CNN: Child Traffickers Prey on Powerless

A child trafficking story on the front page of today's CNN.com headlines.  Will mainstream media coverage bring us to the tipping point?

At the End of Slavery

...where will you be?

At The End Of Slavery - Extended Trailer from International Justice Mission on Vimeo.

See the film on Nov. 14.  Presented by International Justice Mission.

For more information go to http://www.attheendofslavery.com.

Ten Dollars and a Bicycle for Love146

Image by Georgios Karamanis

This is one of those posts that is going to get tagged "things that make me cry."

You might remember me writing about a community we saw in Phnom Pehn that has been horribly mistreated by the government. They were stripped of their housing and whatever possessions they had and trucked off to a no-man's land beyond the airport, away from potential jobs, schools, and shelter. Many simply live under blue tarps and have no healthcare, privacy, sanitation or running water. I saw it with my own eyes, and it made me want to weep. Whenever I am lying in my warm bed when it rains or feel grateful when I'm taking a hot shower, I think of that place.

Last week, about 80 children living in this area were given bicycles by Love146. This is crucial because they now have a way to get to school, earn an education, and therefore decrease their chances of being trafficked. You can read more about the event here and here. I only wish I could have been there to witness the ceremony where these children were given such a small but significant gift.

I recently learned that Love146 is part of this year's Giving Challenge. Basically, whichever charity receives the most number of unique donations (starting at $10), they will win. So the more people who give $10 or above, the better chance Love146 has of winning.

And if they win, they'll have $50,000, to keep on doing some more beautiful things for the children who need it the most.

Please consider giving $10 today. I just did, and it's extremely easy to do--just click right here. And one more small favor to ask: will you please spread the word and tell someone else?

Human Trafficking in Charisma Magazine

Diana Scimone has written an amazing piece on human trafficking in the November issue of a Christian publication called Charisma magazine. She highlights the issue of trafficking as well as all of the fantastic organizations who are lending a hand in the fight to end it (and even mentions this blog in the "Everyday Abolitionists" sidebar--thanks so much, Diana!!)

Please check out the piece in full here!

I hope this article continues to open eyes and hearts toward the full realization of abolition.

Child Sex Trafficking of Runaways in the U.S.

Photo by Sunny laid back L.A.

I read a great article in the NYTimes today, and it was especially relevant on the heels of yesterday's big news.

"For Runaways, Sex Buys Survival," looks at the business of trafficking runaways for sex on America's streets. It's a growing problem according to law enforcement and child protective service agencies, and the Internet plays a large part in attracting "clients."

“It’s definitely worsening,” said Sgt. Kelley O’Connell, a detective who until this year ran the Boston Police Department’s human-trafficking unit, echoing a sentiment conveyed in interviews with law enforcement officials from more than two dozen cities. “Gangs used to sell drugs,” she said. “Now many of them have shifted to selling girls because it’s just as lucrative but far less risky.”(excerpted from NYT article)

The article featured interviews with convicted pimps, who talk about the tactics they use to ensnare young girls into prostitution--including targeting girls with large backpacks on, who have clearly just left home. The pimps' bottom line was that they recognize these girls' starvation for love and attention, and they can easily "hook" them with a few gifts of jewelry and nice dinners.

One of the pimps put it this way:

"With the young girls, you promise them heaven, they'll follow you to hell."

NYTimes content doesn't stay free and available for long, so I'd recommend reading the story as soon as you can. Ian Urbina has put together 4 pages of an extremely important and well-written look at the reality of sex trafficking in America.

The question I'd ask now is--does it matter that these girls are runaways? Does it make them less worthy of our attention and care, as opposed to a little girl on the other side of the world who has been kidnapped or sold? Do we care more or less that this is what sex trafficking looks like in our cities and on our streets?

Child Trafficking in America: More Operation Cross Country

Read the news today?

52 children were rescued from sex trafficking as part of the ongoing Operation Cross Country operation. Not in Southeast Asia, not in South America, not in Eastern Europe--here. In the U.S.

Read the FBI's press release on the results of Operation Cross Country IV here.

The Innocence Lost initiative started in 2003. 900 children rescued from sex slavery, 500 convictions, 6 years later, and I fear we are just at the tip of the iceberg.

Photo by Lucian Tao

What a Difference a Year Makes

165 posts later, today is the one-year birthday of this blog.

As I look back on the past year, I'm extremely encouraged by the things that have happened. We raised tens of thousands of dollars for Love146 through the Boston Taskforce's "Tread on Trafficking." We raised tens of thousands of dollars for the incredibly important Born2Fly awareness book project. I had the chance to go to Cambodia, Thailand, and the Philippines with Love146 on an absolutely life-changing trip, and see this problem with my own eyes. Meanwhile, countless stories were told in the media and on the movie screen, from "Taken" to "Playground" and "Call and Response." Celebrities have taken on the cause and spoken about it from the hills of Hollywood.

Most of all, I'm so blessed to know such amazing people who are spending every single day fighting child trafficking. From Rob and Kathy at Love146 to Diana Scimone at Born2Fly; from my amazing Twitter friends like those at Transitions Global, Not for Sale, and Nowhere2Hide; from Rachel Sparks-Graeser of The SOLD Project, making a life in Thailand--to so many others. I thought of all of you and what you do, day in and day out, at my church last Sunday after hearing a simple line from a Michael Crawford song:

"Help me not to rest, while those around me weep."

What will be changed by October 20, 2010? What will we do to fight child sex trafficking over the next 365 days, to make sure this coming year sees even greater things? Thank you to all of you who do not rest, but work tirelessly until the weeping ends.