January is Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The Official Website for National Slaver and Human Trafficking Prevention Month is https://hopeforjustice.org/national-slavery-and-human-trafficking-prevention-month/. In January 2019, Firmly Planted Homeschool Resource Center held a presentation for mothers and daughters (age 14 and up) on sex trafficking awareness.
This was a good start.
However, human trafficking is not limited to females age 14 and up. It isn't even limited to sex trafficking. This is a problem that affects both male and female people from birth up to the mid to late 60's at least! Some churches in Clark County have programs to help people who have been trafficked and want to be rescued.
People who are specially trained (mostly ex military or ex police) do the rescues. Then comes the hard part. Helping the victims to relearn that they are worth being loved, that they are still human beings and not just objects or slaves.
What you can do to help. First - when you see the signs in bathroom stalls throughout the area, leave them alone unless you are cleaning off graffiti. Second - be aware of the fact that the I-5 corridor is a major thoroughfare for transporting people. Some people are taken in the US, some in Canada, and some in Mexico and South America. They are sometimes transported to a different country so that they will have less chance of getting help. Third - become aware of the issues and how this can be happening in your own area as well as the rest of the world.
To assist with the third part, here are a few books that have been used by multiple churches to help their congregations become aware of some of the issues.
- The Slave Next Door by Kevin Bales & Ron Soodalter
- The Whistleblower – Sex Trafficking, Military Contractors, and One Woman’s Fight for Justice by
Kathryn Bolkovac
- In Our Backyard – A Christian Perspective on Human Trafficking in the United States by Nita Belles
- The White Umbrella: Walking with Survivors of Sex Trafficking by Mary Francis Bowley
- Sold by Patricia MCCormick
Finally, here is the link to a Human Trafficking Fact Sheet. The box at the top of page 2 lists signs of human trafficking in a business or private home.
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