Archive for modern slavery

Jun
22

New Video for First Responders on Identifying Human Trafficking Victims

by newhope

The US Department of Homeland Security recently posted a new video designed to increase awareness among first responders of human trafficking.

Many Christians work or volunteers as first responders (police, fire, rescue) and this video is designed for all emergency services personnel. However, anyone interested in helping victims of human trafficking may benefit.

The video is a concise, clear presentation that defines human trafficking, distinguishes it from human smuggling, and offers some guidance on identifying possible victims.

Please watch the video at this link:

http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/human-trafficking-awareness-training-first-responders.shtm

The Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign offers many resources to the public on the issue of human trafficking. Click here for more information.

Author Kathi Macias notified NewHopeDigital.com of this resource. Her most recent series of novels focuses on the perpetrators, victims, rescuers, and others involved in the human trafficking crisis: Deliver Me from Evil, Special Delivery, and The Deliverer (scheduled for August release).

0 Categories : News, Videos
May
24

Charles Powell Discusses Human Trafficking on American Family Radio

by newhope

Birmingham, Alabama, May 24, 2012—Charles Powell, New Hope Publishers author and founder of the Mercy Movement, recently appeared on the American Family Radio (AFR) network to discuss human trafficking for a nationwide broadcast of Today’s Issues hosted by Tim Wildmon with Marvin Sanders.

Powell founded the Mercy Movement in 2009 while writing Not in My Town: Exposing and Ending Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery with coauthor Dillon Burroughs. The book, which includes a DVD, chronicles his undercover investigation of human trafficking throughout the United States and also touches on international issues. The goal of the Mercy Movement is to provide education and awareness; research and investigation; and direct action on behalf of those in slavery for their rescue and restoration.

Links to the AFR stream of the interview:

Part #1: http://www.afa.net/Radio/show.aspx?id=2147491263&tab=video&video=2147521511

Part #2: http://www.afa.net/Radio/show.aspx?id=2147491263&tab=video&video=214752151

More to Come

Alongside a team of trained and qualified volunteers, Powell is preparing to begin a number of investigations and rescues in several key states where trafficking is exploding. Mercy Movement also recently announced that planning is underway to open up to 24 safe spaces for adult rescue victims by early 2013. Additionally, Powell stated that the Mercy Movement has secured up to 5 berths for immediate use by rescued child victims thanks to another trusted organization specializing in protecting and caring for children.

Mercy Movement and Children’s Rescue International will be training individuals on human trafficking and rescue in Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania, from July 16–19. Check it out at strategicmissionandresponse.com.

About Charles Powell

Charles Powell is an author, adventurer, abolitionist, and civil rights activist whose real life reads like a best-selling thriller novel, from encounters with Soviet spies at the end of the cold war to his work as a bodyguard for royalty to living undercover in the War on Drugs. He appears on television and radio, speaks at conferences, and writes for numerous publications on a variety of topics from human trafficking to postmodernism to terrorism. NewHopeDigital.com has featured podcasts, articles, and columns from both Charles Powell and Dillon Burroughs, coauthors of Not in My Town.

About New Hope Publishers

Representing more than 80 authors and more than 130 individual works, the mission of New Hope® Publishers is to provide books that challenge readers to understand and be radically involved in the mission of God. New Hope Publishers is the general trade publishing imprint for WMU®, a missions auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention. New Hope Publishers is a member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).

For more information about New Hope Publishers, visit NewHopeDigital.com.

0 Categories : News
Mar
15

Lisa Thompson: Get Educated Then Get Involved in the Fight Against Human Trafficking

by newhope

Interview by Kathi Macias

Editor’s note: By email, award-winning author Kathi Macias interviewed Lisa Thompson, Liaison for the Abolition of Sexual Trafficking, the Salvation Army National Headquarters. This is the second part of a 2-part interview. Lisa endorsed the first novel in Kathi’s “Freedom” series, Deliver Me from Evil.

Kathi: If we suspect that human trafficking may indeed be taking place in our own sphere of influence, how best do we safely and effectively get involved in helping to combat this evil and rescue the victims? Are there precautions you would recommend?

