Post Conference Prayer Day 25

Find Your Voice. . .Break the Chain

International Justice Mission (IJM)

5 Weeks of Freedom Campaign

Information:

IJM was one of the organizations that participated in our conference.  Read below and be one of 100,000 people to text $10 and help this anti-trafficking organization raise their goal of $1 million! 

IJM's Stop Injustice: 5 Weeks for Freedom campaign has hit the road!

After kicking off the tour in Mobile, AL, this weekend, the 15 members of the 5 Weeks for Freedom team began their 1800-mile cycle on the historic route of the Underground Railroad Monday morning.

Even though their first day (a 75-mile ride!) started with rainy weather and hilly terrain, the team is more exited for the road ahead than ever — 5 weeks and 1800 miles of sharing about the reality of modern-day slavery and empowering people to act on behalf of victims of violent oppression.

Take the journey! You can:
» Follow the tour on live tracking page and keep up with the riders through daily instant access updates.

» Meet the team if vacationing in one of the cities on their route! Find out where they’re headed next.

» Help spread the word about 5 Weeks for Freedom with online tools.

» Help IJM reach their fundraising goal of $1 million! They’re asking 100,000 people to text FREEDOM to 20222* ( to give $10 to IJM’s work. Will you help them spread the word? Other great giving options are available here.
* A $10 donation will be added to your mobile bill. Messaging & Data Rates May Apply. Get details here »

Prayer Focus:
Pray that God will continue to bless this organization spiritually, financially, and with a fully staffed work-force.  Ask God to protect the freedom fifteen as they cover the Underground Railroad trail to generate awareness about human trafficking.  Ask God to soften hearts of people along the route to the truth of this vile practice including the extent of human trafficking both in the US and globally.  Ask God to use this trail of passionate riders to inspire others along the way to take action steps against human trafficking. 

Post Conference Prayer Day 24

Find Your Voice. . .Break the Chain

World Vision

The child sex tourism prevention project

Combating slavery in the 21st century

Information:

Help combat child sex tourism

As part of World Vision's commitment to protecting children, they have joined forces with national governments, law enforcement agencies and other organizations to combat child sex tourism through the Child Sex Tourism Prevention Project.  World Vision has implemented this project in Cambodia, Thailand, Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil and the United States.  With backing from the U.S. Department of State and the

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, World Vision has tackled this problem with a three-pronged strategy:

Deterrent messages
World Vision developed a targeted media campaign to deter would-be sex tourist in Cambodia, Costa Rica, Thailand, Mexico, Brazil and the United States.
 Law enforcement assistance
World Vision works with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to help identify child sex tourists and provide information that could lead to their prosecution and conviction. Our extensive staff (23,000 employees in 100 countries), community networks and our work with children enables World Vision to lend valuable assistance to local and U.S. law enforcement agencies. World Vision has held workshops in Cambodia, Thailand, Mexico and Brazil to help increase law enforcement assistance.
Prevention programs
World Vision works to prevent children from being drawn into the commercial sex trade through interventions like education, advocacy and the creation of other means to make a living. World Vision operates at local and national levels to specifically prevent child sex tourism in Cambodia, Costa Rica, Thailand, Mexico and Brazil with efforts soon to expand to other sex-tour destination countries.

Action Steps
Report a child sex tourist
If you have information regarding a person who has sexually exploited a child, or suspect someone of child sex tourism:

     E-mail the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), at Operation Predator: operation.predator@DHS.gov
     Or call the ICE hotline: 1-866-347-2423

Federal law prohibits U.S. residents/citizens from engaging in sexual acts with persons under age 18 outside of the United States (18 USC 2423). Persons who commit this crime, or facilitate this crime, are subject to prosecution and prison penalties of up to 30 years.

Prayer Focus:
Pray that God will move on people with compassion who see suspected child sex tourists.  Ask God to give then boldness to take action and contact US Immigration by emailing or calling their hotline.  Give people wisdom on how to get the information needed without endangering themselves.  Pray for the salvation of these child sex tourists.  Pray that they would be convicted by the Holy Spirit working through those who suspect them of this crime that as they are caught and confronted that they would repeat.  Pray that the World Vision media campaign will affectively stop would be child sex tourists as they are reminded of that Federal law prohibits US citizens from engaging in sexual acts with underaged victims outside of the US.  Ask God to bless those who have the courage to report these child sex tourists.  Pray that God would continue to bless World Vision with people, programs and finances that are used to bring about freedom to those imprisioned to sex trafficking.

