“And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.” (Ecc. 3:16)
There are 27 Million Slaves in the World Today, and one of the most common forms is in the sex slave industry. It is a very lucrative industry bringing millions of dollars to those whom exploit it. From the very young to adulthood you find people exploited in this industry and it is growing in Canada.
Last night I had the opportunity to attend an event on modern day slavery held at the Laurentian Leadership Training Centre. There was the screening of the movie “Hope to Sold” that was followed by a discussion panel with an Ottawa police constable Carl DeJong and Natasha Burton, a lawyer and member of International Justice Mission.
Growing up in Montreal, human trafficking was part of my reality as different friends at school and in my neighborhood had been abducted and enslaved to the sex industry. As we were watching the movie my heart was grieved to see to what extend it has grown in Canada. I was shocked to see how many aboriginal women are trapped in the industry and how young the children are who were being used in prostitution rackets. So imagine a child who is being forced into prostitution at 11, by the time he/she reaches 18 they would have had approximately 500 clients. Imagine how damaging is it for their life!
What can we do about it
Constable Djong and Natasha shared proactive measure’s that people can take to help put an end to this in Canada. Here are some of the small things that each of us could do to make a positive difference:
Love: show love and compassion to the trafficked ones, the drug addict, the one being prostituted in the street. A lot of these women need to know that there are loved. It will empower them. Remember that most of them are trapped in fear for there lives and for there family members; but love cast out fear!
Educate people about human trafficking: the laws are already established in the criminal code but they are not being applied. Write to people in power to share your concerns. Most people think that human trafficking is in other countries and not in Canada. Education is power!
Outreach: pray for the ones who are enslaved. For the children who are trapped. Organize outreach events to share the love of Christ.
Don’t contribute to the sex industry: every time a person visits a strip club, buy’s a triple xxx movie or even uses the pornographic video products online, it actually fuels the industry of human trafficking. A lot of women in the videos or clubs are forced to be there.
Think about this: what would you do if a trafficked woman or child could be your mother, sister or daughter?
Trish
Thank you for this post. Human trafficking aka “modern day slavery” includes sexual exploitation and also extends to labour exploitation in the chocolate and coffee industries, as well as children tricked and recruited into fighting for corrupt military regimes worldwide. We as Christians can play a vital role in exposing this shame to help raise awareness and bring the perpetrators to justice.
To quote Pastor Rick Warren, included on the website for the International Justice Mission (IJM at http://www.ijm.org/getinvolved/churches):
“For too long we’ve ignored the overwhelming mountain of scripture that commands God’s people to care for the oppressed. Justice is in the heart of God, and is a significant part of our mission in the world.”