Two nights ago I listened to six wonderful women talk about their recent
missions trip to Belgium. They were there working with an organization known as
Breaking Chains.
You know, Belgium…
It’s snuggled in there between France and Germany, for those of you who are
geographically challenged. The home of those tasty waffles and sex slaves?
Mmmm, waffles and
sex sl… say what?
You read what I
said. Sex Slaves. Women tricked, sold, or
kidnapped and then shipped around the world where they are beaten, tortured,
and forced to sell their bodies to anyone who wants to use them. And I don’t
mean a few. Many of them have no papers or identification, so even if they
could escape the nightmare they’re being forced to live twenty-four hours a
day, seven days a week, they have nowhere to go. They would likely be detained
and deported, right back to where it all started.
But hey… that’s
‘over there’. We don’t need to talk about that.
So one of the
ladies, a good friend and a beautiful, helpful soul I’ve had the pleasure to
meet and get to know, showed me this article in the July issue of the
“Oklahoma” magazine.
You know, Oklahoma.
It’s snuggled right here in between Texas and Missouri. Part of the famous
Route 66? You might have heard about our little basketball team that thundered
through this past season…?
Anyway, according
to the magazine, “An FBI report states that it is well known among truck
drivers that if you want good barbecue, go to Kansas City, and if you want young girls, go to
Oklahoma City.”
Those ‘young girls’
they’re speaking of, are some of the one hundred thousand who “will enter the sex trade
yearly. The average age of a prostitute is 14-years-old. The average entry age
is 12.”
So, after they’re
done sharing with us about how, when these women… these victims… were done with
the few precious moments they had to spend bonding, singing, and praying, they
had to go back to ‘work’. There was no escape, no freedom. Can you imagine how
hard that must have been for all of them?
And then I wanted
to cry.
Barely able to
breath, I drove home. I usually take I-44 – it runs right past my apartment. It
lays about 300 feet away from my door. I can hear cars and trucks racing by now
as I type this.
“Oklahoma with its
three main major interstate highways – I-35, I-40 and I-44 – provides a pipeline out of Texas
running to all ports north, east and west, a crossroads for human trafficking.”
“In early 2012,
Oklahoma police and federal agents busted a major sex trafficking ring
operating out of homes and apartment buildings in Oklahoma City and Tulsa”
I don’t know about
you, but every time I think about it, every time I hear the sound of a car go
by now, I wonder… and then I get a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.
It hasn’t been easy sleeping either.
And it shouldn’t be.
But hey, that’s
Oklahoma, right?
“The U.S. State
Department lists America as the number one destination for
human trafficking, especially of children. California, New York, Texas and
Oklahoma top the list of states most active.”
There’s that sick
feeling again. I’ve lived in three of the four of those states, and was
within an hour’s drive of the fourth. I didn’t know… I didn’t want to know.
“Worldwide
estimates are that 27 million men, women and children are in slavery at any
given time. Human trafficking, defined as the recruitment, harboring,
transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services
through use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of involuntary
servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery, is a $32 billion industry, second
only to drugs as the largest criminal activity in the world.”
But you don’t want
to hear about that do you? I mean, it’s been going on for years and years, and
what have we… what have I done about it? Besides, you can read the article for
yourself here:
But that is
literally just the tip of the iceberg.
Listen… or in this
case, read. I could go on quoting about a dozen sites I’ve come across in the
past two days as I tried to find a way to write this, but would it matter? The
fact that you’re reading this means you have access to the internet in some form
or another, so if you have one iota of curiosity, if you have any semblance of
compassion for your fellow human beings, take just five minutes and do a search
for human trafficking. I warn you though; be prepared.
If you need a
start, go here: http://www.oathcoalition.com/
They’re based out
of Oklahoma, but they have links to a lot of other sites like http://www.slaverymap.org/
They have a map
that shows locations and details on various types of human trafficking that
have been discovered, and their outcome. You might be surprised how close to
your home… your backyard where your children, nieces, nephes, and grandchildren
play… this is.
But, should you not
have the will to go look for yourself, then I implore you to read on.
It is easy to say
this isn’t my – or your – problem. It’s easy to say… but I would be lying. This
isn’t an issue of race or immigration law, politics or religion. This is an
issue of Humanity. This is a disease, and one that is out of control. Sure, it
might run its course and die out. But that’s naive. Odds are, much like all the
other things that we as a species have done, we’ve ignored the bully, the pimp,
the ‘bad guy’ who, through our chosen ignorance and unwillingness to be the
stewards of the planet we should be, have used every convenience we perceive as
a benefit to perform these heinous atrocities right in front of us. Not behind
our backs, not in the alley or the open field. Look outside your window… these
slaves are out there right now, being beaten, tortured, raped. Some are killed
for foolishly believing they could escaped, and their death isn’t swift,
because they can be used as an example to others.
