Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loosen the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke. – Isaiah 5:8
Today, January 11, is National Human Trafficking Awareness day. If you don’t know what Human Trafficking is…in it’s simplest definition it is modern-day slavery. Slavery? You may ask, ‘We’re way beyond slavery!’. Well, no. No, we’re really not unfortunately.
The U.S Deptartment of State provides a great table, which breaks down the true definition of human trafficking. Check it out here: http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2008/105487.htm
If you’ve kept up with my blog, you’ll know that I have a passion to fight against Human Trafficking and raise awareness. I focus more specifically on sex trafficking.(Have you seen the movie TAKEN? That’s an example that most people can link to.) One day, I will post the story on how I found this passion/how it found me.
I hope you realize as much as I do, how great of a problem Human Trafficking is today. I’ve been working, researching, and raising awareness for probably over 5 years now and I still can’t fully wrap my head around how this is happening. How people can have the heart or lack their of to put others in such situations.
Below I will post some facts and statistics so you can try to understand how big of a problem it is and why actions need to be taken. I will also link a YouTube video I created awhile back. I challenge you to remember some of these facts and share them with at least 2 people. The most helpful way to put a stop to Human Trafficking is to raise awareness. Please feel free to comment, tweet, or email me any questions. I’d love to tell you more or give you ways to help fight against slavery.
YouTube Video by RP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdXduGAzng0
FACTS & STATISTICS
-1.2 million children are being trafficked every year; this is in addition to the millions already
held captive by trafficking (UNICEF)
-Every 2 minutes a child is being prepared for sexual exploitation (UNICEF)
-UNICEF reports approximately 30 million children have lost their childhood through sexual
exploitation over the past 30 years
-“The total market value of human trafficking worldwide is estimated in excess of
$32 billion.”
-An estimated 200,000 American children are at risk for trafficking into the sex industry.
-Human Trafficking is the fastest growing form of international crime and the second largest source of income for organized crime, recently surpassing drugs
Rebecca Potzner 