Can Help:
1. Donate financially. There are so many organizations that are working tirelessly to rescue women and children from the evil grip of trafficking. I personally love Love Missions and Rapha House International.
2. Donate your time. If you live near an anti-trafficking organization, there are so many opportunities to serve in such varying capacities. Skills of all kinds are needed and volunteers can help out as little or as often as they’d like.
3. Get educated. You don’t need to do mounds of research, but read up on those 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Human Trafficking. Learn the warning signs so you can spot someone being trafficked around you. (You’d be surprised how many trafficking victims you’ve probably passed at the airport, at a gas station, in a restaurant. It happens all around us.)
4. Prevent it. Don’t let it happen to your children, your grandchildren, your nieces and nephews, the kids in your Sunday School class, or anyone else in your circle of influence. If you have children in your life, make sure they are aware that human trafficking is a real threat to everyone. Just because they have a good family, a nice house, and they tend to make good decisions, they are not exempt from the manipulation of human traffickers.
5. Pray. Most importantly, pray for individuals around the world who are held in bondage tonight. Pray for those risking it all to rescue them. Pray for those with resources to be led to give to such a worthy cause. And pray for an end to human trafficking.