Post Conference Prayer Day 23

Find Your Voice. . .Break the Chain

Don't Trade Lives

World Vision Australia

Information:
Don’t Trade Lives is World Vision's advocacy campaign uniting Australians against human trafficking and slavery.  This campaign is a reminder to Americans about what we can do as consumers to stop the demand that feeds the global human trafficking through child slave labor.
Take a look at this Don't Trade Lives document.  Let's make sure that when we purchase items that we know if child labor is being used to produce the products.

Listen to an audio interview with Carol Off, award-winning Canadian investigative journalist and television documentary-maker; co-host of CBC Radio's current affairs program As It Happens about her book Bitter Chocolate: Investigating The Dark Side of the World's Most Seductive Sweet.  This interview gives a feel for what is happening to children working as slaves on the Ivory Coast of West Africa in the cocoa fields.  It is astonishing to learn that each chocolate bar that we casually eat in a few minutes takes the amount of cocoa beans that are harvested in three days of hard child labor in these cocoa farms.  Most of the cocoa (43%) used in mass produced chocolate comes from this region of West Africa in the Ivory Coast.  They mention that the cocoa bean originated in Latin America but made its way to Africa because it was cheaper to plant and use the slaves in Africa rather than bring them to America.  So today slavery is still taking place when children are transported from poorer nations and enslaved in the Ivory Coast as workers on over 600,000 farms. Carol Off's suggested solution is that farmers must be paid a living wage.  They need to be able to organize, create coops, and know the price of cocoa so they can be competitive in the market place.  The African government must break up cocoa cartels of transnational companies and not allow that monopoly to exist.  The chocolate from this region is used by Hershey and other famous candy makers.  American Congressmen proposed a policy called the Harken-Engle Protocol stating in essence that the chocolate companies either clean up their act or something would be put on each candy label stating that child labor was used.  Although it was finally passed by American chocolate companies nothing has changed (see below).

In an article found in the Northeastern University Political Review from February 2010 entitle "Bitter Sweets: The Problem of Child Labor in the Cocoa Industry" the Engle-Harken Protocol is mentioned in this context:

"Ten year old Madi, whose family cannot afford to send him to school, spends his days hacking away at cocoa pods with a machete. Such conditions are common in the Ivory Coast’s farms where 43% of the world’s chocolate is produced. Although United States chocolate companies passed a protocol to get rid of “the worst forms of child labor,” conditions have not improved. This article looks to document the negligence and complicit support of child slavery by chocolate manufacturers and the Ivory Coast government, as well as to illustrate several steps which were taken to eradicate the problem.

The economic relationship between Mali and the Ivory Coast is integral in understanding the circumstances which facilitate child labor. Given that Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world with a national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of only $1,200 per person, many people migrate to the Ivory Coast to find work. Some Malian families allow slave traders to take their children as a result of dependence on that income for survival. This trend is intensified by an economy where an education does not guarantee a job, reducing the incentive to send children to school rather than using them for short term economic gain.

Since passing the Harken-Engle Protocol, however, the chocolate industry has failed to make serious changes in their relationship with local farmers. Instead, they cast blame on nongovernmental organizations, such as the International Labor Organization, and the Ivory Coast government for allowing child labor to continue."

The final paragraph of the article sums up what Carol Off was presenting in her book:
"In light of these problems, there is no clear solution for West African cocoa workers. Fair Trade products still account for an exceptionally small part of the market, and are not necessarily an economically feasible solution. Fair Trade products are more expensive to the consumer and forcing farmers to meet Fair Trade certifications might result in less profit. The result would exacerbate problems such as poverty and unemployment, and increase criminal activity in other economic sectors. The Ivory Coast’s government is still war-torn and riddled with corruption. It does not have the means to devote the resources necessary to eradicate child labor, nor does it have compelling incentives to do so. Moreover, binding international resolutions have not made as much of an impact on child labor as they intended to, especially since sanctions have yet to be brought on Mali or the Ivory Coast. The chocolate industry has also come to a decision concerning the plight of African laborers; it is decidedly apathetic. Until it becomes financially disadvantageous to use child labor in the cocoa industry, these practices are likely to continue."

Prayer Focus:
Ask God to stop the child slave trade in the chocolate industry. Ask God to work on the hearts of the cocoa trade giants who are abusing these children because of greed and who knowingly turn an eye to this corruption.  Ask God to reveal and stop the cartels surrounding this industry in the Ivory Coast.  Ask God to make it possible for these farmers to be paid a living wage, to give them the technology so that they know how to fight for a better price by being educated.  Ask God to stop tariffs to America on these cocoa beans so that these farmers can make a fair wage.  Ask God to cause such outrage in countries like America and Australia that these chocolate giants will stop these horrific child labor practices.  Praise God for what World Vision Australia is doing to educate people and expose the truth about the cost in lives through child labor for consumer products.

