27 Million people worldwide entrapped in slavery. It is mind-boggling, heart-wrenching and spirit-crushing. How can this be? From what we have all been taught in school, slavery was abolished. However, this is just not true. There are more people in slavery today than at any other time in human history. Slavery today does not discriminate. Men, women and children all make up the 27 million. There are three main types of slavery: bonded labor, forced labor and human trafficking. Bonded labor means a person is forced to work in order to pay off a loan or debt. Forced labor is simply any kind of work people are forced to do against their will and with the threat of some form of punishment. Human trafficking is transporting people away from where they live and forcing them to work against their will using violence, coercion and deception.
The facts are staggering. The slavery industry brings in an estimated $32 billion a year. Children under the age of 18 represent between 40%-50% of all forced labor victims. Between 600,000-800,000 people are trafficked internationally every year. Every minute of every day, 2 children are sold into slavery. There are 1, 440 minutes in a day, which means there are over 2,000 children being sold into slavery every day. In the United States, as many as 17,500 people are trafficked annually. The average age of trafficking victims is 18-24 years old. 43% of trafficking victims are used for forced commercial sexual exploitation, of whom 98% are women and children. 7 years is the average life expectancy of a girl in forced prostitution. 90% of runaways become part of the sex trade industry, many within 72 hours of leaving home. If your stomach is not churning and you are not completely disgusted and outraged by this, I believe you may need to check if you have a pulse. People should never be sold.
As Americans, I believe when we think of human trafficking we think of this as a problem in other countries. We do not think this happens here in our country, the land of the free and home of the brave. We have turned a blind eye. We have become indifferent and think someone else will help with this problem. Did you know the Super Bowl is one of the largest known human trafficking incidents in the United States? Yes, the Super Bowl. It is no longer just a football game. Lives have been forever changed because their freedom was taken.
We as a nation cannot afford to sit by and do nothing. We as followers of Christ can no longer sit by thinking someone else will help with that or what difference could I make? The truth is we all can play a part in helping end modern day slavery. There are so many amazing organizations that are tackling the issue of human trafficking globally as well as here at home. I would encourage you to educate yourself and to get involved. I have made a pledge to shine a light on slavery. What will you do? How will you make an impact? I do not know how God will use me in helping end slavery, all I know is I have been called to be His hands and feet to those who are hopeless and in need of their Savior’s loving arms.
Check out the END IT Movement @ http://www.enditmovement.com
Also check out these other Amazing Organizations involved in the fight to end slavery:
Wellspring Living: https://wellspringliving.org/
A21 Campaign: http://www.thea21campaign.org
Shared Hope International: http://sharedhope.org
Polaris Project: http://www.polarisproject.org/index.php
Not For Sale: http://www.notforsalecampaign.org
Traffick911: http://www.traffick911.com/
International Justice Mission (IJM): http://www.ijm.org
Are you In It to END IT???
Radiant Hope 