Lisa: It can sometimes be a challenge ascertaining whether someone is a victim of human trafficking or not. As a first step, I encourage people to attend an anti-trafficking training program to learn about human trafficking indicators. Many groups are offering such training programs in communities across the country.  

At such training programs, participants will typically learn standard questions to ask a suspected victim, questions that will give you clues as to their possible trafficking status. These questions include:

  1. Are you being paid?
  2. Can you leave your job if you want to?
  3. Have you or your family been threatened?
  4. What are your working and living conditions like?

Questions like these, and several others, are important because often trafficking victims are not even aware of what human trafficking is or that they may be a victim of it.

If you asked the individual, “Are you a victim of human trafficking?” you may be answered with a blank stare.  But by asking roundabout questions, such as those listed above, the questioner may discover important human trafficking indicators.

Be Wise

Of course, every situation is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all response to possible cases. That said, it is easy for members of the general public to miss signs of danger and to make matters worse if they take immediate, direct action by themselves. So, as a general rule, it is the best course of action to immediately contact the local authorities, if you suspect someone is a victim. There is also a national hotline number that people should call: 1-888-3737-888.

Often after learning about human trafficking people want to jump in and do something to help combat the problem. That is a very commendable response! Unfortunately, sometimes well-meaning people jump in before they have taken the time to do their homework. In other words, they decide to launch a program, start a shelter, or some other initiative, without the least experience, education, or understanding of what is already being done about the problem in their communities. This can waste time and valuable resources, as well as damage relationships and potentially harm those they intended to serve. Thus, I encourage people to become educated on the subject, to spend time interning or volunteering with existing anti-trafficking organizations, and to work cooperatively building partnerships with other groups and individuals in their communities.  

Lastly, we need to target more of our responses towards prevention efforts, rather than solely to the difficult and costly task of restoration. Yes, we need programs and initiatives to assist those who have already fallen prey to human traffickers, but we need to be devoting much more time and effort to stopping human trafficking before it happens.

NewHopeDigital.com offers a variety of resources to help you understand and become involved in the fight against modern-day slavery. A partial list is available here. Kathi Macias is a regular contributor by article and podcast.

Kathi is the author of the “Freedom” series of novels on human trafficking. The first 2 books, Deliver Me from Evil and Special Delivery, are available now in paperbook and ebook format (Nook).

0 Categories : Articles
Mar
14

Lisa Thompson: Cultural Attitudes Toward Sexual Exploitation

by newhope

Interview by Kathi Macias

Editor’s note: By email, award-winning author Kathi Macias interviewed Lisa Thompson, Liaison for the Abolition of Sexual Trafficking, the Salvation Army National Headquarters. This is the first part of a 2-part interview. Lisa endorsed the first novel in Kathi’s “Freedom” series of novels, Deliver Me from Evil.

Kathi: So often I hear statements like, “How could sex trafficking be going on without our knowing about it? Wouldn’t we see it?” How do you answer questions like that? How can we, as concerned citizens, recognize the signs of something like this when it’s hidden in plain sight?

Lisa: There are several factors that can blind people to sex trafficking that may be occurring in our communities. First, the actual provisioning of a woman or child for sex may not be happening on the street corner, but via the Internet. Certain Web sites exist through which people seeking to buy sex may connect with sex traffickers (i.e. pimps) to arrange a sexual encounter with a trafficked person. Such Web sites make sex trafficking less visible to the general public, but make connecting with sex buyers easy for traffickers.

Additionally, when women and girls are being sexually trafficked at the street level (meaning they are being controlled by pimps who make money by providing sexual access to them openly on the streets), it often happens late at night, in seedy parts of town. Again, this makes sex trafficking less visible to the general public.

A bigger problem, however, is that in the eyes of many, victims of sexual trafficking are “just prostitutes.” In other words, because of their involvement in the sex trade victims are considered unworthy of compassion and concern. The victims are seen as “dirty” girls who deserve whatever they get.

