Did YOU Know?……

There are preteens in Thailand, who thought they were accepting an offer that would secure them a better job or higher education; tricked, they are now being raped multiple times a night for the profit of their capturer….

That there are children in Cambodia, who are victims of child sex-tourism– some as young a 5, performing oral sex….

 In Mexico, it is estimated that there are 16,000 children now involved in prostitution……

What is being done to help them?….

Did you know that there is an organization of lawyers, investigators and social workers who care so deeply for human life and rights that they have focused their lives on rescuing and mending the captives of slavery, sex exploitation, and violent oppression in our world. This heroic organization is called the International Justice Mission. It is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation, and other forms of violent oppression.  IJM is intervening on their behalf….finding….freeing….fighting through the justice system, for people who have never known a champion on their behalf.   IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to promote functioning public justice systems. 

The Heart of The Matter

Although we would like to believe slavery was abolished in the nineteenth century, it still continues to thrive around the world. Children reported to be as young as 5 (continue reading…)

Did YOU Know?

Okay, so i’ll give you a few hints and you try to guess who it is I’m talking about. Got it? This person founded a non-profit organization to help AIDS orphans in Africa. Raised enough money to build a school in Africa for 1000 kids who were unable to attend (the closest school was 60 miles away). The next year, he or she raised enough money to build a medical testing lab/ voluntary counseling center in Sinazongwe, Zambia to test and treat victims of AIDS/HIV. With the help of the non-profit this mystery person founded, there will be enough money raised by the end of this year to build a second medical testing facility in Chilala, Zambia. This clinic will specialize in preventing and treating mother to baby transmission of the AIDS virus.

Have you figured it out yet? No, it’s not Bono or Oprah. Any more guesses? The person I’m talking about is just 14 years old! His name is Austin Gutwein and his charity is Hoops of Hope.

The Heart of the Matter

Awareness, education, and action change lives.  The UN estimated that every 14 seconds (continue reading…)

Did YOU Know?

“What am I doing to change the world?”

This I should ask myself more often. Until now, I can’t remember the last time I paused and thought about it. I would like to say that I had a dream where God said to me… Maybe a moment of clarity or a daunting revelation that I couldn’t ignore, but no, it did not happen this way. A close friend asked me to research the global phenomenon of child trafficking. It was in the midst of this research that I began to understand why organizations like World Vision are dedicated to eradicating slavery and why I should be involved.

If you happen to feel bombarded by such heavy usage of words like: child trafficking, child sex tourism, child slaves, then please let me explain. Trafficking in children is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of children for the purpose of exploitation.  They can be exploited in many ways:

• Prostitution
• Forced labor
• Involuntary servitude

This burdens me deeply… I can’t help but to think what I would do if this were my own child….

The Heart of the Matter

Here are a few things we can think about…

 While we contemplate whether or not we have time in between flossing, Facebook, and Grey’s Anatomy to help join in the fight against child sex trafficking. The statistics are truly sobering.

• 2 million+ children exploited in the sex trade today.
• 60% are young females between the ages of 12-18.
• 1.2 million children are trafficked annually.

It has been reported that children as young as five (continue reading…)