It doesn’t start by
accident, either. People with a purpose plan this out in precise detail, and
they know exactly what to do and say to play on our fears, our needs, our
wants, and before we know what has happened, those rights we believe we
deserve, that we claim are being taken away, really are. There’s no calling in
sick to work because you feel like playing hooky, no surfing the internet for
more LOL Catz or Youtube videos in the wee hours of the morning. You’re forced
into hellish living conditions, given barely anything to eat, forced to work
endlessly, and if you speak out, don’t meet working expectations, try to
leave.. Well, the day doesn’t end with complaining to your Facebook friends
about what a sucky day you’ve had so you can reap their sympathy as you lament
the awfulness of your daily life.
But maybe this
isn’t hitting home for you. Maybe your more worried about your home life, your
job, your car. Maybe your kids are driving you nuts and no matter how hard you
try, you just can’t communicate to them what is you want them to do. To that I
say this – Find a way. Get in their lives, find out who their friends are, find
out what they’re posting online and who they are talking to. Tell them and show
them you love them and how much every second of every day. If you think they’re
too young to go out unsupervised, don’t let them. These people are experts at
what they do, and they know how to communicate with your kids better than
you.
Before you can ask
what happened, they’ll be gone. Maybe, just maybe they’ll be found or they’ll
come home.
Or maybe they won’t.
You might wonder
why I am bothering. I could post a link and be done with it. Maybe I am doing
this because it’s the Christian thing to do. Well duh. But it is more than
that. It is so much more than that. There’s a lot of things in this world that
make me ill, but I’ve managed to reason away my ability to do anything for
years. Yes, I’m commanded to love others, but the commandment alone won’t make
me love anyone or care what happens to them. I could point to the resolution I
signed a few months ago, wherein I swore before God and my church that “I will
confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy”. I whole heartedly made that
resolution, and if that was the only reason I had, it would be enough.
But the real reason
is simply this. I have to. If I don't say something, do something, how can I
live with myself?
Maybe you want to
ask, “Why would God let this happen?” and to that I have an answer, and it’s so
obvious, I feel silly for having to say it. I’m paraphrasing a man by the name
of Dave Roever who spoke at my church not long ago, but it goes something like this;
God didn’t get us
into this. We did.
We can ask God for
His help, and he will give it, but we have to do our part. We have to act, and
He will give all of us the strength we need to persevere, the mercy we need to
pull us up when we’ve fallen and feel we can't go on, and the healing we – and the
victims of this mess – need once the battle is over.
And for those who
don’t believe in Christ, God, or anything but yourself? Then it falls squarely
on your shoulders too. You don’t get a pass just because you don’t believe in
something higher than yourself. In fact, if you are your own god, it is still
your life and your world, and you’re part of it is waiting for you to act.
To let it happen
when we have knowledge of it is horrifying. What does that say about us as
human beings?
There’s no middle
ground here. There’s no fence straddling. You’re either in or you’re out, and
the only person you have to face in the mirror is yourself.
It’s estimated
there are 27 million people that are slaves right now, all around the world,
and there’s more added to the list every 30 seconds. Tomorrow, some of them
will be dead. More of them will wish they were.
Where will you be?
Perhaps this one
seems too big. Perhaps you feel there is nothing you can do. The only thing I’m
asking for is your voice, whether it is vocal, written, sign language, or even
rude gestures. Whatever it takes to get the message out there will at least be
one more voice. And you never know – that one person you tell, may put them in
a position to help one of these people, one of these human beings, out of a
life of torment and depravity. Your voice may be the one that tips the scales
in their favor. Your voice may be the one they hear when an opportunity to
escape presents itself, and your voice may be the one that comforts them when they
can’t. Your voice may be the only chance they have to survive.
First off pray. If
you don’t feel you have the strength to do anything, or perhaps you just lack
the will, then reach down deep inside you for every shred of emotion you have
and pray for someone who does have the strength and the will to stand up in
your place. Pray to whomever lifts your heart and hears your cries and ask them
to motivate you and anyone else to do what is needed. Then, pray for those who
don’t have the freedom you have, who need to find that light that is waiting to
chase away the darkness from their lives and take away their pain.
Next, tell someone.
Post a link, write an email, write your congressman, write the president, write
your newspaper, television, radio stations and ask them to say something. Do
something. If they refuse, then tell someone they refused and what it is they
refused to do.
Next, love your
children. Teach them. I don’t recommend scaring them to death, but they need to
be aware just how important this is. Find out the signs to identify people in
trouble. Most of the sites have lists of indicators and ask your kids if they
know anyone who may be in trouble.
If you know someone who has a drug problem, do whatever you can to get them help. Some of
these children are sold into slavery or forced into it by family members and
friends who use them to get money for drugs. It’s insane, but you would be
helping not just the kids, but the people they need most, too.
Last, Volunteer.
Donate. Make or buy stickers and signs like the one’s on the Oath Coalition
site and stick them everywhere someone will let you – on your car, bus stop,
shop windows. Someone in need may see it, and while they may not be able to do
anything with it, it tells them that they’re not alone and that someone out
there is looking to help them.
Someone cares.
Beyond that… it’s
in your hands. It’s a lot to take in, and if you’ve read this far, I applaud
you. If you’re willing to take a stand, know you’re not alone. There are plenty
of people who will stand beside you.
And whether you
believe in God or not, He believes in you. He is waiting for us to do what is
right. You don’t have to do it for Him, but you should most definitely want to
do it for them.