In the past, such attitudes meant that many victims of sex trafficking were never identified as such. Due to increasing advocacy, more people now are realizing that many people in prostitution are victims of sexual trafficking. Accordingly, they are being offered proper treatment and care.

Of course, some women in prostitution were not trafficked into it. Nevertheless involvement in prostitution is harmful to those who get caught up in it, whether they were trafficked or not. The physical, psychological, and spiritual traumas to women from prostitution activity are staggering. Just to catalogue a few of its harms, studies report forms of physical violence and abuse in prostitution that include:

  • threats with weapons;
  • abandonment in remote areas;
  • robbery;
  • kidnapping;
  • strangulation, stabbings, and physical assaults (with or without weapons) perpetrated by pimps, sex purchasers, serial predators, neighbors, wives and girlfriends of sex purchasers, passersby, and drug users;
  • rape by sex purchasers, police officers, husbands, or boyfriends/pimps.

Commonplace injuries as a consequence of such violence include abrasions, burns, broken bones, knocked out teeth, bruises, cuts and stab wounds, bullet wounds, and traumatic brain injury (which may result in headaches, memory loss, numbness, vision and hearing problems, etc.) So prostitution is traumatic to those involved in it, trafficked or not.

Cultural Normalization of the Sex Industry

Another factor contributing to a societal blind-spot for sex trafficking is the increasing hypersexualization of our culture. In fashion, television, movies, music, magazines, and advertising, women and girls are widely portrayed in ways that suggest they are always ready and available for sex. This creates a toxic sexual atmosphere in which all females must live.

This atmosphere is especially harmful to young females, because it conditions them to accept a role as a sex object. It is also harmful to young males, because it grooms them to become future sex buyers. Thus, many in the younger generation are being primed for involvement in the sex trade—as strippers, pornography performers, and prostitutes—and others are readied to take on their role as commercial sex exploiters.

Moreover, this normalization of an “it’s all about sex, all the time” mentality serves to normalize the sex industry as a regular part of life. If something is viewed as “normal,” then it’s much less likely to earn our close scrutiny. The less we pay attention to the commercial sex industry, the happier and richer sex traffickers will become.

NewHopeDigital.com offers a variety of resources to help you understand and become involved in the fight against modern-day slavery. A partial list is available here. Kathi Macias is a regular contributor by article and podcast.

Kathi is the author of the “Freedom” series of novels on human trafficking. The first 2 books, Deliver Me from Evil and Special Delivery, are available now in paperback and ebook format (Nook).

0 Categories : Articles
Mar
1

Download 2 Chapters of “Special Delivery,” Human Trafficking Novel

by newhope

Download the first 2 chapters of Special Delivery, the latest novel by award-winning author Kathi Macias. 

Special Delivery, available as a paperback and ebook,  is missional fiction at its best, stirring the Christian heart and mind to action. Focused on modern-day slavery in the US and abroad, this novel by Kathi Macias is the second in the 3-novel “Freedom” series. 

The first novel in the “Freedom” series, Deliver Me from Evil, is also available as a paperback and ebook. A free book club discussion guide for Deliver Me from Evil is available. A similar discussion guide for Special Delivery will be released this month.  

Book summary

In book 2 of the “Freedom” series, readers find Mara fighting against her attraction to Bible college student Jonathan Flannery. Mara also wrestles with risking her own precarious safety to become involved in the rescue of another girl who is pregnant and desperately wants to escape her captors and save her own life as well as her child’s.

Halfway around the world in a brothel in Thailand, a young girl is rescued with the promise of being reunited with her younger sister who was adopted by an interracial couple in the States, friends of Jonathan’s family. Meanwhile, Jefe—Mara’s uncle, who held her as a sex slave in his brothel in San Diego for years—seeks revenge for Mara’s testimony that put him behind bars for life.

Will his underworld connections be successful in kidnapping and killing the girl who believes she has finally won her freedom?

Passionate about some of the world’s most pressing concerns, Kathi Macias has written more than 30 books, including the “Extreme Devotion” series of novels for New Hope Publishers. Red Ink, the third book in the “Extreme Devotion” series on the persecuted church, was named a finalist in its category for the prestigious Carol Award.