Post Conference Prayer Day 22

Find Your Voice. . .Break the Chain

A 21 Campaign

427E 17th Street # F223, Costa Mesa, CA 92627, USA
Tel: 949.202.4681 Fax: 949.612.0827

Email: info@theA21campaign.org

Web: http://www.thea21campaign.org/

"When confronted with the horrific statistics surrounding human trafficking, it is easy to agree on the fact that "someone should do something." The A21 Campaign was born when the decision was made to put our hand up and be that "someone". It was a decision of ordinary people who decided to take responsibility regarding the issue of human trafficking. So with little knowledge, and a lot of passion, in 2007 we set out to make a difference.  After extensive research, planning, fundraising, more research, relationship building, a lot of learning, and a great leap of faith, we opened our first shelter for victims of human trafficking at the end of 2008.

This shelter is located in a prime destination country in Europe, Greece – and we are now able to provide trafficked victims a safe, loving, and comforting environment, access to medical care and psychological assessment, vocational training, assistance in university education, life guidance/counselling, and access to legal assistance. We work closely with police, hospitals and government officials, and are seeing justice being brought to new rescued victims each month.  While we continue to improve our restoration services in Greece, we have also been establishing relationships with key government officials and NGO's, as well as conducting a feasibility study to find the greatest needs in the Ukraine.

As the Ukraine is a source country for many victims trafficked to Greece, the expansion of work in the Ukraine will increase our ability to strategically help both at risk persons, and those who have already been trafficked. Through our Ukrainian team, we have already been able to help several trafficked victims, including the provision of much needed medical assistance. We have also begun a school program, educating at-risk students about the dangers of human trafficking and how to identify false job opportunities.

We do not claim to be the 'experts' and recognize that our fight for justice has only just begun, but The A21 Campaign rings true through the famous words of Margaret Mead, 'never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.'  The A21 Campaign stands for abolishing injustice in the 21st century. Anyone can join - everyone can make a difference."

A21 Bible Verse found on Prayer Guide:  “But this is a people robbed and plundered; they are all of them snared in holes and hidden in houses of
bondage. They have become a prey, with no one to deliver them, a spoil, with no one to say, Restore them!” Isaiah 42:22

Prayer Focus from A21 Campaign's Prayer Guide
FOR THE VICTIMS
For their Strength & Salvation
Ps. 138:7, Is. 40:29, Lk. 19:10
For their Protection, Freedom & JUSTICE
Ps. 82:4, Ps. 103:6, Ps. 146:7
For their Hope & Healing
Ps. 40:1-2, Jer. 30:17, Jer. 31:17

FOR THE TRAFFICKERS
For conviction, repentance and salvation
Is. 55:7, Rom. 5:6-8, 2 Tim. 2:25
For Criminal networks to dismantle
Ps. 7:9, Ps. 37:17, Ps. 37:20
For the Oppressors to be arrested & prosecuted
Is. 16:4, Jer. 22:3, Amos 5:15a
FOR GOVERNMENTS
For corruption to cease
Deut. 16:19, Amos 5:12, Zech.8:16
For the implementation of just legislation
Prov. 8:15, Prov. 29:4, Neh. 9:13
For discernment in forming alliances
1 Ki. 3:12, Prov. 3:21, Ecc. 4:9-12

FOR INCREASED GLOBAL AWARENESS
The reality of trafficking is unveiled
Mk. 4:22, Lk. 12:2, Eph. 5:13
For Strategies to raise awareness
Ps. 25:4, Prov. 3:5-6, Is. 55:9

FOR PEOPLE TO BE STIRRED TO ACTION
Is. 58:6-7, Jam. 1:22, Jam. 2:16-17

THE A21 CAMPAIGN
For Divine favor
Ps. 5:12, Ps. 90:17, Lk. 2:52
For divine wisdom
Prov. 4:7, Prov. 16:16, Jam. 1:5
For divine provision
Deut. 28:12, Ps. 111:5, 2 Cor. 9:8

AGAINST ROOT CAUSES
Against poverty
Prov. 14:21, Is. 58:7, Is. 61:1
Against greed
Joel 3:3-6, Lk. 12:15, 1 Tim. 6:10a
Against prejudice
Gen. 1:27, Ps. 45:9, Gal.3:28

