Today is Human Trafficking Awareness Day, a call to attention to the 20-30 million men, women, and children forced into slavery. Of these millions, 80 percent are women and girls being trafficked as sex slaves.
The global commercial sex trade is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, which tragically accounts for the sexual exploitation of more than 2 million children every year. And at the center of it all lies Bangkok, Thailand. This nation holds a centuries-old legacy of sexual slavery and is largely considered the hub of the international sex industry.
Watch Freedom for Victims of Sex Slavery from World Help on Vimeo.
Consider once more the statistics you just watched:
- Thailand alone is believed to have up to half a million commercial sex workers
- Bangkok is the hub of the industry, harboring 15,000 women and child prostitutes
- 1 out of 100 people in Thailand will contract HIV/AIDS
The facts are staggering. Whether they were trafficked or became involved voluntarily for financial profit, each woman and girl faces the same dangerous results: emotional trauma, malnutrition, drug dependency, and abuse. What’s more, these victims are virtually defenseless against sexually transmitted diseases.
But there is hope.
With the help of our partner, Home of New Beginnings, we are giving these victims an escape from their nightmares. Home of New Beginnings provides women and girls with family-style living arrangements, offering critical community and friendship. They are cared for physically and psychologically and given the opportunity to pursue higher education while receiving trade skills. But most important, they are taught and shown the love of Christ.
Today, on Human Trafficking Awareness Day, consider the part you play in ending this international tragedy. Here are three simple steps you can take to make an immediate difference:
- Pray for the body of Christ to respond to this need. Pray that human trafficking will be crushed, justice will be done, and lives will be freed from the nightmare of sexual slavery.
- Give a gift—every amount matters—that will help rescue and restore young women in Thailand.
- Become an advocate. Lend your voice to the international community of supporters who are refusing to look away. Utilize your online social platforms to spread awareness and connect others to this need.
Together, we can each help to end the terror of human trafficking . . . one life at a time.