Kathi is a popular speaker for women’s retreats, conferences, and churches. A mother and grandmother, Kathi and her husband, Al, call California home.

1 Categories : downloads
Feb
17

Deliver Me from Evil: Book Club Discussion Guide on Human Trafficking Novel

by newhope

Printer-friendly versions of the questions and prayer points are available.

Deliver Me from Evil is the first novel in the 3-novel “Freedom” series from Kathi Macias. Broad in scope and riveting in plot, the series explores the modern-day scourge of human trafficking through the perspectives of a variety of characters—victims, rescuers, traffickers, and more. Available in paperback and in ebook format.

Special Delivery, book 2 in the “Freedom” series, is also now available in paperback and in ebook format. A book club discussion guide is scheduled for release on NewHopeDigital.com next month.

The Deliverer, the third and final novel in the “Freedom” series, is scheduled for release later in 2012.

Deliver Me from Evil book summary

Mara, sold by her parents in Mexico and then smuggled across the border in San Diego, has been forced into sexual slavery. Bible-college-bound Jonathan and his sister, Leah, whose paths cross Mara’s, become involved in her dramatic rescue.

Interwoven is the heartbreaking story of another young woman in captivity in the Golden Triangle of Thailand. Her past mysteriously connects to the young people in California.

Book club questions

These questions, developed by Kathi Macias, are intended to be used as the basis of a book club discussion. Read the novel and then come together to discuss these important issues. (Allow 1 to 2 hours to discuss all the questions and for prayer. You could take extra time to view and/or read the additional resources listed at the bottom of this guide.) 

    1. When you first met Mara and realized the horrific situation she was in and how she got there, what was your initial reaction? What feelings were stirred up, and which of those feelings surprised you?
    2. Most people who are even slightly aware of human trafficking tend to think it takes place only in faraway places, such as Thailand. Deliver Me from Evil clearly shows that is not the case. How does that fact change the way you view the magnitude and seriousness of the situation?
    3. Jonathan and Leah’s home situation stands out in stark contrast to the dark life led by Mara and the others at the compound. In what ways was it easier for you to relate to Jonathan and Leah’s life than Mara’s? Do you suppose Jesus would relate equally with both?
    4. Though Jonathan had been born and raised in a loving, Christian home, he had his own spiritual battle to wage, as do we all. Describe his journey to personal faith as he walked through the discovery of the reality of human trafficking?
    5. In what ways did Mara and the other girls depict the typical view of hardened sex workers? In what ways did they break the stereotype and open your eyes to their position as victim?
    6. Chanthra’s life was a tragedy from nearly every standpoint. Though she better fits the stereotype of a sex slave than someone like Jasmine, what traits did they have in common?
    7. Consider Jefe and his 2 henchmen. Could you find any redeeming qualities in any of them? If not and you knew there truly were people like that, could you find it in your heart to pray for them?
    8. “The Reeds” is not a fictional place; it actually existed in the San Diego area, and young girls and women suffered horribly there. How does that knowledge spur you on to discover if any such places might exist in your own city or state?
    9. Huge numbers of young girls (and even some boys), particularly teenagers, disappear annually. If they are never found, often they are classified as runaways, despite the fact that their families are certain that’s not the case. How does that change the way you view the problem of sex trafficking?
    10. If you were to sum up the way this book has challenged/changed you, what would you say—to yourself, to others, and, most important, to God? 

Pray

Close your time together in prayer for those involved in human trafficking.

Markers for prayer include:

    • Physical and spiritual freedom for victims of sex trafficking in the US and abroad
    • Wisdom, courage, and compassion for those working with victims of sex trafficking (law enforcement, social services, Christian nonprofits, churches, shelters, and others)
    • Spiritual awakening around the world to end demand for sexual exploitation (prostitution, pornography, strip clubs, sex tourism)
    • Stricter enforcement of existing laws and the development of new legal protections (politicians, lawyers, police, and citizens worldwide)
    • More Christ followers to become involved in the battles against trafficking and poverty, both physical and spiritual
    • Ask God to change the hearts of traffickers, leading them to repent and turn to Christ

You also may find the  Set1Free Prayer Guide helpful; this is a free resource from  WorldCrafts.