Post Conference Prayer Day 21

Find Your Voice. . .Break the Chain

VisionFund:  World Vision Microfinance

A Preventative Step Agaisnt Human Trafficking

National Headquarters located in Federal Way, WA

Information:

 We are committed to the poor is one of World Vision's six core values:

   " We are called to serve the neediest people of the earth; to relieve their suffering and to promote the transformation of their wellbeing. We stand in solidarity in a common search for justice. We seek to understand the situation of the poor and work alongside them.
     We seek to facilitate an engagement between the poor and the affluent that opens both to transformation. We respect the poor as active participants, not passive recipients, in this relationship. They are people from whom others may learn and receive, as well as give. The need for transformation is common to all. Together we share a quest for justice, peace, reconciliation, and healing in a broken world."

VisionFund is the microfinance subsidiary of World Vision. In 1993, World Vision International (WVI) began to implement microfinance programming to benefit the economically active poor. In 2003, WVI recognized the importance and complexity of this ministry through its MFIs, and created VisionFund International (VFI) as a wholly-owned subsidiary of WVI. VFI is mandated by WVI to:
     1. Provide governance, risk management control and specialty advice/support to all of its MFIs whether owned or controlled by VisionFund or WVI.
     2. Manage the funding of all MFIs including donations and debt financing from VFI & third parties directly to the MFIs.

"VisionFund provides financial services to the families and communities where World Vision works.  They help transform the lives of the world’s poorest children and families. they are committed to providing access to financial services to the poor regardless of their religious beliefs, gender or ethnic background. Using three loan methods, they provide the poor with financial choices at reasonable interest rates. Through their work, a family is able to accumulate assets and build up their small businesses one step at a time. Their aim is to provide the necessary training and resources for each family to maintain the provision of food for their children, create savings for emergency needs, afford medical care for their family, build up their businesses and send their children to school."

Poverty is among the leading root causes of human trafficking.  When the poorest people are approaced by human traffickers they are despearte and their vulnerability inhibits their good judgement and caution and they fall prey to this evil practice through sex trafficking or child labor.  What Vision Fund is doing is impacting the world's population where the majority of victims can be found and hunted.  World Vision through VisionFund offers a solution one person at a time against world poverty with a significant spinoff being the prevention of human trafficking.

Action Steps:
Fund a loan
Purchase products
Join the VisionFund Team
Stay connected through VisionFund e-news
Be a volunteer at World Vision
    
Prayer Focus:
Ask God to continue to bless World Vision VisionFund by increasing the number of Americans who want to fund a loan, donate, give gifts or purchase products.  Give people boldness in spreading the news about VisionFund so that it will continue to help the poor and impact the human trafficking by giving the marginalized peoples of the world hope.  Praise God for what World Vision has been able to do through VisionFund to helpl the poor.  Ask God to protect the workers with World Vision who are involved with VisionFund.  Ask God to move on America to give to the poor and make a difference in the world just by giving up little things like daily coffee shop drinks or soft drinks and putting the money toward others in need.  Ask God to give Americans a heart for the poor like His heart.  Ask God if you should fund a loan or buy a product from VisionFund.

Post Conference Prayer Day 20

Find Your Voice. . .Break the Chain

A Matter of Spirit

Taken from No. 87 Summer 2010

Topic Human Trafficking

The following is taken from the Innercommunity Peace and Justice Center publication entitled "A Matter of Spirit".  Please consider doing this alone or with a friend or a group of friends.

Prayer for Conversion of Heart: Human Trafficking

Set Up
Chairs around a small table—with a cloth, candle and basket of small stones.

Leader: Let us begin by observing a moment of silence in solidarity with the more than 27 million men, women and children in slavery-like conditions


today. [moment of silence]

Leader: Human trafficking can be an overwhelming reality, but we must not forget that our God is bigger.

Reader: “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart offlesh.” (Ezekiel 36)

Leader: Let us pray that God will convert the hearts of all human traffickers.

Response Prayer

For those who have become so hardened that human suffering no longer tugs on their hearts.

R. “Give them hearts of flesh.”

For those so long consumed with greed that they no longer recognize the inherent


value of the human person. R


For those so caught up in seeking pleasure that they buy sex or exploit other human beings. R

Leader: Let us pray for all of us who participate in systems that continue the demand for human trafficking. That we will change our consumer choices and habits to promote fairly traded products.

