Two children are sold into slavery every minute, 1.2 million every year. There are around 27 million slaves in the world today, more than at any time in history; 79 percent are sold into sexual exploitation. Half of all slaves are children. The average price per slave: $90.
Most people think slavery in the United States ended with the Civil War. Sadly, that’s not true—200,000 slaves are working in our country today, and 17,000 more will be trafficked in next year. Those who profit in human trafficking generate annual profits of around $32 billion, more than Google’s annual revenue. In addition to sexual exploitation, slaves are traded for domestic servitude, forced marriage, armed conflicts, and organ removal. Human trafficking is the fastest growing international criminal industry in the world.
Meet Amanda. Sold into slavery in Cambodia when she was eight years old, she was raped and abused on the streets daily. After six years, she was rescued but given insufficient help and ended up back on the streets. At age 17 she was rescued again and placed in a home where she experienced love and respect for the first time. Today she is a college graduate who works as a professional caregiver. When asked about her life today, she smiles and says, “I am happy with my life now. It is the love of God that makes me happy.”
What can you do to help more Amandas?
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<iframe style=”float: right; border: 1px solid #000000; background-color: #C0C0C0; padding: 2px; margin: 10px; -moz-border-radius: 3px; -khtml-border-radius: 3px; -webkit-border-radius: 3px; border-radius: 3px;” width=”400″ height=”225″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/11d5Z_hPlto?rel=0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>{/source}Today is “Shine a Light on Slavery” day, sponsored by the END IT movement. They have created at least three ways you can respond. First, you can sign a pledge at http://www.enditmovement.com, declaring that “I’m in it to end it,” and ask your friends to do the same. I have already signed up and invite you to join me. Second, you can watch a two-minute video about slavery and share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, or through email. Third, you can draw a red ‘X’ on your hand and, when asked, explain that it symbolizes being “in it to end it.” Fourth, you can pray daily for human trafficking to end and for those who are enslaved to be set free.
Today, Amanda’s life is filled with a light that she couldn’t have imagined on the dark streets of Cambodia. Before we become Christians, we are slaves to sin with a debt we cannot possibly repay. Like the organization that took Amanda to a new home, our Father rescues us from the depths of our sin, cleans us up, calls us “new” and invites us to live in the freedom of his forgiveness.
Scripture announces, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). Let’s obey God’s word for those who are enslaved physically around the world. And let’s claim our freedom and forgiveness in Jesus. Guilt is not of God. What chains will you bring to grace today?
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