How Christians Can Help the Fight Against Sex Trafficking

By Audrey Masterson

So if the industry is so big, how can I help end it?

Friends, I would urge you to continue to research the facts of human trafficking; examine your purchasing habits and think about moving toward more ethical shopping practices; talk to everyone you know about the knowledge you have gained on this social injustice; go to your local lawmakers and government officials to change the laws to further help protect the vulnerable and prosecute the traffickers and buyers; speak up if you see red flags; and invest your time and financial resources to local and international non-profits fighting modern day slavery. And PRAY. Pray that God would heal our brokenness. Pray that we would be bold for one another. Pray that love would unite our community. Pray that the young people in our

city would learn their worth, become educated, and ultimately be equipped and empowered to be apart of the movement to end modern day slavery. And pray a prayer of thankfulness— that God has sent a Savior to mend the wounds that have the ability to paralyze us and who invites us into His work of redemption in Central Indiana!

Below are a few more resources to help you get started in enhancing your knowledge + websites where statistics were retrieved:

• https://humantraffickinghotline.org/ (Report and Research Human Trafficking)

• http://www.purchased.org/ (Indianapolis Nonprofit)

• http://www.indiana.edu/~traffick/_resources/_literature/_research/_as

  sets/IPATH-Human-Trafficking-Red-Flags-for-the-General-

  Public.pdf (Red Flags)

• https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/258876.pdf

• http://www.ilo.org/global/lang--en/index.htm

• https://polarisproject.org/human-trafficking

• https://enditmovement.com/

• http://www.a21.org/index.php?site=true

• http://simplylivandco.com/ (for ethical branding)

• https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-human-trafficking

• https://www.dhs.gov/topic/human-trafficking

• http://www.gems-girls.org/get-involved/very-young-girls (watch a

  Documentary here)

• http://in.gov/attorneygeneral/files/ht%20report%202016.pdf

  Additional Statistics:

• The average global price of a human being is $90.

• Some runaway groups estimate that 1 in 3 young people is solicited for sex

  within 48 hours of running away or becoming homeless in the U.S.

• Every second 28,258 users are watching pornography on the Internet.

• In 2015, an estimated 1 out of 5endangered runaways reported to

  the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were likely child sex trafficking victims.

  o Of those, 74% were in the care of social services or foster care when they ran.

• US porn revenue exceeds the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, & NBC (6.2 billion).

• Over 60% of the men paying for a prostitute are married or in a serious relationship.

• One out of three women recently surveyed said they view porn.

• 90% of women face sexual abuse while being trafficked.

• Pornography is used as blackmail to keep trafficked victims of sex

  trafficking from running.

• 80% of prostitution survivorsat the WHISPER Oral History Project

  reported that their customers showed them pornography to illustrate the

  kinds of sexual activities in which they wanted to engage.

• 66-90 % of women involved in the production of pornography were

  sexually abused as children.

• In 9 countries, almost half (49%) said that pornography was made of them

  while they were in sex trafficking.

• 95% of prostituted women want out of prostitution but can't leave, but due

  to circumstances like having no other job skills, needing to be able to provide food and shelter for themselves and possibly family, and being under the control of their pimp.

• Prostituted women are the number one victims of serial killers.

• Out of 218 “johns” who were warned that the women they were looking at

  online were actually minors, 42% still wanted the underage girl.

• Average life span of a victim of sex trafficking is reported to be approximately 7 years (found dead from attack, abuse, HIV or other STD’s,

  malnutrition, overdose, or suicide).

• Every 30 seconds someone becomes a victim of Human Trafficking.

  *Name changed to protect the name of the individual’s story