WorldCrafts develops sustainable, fair-trade businesses among impoverished people around the world. Their vision is to offer an income with dignity and the hope of everlasting life to every person on earth. The Set1Free campaign focuses specifically on artisan groups working with those at risk of or leaving sexual exploitation.

The Release and Restore CD includes a prayerwalking experience and other resources.

You may also benefit from free prayer and fasting resources on this topic from The Salvation Army.

Additional resources

“Ideas and Resources to Join the Fight Against Modern Slavery.” Features an extensive list of New Hope Digital articles, podcasts, and a few videos related to the subject of human trafficking. Also includes a list of action steps and other resources. Consider reading Not in My Town: Exposing and Ending Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery, a nonfiction account of these horrors that also includes encouraging stories of hope and change.

“Kathi Macias Discusses Human Trafficking on the Harvest Show.” Video from Kathi’s appearance in October 2011.

“Shining God’s Light in the Darkest Corners of the World.” Article in which Kathi Macias answers the question: “Why do you write about such dark subjects?” Also includes a video from the CNN Freedom Project on slavery in America.

“Chong Kim: A Trafficking Survivor’s Dramatic Story.” A New Hope Digital podcast.

3 Categories : Articles, downloads
Feb
3

Watch the Trailer for “Special Delivery,” Novel 2 in the “Freedom” Series by Kathi Macias

by newhope

Special Delivery, the second novel in the “Freedom” series by Kathi Macias, releases in March 2012. Watch the trailer to learn more about this riveting upcoming release.

Follow Mara as she risks her own precarious safety to rescue a pregant young woman held in modern slavery. 

At the same time, halfway around the world in a Thai brothel, a young girl is rescued with the promise of being reunited with her younger sister who was adopted by an interracial couple in the States. They (the couple) are friends of the family of Jonathan Flannery, the Bible student to whom Mara now finds herself attracted.

Meanwhile, Jefe—Mara’s uncle who formerly held her as a sex slave in his San Diego brothel—seeks revenge for Mara’s testimony that put him behind bars for life.

If you have not already, you’ll want to read the action-packed first novel in the “Freedom” series, Deliver Me from Evil. Learn more about Mara, Jonathan, and Jefe—as well as the horrific and all too real problem of human trafficking, which stretches around the world even to our own neighborhoods.

The third and final novel in this series, The Deliverer, is scheduled for release in the fall of 2012.

0 Categories : Videos
Jan
11

Shining God’s Light in the Darkest Corners of the World

by newhope

by Kathi Macias

One of the questions I frequently hear is: “Why do you write about such dark subjects?”

My answer: Why wouldn’t I?

Truthfully, though, I don’t write about dark subjects. I write about light shining in the darkness—even the darkest places imaginable—because that’s where it is most needed. I’ve done an entire fiction series (“Extreme Devotion”: No Greater Love; More than Conquerors; Red Ink; People of the Book) on the topic of the persecuted church, and yes, some scenes are dark and will most definitely make readers uncomfortable. Good!

God hasn’t called us to comfort, but to courage; He hasn’t equipped us to run from the darkness in fear, but rather to live in a way that lights the path of escape for those who are trapped there. And though the 4 novels in the “Extreme Devotion” series don’t necessarily wrap up with the typical happily-ever-after endings of many novels, they do finish on a triumphant note because the darkness can never overcome God’s Light.

Confronting the Darkness of Human Trafficking

Now I am in the midst of releasing a “Freedom” series trilogy on the topic of human trafficking. The first book of the series, Deliver Me from Evil, is already out, with Special Delivery to release in March and the third book later this year. It doesn’t get much darker than human trafficking, does it?

But when you consider that an estimated 27 million people worldwide are trapped in modern-day slavery right now, today, in the 21st century, including an estimated 100,000–300,000 minors involved in or at risk of sex trafficking right here in the United States, how can I keep silent?

