Human trafficking seems to be everywhere in the news these days.  Until the last six years, I wasn’t aware of the reality of its existence outside of cinema.  The enormity of this repulsive trade brings about a variety of emotions in me. Sadly, I think I have the potential to be “inoculated” by the bombardment of statistics, and in turn wonder what one person can really do. 

My journey into anti-human trafficking began on a trip to Thailand where I saw hundreds of girls begging for our attention at parlors lining the streets.  My heart broke as I saw a Caucasian man buying his young “date” a happy meal at McDonalds and her excitement over the accompanying toy.  That was my defining moment, where I knew I was unable to walk away from personal involvement any longer.
 I have a phrase that runs continually through my mind and oh, how I hope it to be true.

 This is the decade of abolition 

There are more slaves in the world today at any one time than were enslaved over the 400 years of the transatlantic slave trade, estimated to be over 10 million. The best estimates today are between 15 million and 30 million. Of those, around 10% are trafficked, i.e. taken from one place to another to be exploited. This is not to diminish the severity of past injustices, but to give a picture of the severity of the current problem.

If you are like me, then bite-sized portions of this evil are all I can ingest in one sitting.  I want to know what a “normal” person like me, in a “normal” lifestyle can do. Perhaps chew on them a bit and see if there is anything that sticks.

Here are four things I have found insightful:

1. Get educated: Check out: blueblindfold.org.uk
2. Consider carefully the products you buy. Ask yourself questions about how and where they were produced and where possible choose products that are fairly or ethically traded:  This reduces the demand for slave made products. Visit websites like www.fairtrade.org.uk
3. Prayer:  Partner with the God who hears and answers the needs of those oppressed.  Prayer also takes some of the burden off of me and replaces it with hope.
   

Pray:

• That God would go to the root of the problem and heal it.
• That the Father would send people to rescue, bring restoration and healing to those affected by the trade.
• That government agencies would open their eyes to human trafficking and extend justice. 
• That this would truly be the decade of abolition.