R. “Give us hearts of flesh.”

That we will demand corporate responsibility and slave-free products and services. R


That we will challenge others when they use language that demeans or objectifies women and girls. R

Leader: Let us end by taking a few moments of quiet to reflect on this question:                                                            

What prayer of conversion is stirring in my heart?


[quiet reflection]

Distribution of Stones

Leader: I now invite each of you to take a stone from the basket. As you take your stone, share one word or phrase that reflects the

stirring of your heart. [pass basket]

All: Loving God, we take these stones home both as a reminder of your promise to us and of our commitment to pray for an end to human trafficking. We ask for conversion of heart for all human traffickers, and for courage to recognize and respond to our own role in society’s
demand for human trafficking. We pray this in solidarity with all victims of human trafficking. Amen.

Post Conference Prayer Day 19

Find Your Voice. . .Break the Chain

Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center

A Local Organization 

The Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center acts for justice in the church and in the world. IPJC is sponsored by sixteen religious communities and collaborates with Catholic, ecumenical, interfaith and other organizations in carrying out this mission.   IPJC is supported primarily by sponsoring religious communities, who established and have maintained IPJC since 1991. Each Sponsoring Community provides a representative of its Leadership Team to serve on the IPJC Governing Council. IPJC also is supported by Affiliate Communities.

As part of their vision for peace they educate the community about human trafficking and take steps to impact the darkness with the Light.  There are numerous human trafficking resources and opportunities for action steps organized by IPJC. 

Take Action
Monthly Human Trafficking Awareness Vigil
Join IPJC's monthly prayer vigil at Westlake Park in downtown Seattle on the 1st Sunday of the month at 1:30 pm. the next vigil is on July 4th.  Contact IPJC at 206.223.1138 or via e-mail for a "tool kit" (complete with signs and outreach suggestions) to start a monthly vigil in your own community.

Legislative Action Center - write your members of Congress

     Stop the Demand for Products Made by Slave Labor

     Support Federal Funding of Services for Sex Trafficking Survivors


Public Awareness Campaign
IPJC recently worked with women religious in the Seattle and Tacoma areas to launch a awareness campaign on city buses. For information about starting a bus ad campaign in your local community, contact IPJC for a tool kit.

Write to Chocolate Manufacturers
Watch a short video about child labor and slavery in the chocolate industry. Then write a letter to chocolate manufacturers asking them to live up to their commitment to help the children on cocoa plantations in West Africa and stop using child and exploited labor.

Prayer Focus:
Ask God to continue to work through the Seattle Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center to educate people in the South Puget Sound Area about human trafficking.  Ask God to bless them as they organize action steps through their monthly prayer vigils, their awareness campaign about human trafficking on city busses and their resources to advocate with our government and chocolate manufactureres.  Pray that hearts will be stirred as readers gain knowledge about human trafficking and that this stirring will result in action against human trafficking.  Ask God what your part should be in response to the knowledge available at their website.

Post Conference Prayer Day 18

Find Your Voice. . .Break the Chain

The MST Project

Taken from the MST Project Website

Information:
The MST (Men and The Sex Trade) Project is a ministry that reaches out to foreign men that come to red-light districts. They initiate conversation by using an anonymous survey to learn more about them and the reasons that lead them to come to the red-light district. The answers are used to compile statistics as well as to continually review the effectiveness of their methods. They also use the survey to stimulate discussions about faith and their personal testimonies. They try to build relationships with the men whom they meet and pursue more meetings with them if they are willing to meet.

They believe that God’s grace and love pertains to all men, in all places, and at all times. Many of these men choose to engage in sexual activity for a variety of reasons. Some men use the services found in a red-light district as a means to cope with their pain similar to how others may use alcohol, drugs, food etc. God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. This includes men in the red-light districts. They view these men as people whom God cares about.


Their staff and volunteers of men and women, have a personal relationship with Christ and believe in the timeless truth of God’s Word. They believe, however, that there is a difference between a set of religious rules and our own personal relationship with Christ. Many times in the Scriptures we see Christ’s reaction of disapproval toward the religious leaders of the day. (John 2; Matthew 23). We do not seek to force “religion” down one’s throat, but we do desire to share the hope, fulfillment, transformation and healing that can be found in the love of God and in personal relationship with Christ.

They believe that wherever in the world there is a red-light district they want to be there to share God’s love. View their ‘Locations’ page.