God has given me a gift, a talent and passion to write. He has also given me His light to shine from within me onto others, and how better to do it than to use my gift of writing to expose the deeds of darkness and to rescue the victims?

When Jesus walked the earth, He declared Himself to be the light of the world (John 9:5). Now that He has ascended into heaven, He has passed the torch to us, His church, to bring light and hope to a dark and dying world. Dare we ignore that mandate? Can we justify going only where darkness is but a shadow, avoiding the true depths of midnight-darkness and perverted depravity that would destroy the very people who have been stamped with the image of their Creator?

I don’t believe we can avoid it. President Obama has declared January 2012 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and the US Senate has designated January 11 to be a National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness. Secular groups around the world are taking a stand against this horrific atrocity, and I applaud them.

But it is the church, those of us who have the Light living inside us, who must lead the way, standing together to dispel the darkness and to set the captives free.

Will you join me? The Light of the world will walk with us, each and every step of the way.

Editor’s note: Check out Kathi’s podcast on the subject of addressing modern slavery through fiction. Click here for more resources and ideas from New Hope Digital on fighting modern slavery, including the nonfiction book Not in My Town by Charles Powell and Dillon Burroughs.

Award-winning author Kathi Macias has written the 4-novel “Extreme Devotion” series and is currently working on the “Freedom” trilogy. Click here to download the first 2 chapters of the first book, Deliver Me from Evil. Book 2 in the “Freedom” series, Special Delivery, is scheduled to release in March. The “Extreme Devotion” series (No Greater Love; More than Conquerors; Red Ink, and People of the Book) and Deliver Me from Evil are also now available as ebooks for your PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android, and Nook.

4 Categories : Articles
Jan
9

New Hope Publishers Recognizes Human Trafficking Awareness Day on January 11

by newhope

(BIRMINGHAM, Ala.)—January 9, 2011— January 11 is Human Trafficking Awareness Day and New Hope Publishers offers many valuable resources that shed light and give actionable steps to help end modern slavery.

As seen on Fox news, Not in My Town: Exposing and Ending Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery (978-1-59669-301-2, $19.99) answers questions and promotes discussion about the slavery system that crisscrosses Atlanta, Orlando, Las Vegas, New York, California, Texas, North Carolina, Haiti, Amsterdam, India, Cambodia, and beyond. The authors’ gripping journey shocks but also motivates and provides resources to equip new generations of abolitionists from all corners of society and diverse worldviews who share the common call to stop injustice. DVD included with book.

New Hope Publishers also offers the “Freedom” fiction series by award-winning author Kathi Macias. Deliver Me from Evil (978-1-59669-306-7, $14.99) is the first release in the series and Special Delivery (978-1-59669-307-4, $14.99) will be available this March.

Watch for a special article from Kathi Macias scheduled to be posted on January 11 on this site.

The New Hope Publishers Web site offers several podcasts, articles/columns, and videos on human trafficking. You may be especially interested in the article, “Ideas and Resources to Join the Fight Against Modern Slavery,” which, in one place, lists and links to much of the New Hope Digital content.

Please also consider supporting the efforts of WorldCrafts, our ministry partner, and its Set1Free campaign. The Set1Free campaign highlights artisan groups working with women freed from sexual exploitation and/or others at risk of human trafficking.

About New Hope Publishers

Representing more than 80 authors and more than 130 individual works, the mission of New Hope® Publishers is to provide books that challenge readers to understand and be radically involved in the mission of God. New Hope Publishers is the general trade publishing imprint for WMU®, a missions auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention. New Hope Publishers is a member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).

For more information about New Hope Publishers, visit www.NewHopeDigital.com.

 

1 Categories : News
Sep
23

Human Trafficking Demands a Coordinated Response from Churches

by newhope

by Kelly King

Two years ago I received an email that changed the trajectory of my ministry. The email was an invitation to discuss the issue of human trafficking in the state of Oklahoma. I wasn’t sure why I received the email but I knew I needed to know more.

