Human trafficking ... it's time for a change

  • Joyce Vogt
  • Apr 24, 2010

There are an estimated 27 million slaves in the world today.  In fact, there are more individuals held captive in slavery today than there has ever been in our lifetime.  Really?  Today?  I heard these statistics about a year ago and my heart broke! 

What’s the deal?  Why is slavery more of an issue now than it has ever been? 

There are many factors that are converging on us today that have created a ripe market for this growing social disease.  The unforgiving and often demanding free market, globalization, the commerce capabilities and transparency of the Internet, consumerism gone awry, unprecedented poverty and need throughout the globe.  There has been a growing desperation that has driven people to exploit our lack of real solid global standards or regulations in this area and make their business one of trafficking in humans. 

Don’t get me wrong, I know that slavery is not new!  It has been an accepted part of many cultures for centuries and has lurked behind these borders this whole time.  But what is happening is that it has become an export.  It has been recognized by the culprits that slavery, defined as exploiting an individual held in captive or bondage for revenue through labor and sex, is far easier to get away with than any other crime today. 

Learning all of this a year ago just shocked me.  As a Christian, this is wrong and is not something I can turn a blind eye to.  This is a large and complex issue that carries with it implications on our political and financial policies in our area and in our country as a whole. 

Whether we like it or not, this social disease is on the move and is expanding and taking more and more victims with it.  Children in our malls are being stalked by recruiters into the sexual exploitation market, young kids in far away countries are being held in debt servitude to make the products we buy at “everyday low prices,” illegal immigrants are being trafficked into our country illegally and held in debt servitude in restaurants right around the corner from your home, working 16 hour days and living in captive as they work off their debt, women from other countries are opting in for the opportunity to be shuttled in to the US to pursue a better life and are finding themselves living as sex slaves either here or in another country. 

Our country’s unrelenting demand for bigger, better, faster, cheaper has taken its toll on the rest of the world.   Don’t get me wrong, it’s not just our country that has fed demand, but it is our country that touts “the land of the free.”  We are the world’s source of compassion; how can we let this continue without educating ourselves and taking appropriate action?

The effort we are launching called Stop Human Trafficking is not as much about serving others in the form of handouts.  Although it is my hope that many of you will join me, arms locked, in this fight for freedom for all, the primary objective is to raise awareness. 

If we raise awareness about this issue and make people more aware of lifestyle choices that tend to feed demand for slave labor, then the Christian Church, starting with Hope Covenant in the Phoenix area, then we can live out the values that we tout. 

It’s about making small and simple changes — like buying products, including coffee and chocolate, that are KNOWN to not use slave labor for production.  It’s about standing up for our values and making it “uncool” to step foot inside of a strip club, even for that one-time bachelor party event, because many of the women, if of legal age, are held in servitude to club owners and pimps and are forced to sell themselves in this way. 

It is about setting a new standard.  It is not just about going to church, it is about BEING the church, a church that would not knowingly perpetuate inhumane business practices all to get that “lowest price of the season.” 

The old adage that works here is “knowledge is power.”  It is not cool for us to continue to make choices that knowingly result in the physical or sexual exploitation of those who are of lesser means or influence. 

Toward the end of having knowledge, we’re in the process of preparing for two important events in our church in the month of May.  The first is on May 17 and is a youth education event.  We’ll be talking with our teens about some of the forces that can unknowingly position them as a potential victim.  We’ll have members of Phoenix Allied Against Slavery (who also attend a partner church, Crossroads Nazarene), in to make that presentation and lead that important discussion. 

The second is on May 23, when we’ll be hosting a screening of the movie Branded in our church.  We’re inviting the whole community to this screening and will also be interviewing a former victim of Human Trafficking as part of that discussion.  This is an opportunity to reach out to our larger, non-member community to invite and invest.  By hosting these events, we are recruiting others from outside of our church to get involved and to do so through our church community. 

Please plan on being at the screening.  Most importantly, please plan on volunteering in our efforts now and in the future as we continue to align this conversation on a regional and state level as well. 

It is our vision that the social injustice that is slavery can and will also become a national and global mission for our church.  Won’t you get involved to help? 

There is so much injustice in the world and it is happening on our watch…it’s time for a change!

Joyce Vogt

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