Issue | Human Trafficking

“Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'” – Matthew 25:40 (MSG)

If asked to name the three most profitable industries in the world, which ones would come to mind? Oil? Diamonds? Hollywood? Nope. The three most profitable industries in the world are illegal narcotics, arms dealing, and slavery.

Wait, what? Slavery? Didn’t we get past that over a hundred years ago?

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims annually are trafficked across international borders world wide. Victims of human trafficking are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor.”

Those numbers include nations across every inhabited continent on the Earth. And yes, it also includes the United States, Canada, and other Western nations.

Slavery is not a thing of the past. It is a reality for millions of men, women, and children who are living as slaves today. Surely, if anyone in the world is “overlooked or ignored,” it is them.

The good news is that this issue is coming more and more into the light. There are organizations, both private and government-run, that are working to combat it. Some of them are international, like Project Rescue, whereas others work here in the U.S. In the next few days I will be posting some overviews of various organizations that are trying to rescue and restore the victims of human trafficking. My challenge to you is to partner with one of them. If you would like to find more information about organizations in your area, check out the resources at HumanTrafficking.org – in the U.S. and around the world.

~ by Kumachan on May 2, 2008.