What I discovered at the meeting was a room full of people passionate about fighting human trafficking. As we were introduced to each other, I quickly realized I was the only person representing a faith-based organization. (I am the women’s missions and ministries specialist for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.) After hearing from the FBI, government agencies, and social services, I returned to my office with a sick feeling—a feeling modern slavery was much darker and much closer than I had realized.

My eyes had been opened to an issue I wish didn’t exist. An issue I wish didn’t exist in my state, much less a few miles from my office. I returned with a sense of urgency. Human trafficking wasn’t just a social issue, but a spiritual issue—which, I learned later, was the reason I received the email invitation in the first place. 

Since that initial meeting, I have asked lingering questions, searching how to confront the issue and how churches can respond. Some of the steps that we’ve initiated include:

Raising awareness among leadership. I invited an expert on the issue to talk with leaders in my sphere of influence. I took a group of women to a statewide human trafficking conference. I read everything I could and learned as much as I could about what was happening in our state. I explored solutions, because the questions I was most often asked after people heard a presentation were: “What can we do?” and “How can we stop this?

Developing a task force of women who have created a strategy with purpose. These women include a state representative, Christian communicators, my state WMU president, the coordinator of our state’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Committee, a college women’s basketball coach, and a former victim of trafficking, Barbara Maphet. These women have written articles and made presentations in several churches, thereby educating congregations and raising awareness.

I’d like to share a little about Barbara. At 17, following a tragic childhood, she met a woman with an escort service who offered a job. Barbara was taken to dinner by 2 men, who afterward took her to a hotel room and told her to strip. With the promise of clothes, drugs, and a nice place to stay— and nowhere else to go—she turned her first trick. Her journey into sex trafficking began at this time and as she was subsequently taken, as a minor, across state lines.

She was later arrested for drugs and incarcerated multiple times. In prison, she began reading Psalms. Then through the witness of two women who began visiting her cell once a week, she came to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Barbara now speaks publicly about her experience and is passionately ministering to women in the Oklahoma prison system. For more of her story, see http://baptistmessenger.com/human-trafficking-a-personal-story/.

Partnering with other organizations who are also tackling the issue. We’ve primarily worked with an organization called OATH (Oklahomans Against the Trafficking of Humans). I received the initial email from them. OATH was just forming and the founder is a pastor who understands not only the importance of including government and law enforcement, but the faith community as well. We also promote organizations such as Dayspring Villa, which to my knowledge is the only faith-based women’s shelter in our state. They are able to house victims of trafficking and domestic violence.

Creating interactive experiences. We use the excellent interactive experience found on the Release and Restore CD, a resource of national WMU’s Project HELPsm: Human Exploitation. This awareness-raising experience has been offered at an evangelism conference, a women’s conference, and most recently, a statewide collegiate event. More than 1,200 students heard about the issue and raised more than $4,200 in their offering to support Dayspring Villa.

Encouraging and equipping churches to get involved at the street level. Churches have donated hygiene items to victims and some have even begun a ministry to dancers in adult clubs. Because of the trucking industry in Oklahoma, we are encouraging churches to begin truck stop ministries and to be aware of possible victims in truck stop areas.

Including breakout seminars on this topic at women’s events. People will not get involved until they understand the issue. Books, such as  Deliver Me From Evil by Kathi Macias and Not in My Town by Dillon Burroughs and Charles Powell, can be promoted as helpful resources on the subject. In addition, WorldCrafts offers a natural way to bring up the topic of international sex trafficking through its Set1Free campaign. By developing fair-trade businesses and jobs around the world, WorldCrafts and its local artisan partners help women leave the sex industry.   

Human trafficking occurs in every state. Individuals and churches can spearhead these and other kinds of initiatives at the local, city, and state level.

You don’t have to have an official leadership title or a lot of connections or money to get started. How will your small group, your local church body, and your larger community of churches (city or state) get involved?

Kelly King is on the board of OATH (Oklahomans Against the Trafficking of Humans) and  is the women’s missions and ministries specialist with the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.

1 Categories : Articles
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