Prayer Focus:
Ask God to bless this ministry as they reach out to the demanders in the industry of human trafficking.  If the men can be reached and set free by Jesus, then the demand will diminish and the captives will go free.  If these men can get to the bottom of their depravity and vile behavior, then a healing will result and a life will be changed.  Pray that this ministry will reach the johns in the human trafficking world and that they will see thier need for Jesus when they consider who they have become.  Pray for a revelation that each and every life has a tremendous value.  Pray that the johns will be healed from hurt pasts and stop using the purchase of women as a solution to their hurt and pain.  Ask God to set them free so that the demand for women will stop. 

Post Conference Prayer Day 17

Find Your Voice. . .Break the Chain

Exodus Cry

Focus City: June

Cape Town,South Africa

Information:
The FIFA World Cup tournament is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world. FIFA is composed of over 200 nations, 32 of which have qualified for the chance to compete in the month long tournament in South Africa. The 2010 World Cup will be the first to be hosted on the continent of Africa. More than 700 million people are expected to tune into the finals in July. The South African government has poured billions of dollars into the construction of five new stadiums, enhancement of their mass transportation systems, and the beautification of its cities. The tournament will be held in ten venues across nine South African cities and is a historic opportunity for the world to witness and experience the beauty, culture and industry of the Republic of South Africa. More than 400,000 visitors are expected to arrive for the tournament, and pour billions into the economy.

But there is a darker side to this event—the demand for sex. Experts estimate that as many as 40,000 women and children will be trafficked into South Africa for the World Cup. Organized crime groups have brought women from as far as Thailand, Eastern Europe, Israel and the Philippines; there is little legal or judicial infrastructure in place to combat this issue. When the stadiums clear each day, thousands of fans will flock to the streets, bars, and clubs for the nightlife of South Africa. In this environment of celebration and sport prostitution and sexual exploitation thrives unchecked in the foreground.

The Issue:
 When the football matches are over each day, thousands of fans will take to the streets, bars, and clubs to experience the nightlife of South Africa. Many men will see prostituted women of South Africa selling themselves on the streets, as willing participants ready to make money. What they will not see is the months of brutality these women have faced as their will is broken down and they are resigned to their life of captivity and exploitation. They will not see the beatings they incur if they do not make their nightly quota or the pimps and traffickers hovering just around the corner. They will not see the mental and emotional chains that bind them to that which is destroying these women.

Scripture Focus
They have cast lots for My people, Have given a boy as payment for a harlot, And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink. - Joel 3:3

Ministries
Salvation Army and BeHeard ministries-- these are the organizations that ExodusCry will primarily be partnering with in South Africa.

Prayer Focus:
Pray that the fear of the Lord would break in on Capetown and the other cities in South Africa that are hosting world cup games. Pray that God would grant peace and unity to the ministries gathering in South Africa to combat human trafficking. Ask God who sees and opens the eyes of men to open the eyes of men whose appetite for sex only allows them to see a woman as a sexual object and not as a daughter of the Most High God. Remove the veil from their eyes and allow them to see women rightly. Give them new eyes to see exploited women as mothers, sisters, and daughters.

Post Conference Prayer Day 16

Find Your Voice. . . Break the Chain

Exodus Cry

The Prayer Movement To End Slavery

Information:
Exodus Cry is an international anti-trafficking organization committed to abolishing modern day slavery and assisting the victims of human trafficking and slavery through rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration into society.  They began as a prayer meeting on February 5th, 2007. Benjamin Nolot had received a burden from God for human trafficking. Several hundred intercessors joined the call and together they cried out to God for a breakthrough. The very next day, one of the largest human trafficking busts in history occurred involving 2,400 arrests in 77 countries. That prayer meeting has evolved into a movement of intercessors and abolitionists that is today called Exodus Cry.

Exodus Cry exists to answer the crisis of modern day slavery. They are raising up a global prayer revolution that will confront the powers of injustice that are enslaving women and children. Nolot says that "we can have a rock concert, a benefit dinner, do all the awareness campaigns, all the activism, but the reality is if angels and demons do not move – nothing will change. This is a battle that must be won in the heavens. Exodus Cry is summoning an army of intercessors and prayer warriors to arise and contend for the ending of slavery in our generation. This is not about having some kind of self-righteous zeal or personal heroism, it is about partnership with the heart of God. Jesus Himself said He was 'anointed by the Spirit of the sovereign Lord to set the captives free, heal the brokenhearted, and deliver all who are oppressed.' Join us in raising up a movement of prayer for the ending of modern-day slavery."

