January Monthly Missions Focus - Sex Trafficking
[Author’s note: For many of us, sex trafficking is “too horrible to think about.” I know. I used to be there. But I’ve come to realize that this is a crime that is too horrible not to think about – and tell others about and do something about. It has often been said that all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. Evil is triumphing in sex trafficking. It is time to rise up against it.]
Though awareness is on the rise, sex trafficking is crime that is little known and widely misunderstood. Its lack of public outrage is all the more drastic when contrasted with its prevalence. More of an epidemic than a crime, sex trafficking accounts for a large percentage of all human trafficking, which is the fastest-growing organized crime in the world, second only to drug trafficking. Human trafficking is estimated to net $32 billion dollars each year – but that doesn’t take into account the $97 billion that the world pornography industry rakes in each year by selling images of the victims of sex trafficking.
Sex trafficking is the sale of persons for commercial sexual exploitation wherein the person is forced, coerced, or deceived into performing sexual acts for the profit of the trafficker. It occurs in every country in the world and in nearly every city. An estimated 100,000 new girls and boys are kidnapped, lured, tricked, or sold by their own parents into commercial sexual exploitation each year in the United States alone. Their average age is 13.
Once in “the Life,” these women and children are controlled by their pimps with violence, threats, and psychological manipulation. They are held captive as slaves, servicing an average of 20 customers a night, with little hope of escape or rescue. Many die at the hands of their pimps or johns, or from drug overdose or STDs. The few who are rescued rarely have a safe place to recover, as there are fewer than 100 dedicated beds in the United States for these victims. Many return to their captivity.
It is a common misconception that prostitutes are simply bad people. They are drug addicts driven to selling their bodies, we think, or they enjoy it and make a lot of money doing it. The reality is that these are broken people, who oftentimes can’t even recognize their slavery because of the psychological control of their pimps.
But Jesus shows us an even more radical response to that misconception. He makes it clear that we are all bad people (Mark 10:18). Jesus is the only good guy. And far from shunning prostitutes, Jesus had dinner with them (Matt 9:10-12)! He sought out the places they frequented and showed them the love and forgiveness of God that changes trodden-down women into saints. Who doesn’t love the story in Luke 7:37-50 of the sinful woman anointing Jesus and washing his feet with her hair? May we follow His example and not that of Simon, the host of the dinner party who knew very well “what sort of woman” that was – and who loved little.
January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. We are honored to have Don and Bridget Brewster, the founders of Agape International Mission, coming to visit Bethel. They will share about their work in Cambodia rescuing and restoring girls from sexual slavery and transforming the culture to prevent it. They will also talk about the global sex trafficking problem and the hope we have as Christians with which to combat it. Join us Sunday, January 15 at 4pm in the Desert View Room.
Please pray:
1. Agape has done much work in the village of Svay Pak, Cambodia, and it is making a difference! Two men in the village of Poipet, on the Thai border, were recently overheard saying,”It’s very difficult in Svay Pak now. We stay away from there, now we have to come here to Poipet where it is still easy.” Pray for a Rahab’s House (community center) to be built in Poipet.
2. For provision and protection on all AIM ministries, staff, girls and families. For all of our staff and leadership, for strength and perseverance to keep fighting the good fight in faith.
3. For complete restoration for Agape’s rescued girls. Some are so bombarded by guilt from their family to return to the life to make more money! Their families’ insistence to do what is wrong wears them down. May Christ reign in their hearts and minds instead of the earthly parents.
4. For many Christians to rise up and build restoration homes in the United States where rescued victims of sex trafficking can find a safe place to receive love, healing, and the gospel.