The prayer force is small group prayer meetings focused on interceding for spiritual breakthrough concerning the issue of human trafficking and slavery. They currently sustain over 40 hours per week of small group prayer at their headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. This ministry has 22 chapters in the USA

In writing about the battle against human trafficking, Nolot writes "what Abraham Lincoln, William Wilberforce, and Don in Cambodia all understood was that while human exertion is essential; our blood, sweat, and tears alone are not enough to bring freedom. The end of slavery will not come by good ideas, cool websites, rock concerts, nor even a riveting documentary. When we lose sight of this we have only the stench of humanism masquerading as social justice. The end of slavery is a vision that ultimately drives us to our knees and it is there we see the greatest abolitionist who ever lived and who alone is the end of slavery, Jesus Christ. He is our Deliverer, He is our Savior, He is our Healer, and through Him we are victorious.

Prayer Focus:
Pray that God will continue to use Exodus Cry to call people to prayer and fasting on behalf of the victims of human trafficking.  Pray that their mission will be accomplished and that many will be set free from modern day slavery.  Pray that God will continue to us this ministry to rescue, rehabilitate and reintegrate those who have fallen prey to sex trafficking.  Pray that many prayer warriors will join in the prayers of this ministry on a regular basis to impact the darkness.  Pray that churches will begin to become involved in the greatest global crisis of the 21st century.

Post Conference Prayer Day 15

Find Your Voice. . .Break the Chain

Partnering Against Trafficking

From The Washington Post

By Hillary Rodham Clinton

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 

Information:
The Obama administration views the fight against human trafficking, at home and abroad, as an important priority on our foreign policy agenda. The United States funds 140 anti-trafficking programs in nearly 70 countries, as well as 42 domestic task forces that bring state and local authorities together with nongovernmental organizations to combat trafficking. But there is so much more to do.

The problem is particularly urgent now, as local economies around the world reel from the global financial crisis. People are increasingly desperate for the chance to support their families, making them more susceptible to the tricks of ruthless criminals. Economic pressure means more incentive for unscrupulous bosses to squeeze everything they can from vulnerable workers and fewer resources for the organizations and governments trying to stop them.


The State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons Report, released this week, documents the scope of this challenge in every country. The report underscores the need to address the root causes of human trafficking -- including poverty, lax law enforcement and the exploitation of women -- and their devastating effects on its victims and their families.

Since 2000, more than half of all countries have enacted laws prohibiting all forms of human trafficking. New partnerships between law enforcement and nongovernmental organizations, including women's shelters and immigrants' rights groups, have led to thousands of prosecutions, as well as assistance for many victims.

The 2009 report highlights progress that several countries have made to intensify the fight against human trafficking. In Cyprus, where Oxana Rantchev was trafficked and killed, the government has taken new steps to protect victims. Another example is Costa Rica, long a hub for commercial sex trafficking. This year, it passed an anti-trafficking law; trained nearly 1,000 police, immigration agents and health workers to respond to trafficking; launched a national awareness campaign; and improved efforts to identify and care for victims. This progress is encouraging. Much of it is the result of the hard work of local activists such as Mariliana Morales Berrios, who founded the Rahab Foundation in Costa Rica in 1997 and has helped thousands of trafficking survivors rebuild their lives. Advocates such as Mariliana help spur change from the bottom up that encourages governments to make needed reforms from the top down.

We must build on this work. When I began advocating against trafficking in the 1990s, I saw firsthand what happens to its victims. In Thailand, I held 12-year-olds who had been trafficked and were dying of AIDS. In Eastern Europe, I shared the tears of women who wondered whether they'd ever see their relatives again. The challenge of trafficking demands a comprehensive approach that both brings down criminals and cares for victims. To our strategy of prosecution, protection and prevention, it's time to add a fourth P: partnerships. (World Vision Advocacy uses prevention, protection, prosecution, and the fourth is policy) 

The criminal networks that enslave millions of people cross borders and span continents. Our response must do the same. The United States is committed to building partnerships with governments and organizations around the world, to finding new and more effective ways to take on the scourge of human trafficking. We want to support our partners in their efforts and find ways to improve our own.

Human trafficking flourishes in the shadows and demands attention, commitment and passion from all of us. We are determined to build on our past success and advance progress in the weeks, months and years ahead. Together, we must hold a light to every corner of the globe and help build a world in which no one is enslaved.

The writer is Secretary of State.

Prayer Focus:
Praise God for the progress that was made in Cyprus and Costa Rica in 2009.  Praise God that the Obama administration views the fight against human trafficking, at home and abroad, as an important priority on our foreign policy agenda.  Praise God that the United States funds 140 anti-trafficking programs in nearly 70 countries, as well as 42 domestic task forces that bring state and local authorities together with nongovernmental organizations to combat trafficking.  Praise God that since 2000, more than half of all countries have enacted laws prohibiting all forms of human trafficking.  Ask God to be the Light in every corner of the globe exposing the practice of human trafficking and setting slaves free.  Ask God to empower the US government to use its influence to impact this darkness in an even greater way.   

Post Conference Prayer Day 14

Find Your Voice. . .Break the Chain

Singapore, Thailand Backslide in Trafficking Fight

From Bloomsberg Business Week

Information: 

June 15 (Bloomberg) -- Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam all regressed last year in their efforts to battle trafficking of men, women and children for labor or commercial sex, according to the U.S. State Department.  The three Southeast Asian countries were placed on a watch list of middle-tier countries, putting them one level above the worst offenders such as North Korea, Myanmar and Saudi Arabia, the report said. Malaysia was upgraded from the worst ranking, while Cambodia and Pakistan were removed from the watch list.  The department’s 10th annual report grades 175 nations on their efforts to fight this modern form of slavery. The U.S. is listed for the first time, placed among those countries that are doing their best to comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the American law against human trade.  Singapore’s government showed an “inadequate response” to sex trafficking in the city-state with only two convictions last year, the report said. Thailand and Vietnam similarly made little progress in prosecuting trafficking offenders, it said.

‘Certainly Not Weakened’

“The Singapore government is committed to tackling the trafficking in persons issue and our efforts in dealing with this issue have certainly not weakened since last year,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an e-mailed statement. “It is rather puzzling because the U.S. has not satisfactorily explained how it had arrived at its conclusions.”

Thailand “has expressed its disappointment” with the report, foreign ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said by telephone. “We believe that the report did not give due recognition to Thailand’s efforts to address the trafficking problem,” he said. “Be that as it may, we will continue with our efforts to prevent and suppress the trafficking problem.”

Malaysia moved out of the worst tier with increased criminal charges against offenders, according to the report. Cambodian authorities made a “significant increase” in convictions over the past year, including a public official, and Pakistan boosted efforts to combat bonded labor, the U.S. said.

The U.S. is a source as well as a transit and destination country for people forced into labor, debt bondage and prostitution, according to the report. The work is predominantly in manufacturing, janitorial services, agriculture, hotel services, construction, nail salons, elder care, strip-club dancing and domestic servitude, the U.S. said.

‘Tears of Families’
“Behind these statistics on the pages are the struggles of real human beings, the tears of families who may never see their children, the despair and indignity of those suffering under the worst forms of exploitation,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at a State Department event to mark the release of the report yesterday in Washington.

The International Labor Organization estimated there were 12.3 million victims of forced labor, sex trafficking, debt bondage and recruitment of child soldiers worldwide in 2009. In the same year, there were 4,166 successful prosecutions for trafficking, the State Department report said.

The U.S. report lists three tiers of nations. Among those in the bottom section -- nations that don’t comply with the law and make no effort to do so -- are Zimbabwe, Cuba, Mauritania and Sudan.  Japan, Israel and Oman are listed in the middle tier -- nations that don’t fully meet the law’s minimum standards yet are making “significant” efforts to do so. Oil-rich Qatar is listed in between the middle and lowest tier on a watch list of countries that don’t meet minimum standards and whose progress is less certain.

The trafficking report calls for better law enforcement, improved laws and more prosecutions for trafficking. The report changes each year and countries can move from tier one, where the U.S. and others are, to the bottom tier.

Prayer Focus:

Ask God to bring conviction to America about this country being a source as well as a transit and destination country for women and children forced into labor, debt bondage and prostitution. Ask the Lord to stop these atrocities from happening in manufacturing, janitorial services, agriculture, hotel services, construction, nail salons, elder care, strip-club dancing and domestic servitude in the US.  Ask the Lord to call all countries to accountability through the efforts of the US State Department.  Praise God that these issues are being brought into the light and that countries are getting upset if they believe that they are placed on the wrong tier in an annual report for the US State Department.  Praise Him for the reported progress that has been made in Malaysia and Cambodia and ask Him that all countries move to tier one through better changes in law enforcement, improved laws and more presecutions for trafficking.  

Post Conference Prayer Day 13

Find Your Voice. . .Break the Chain

Sex Trafficking in the U.S.

From World Vision Report

Information:

The U.S. State Department says up to 17-thousand women and children are brought into the U.S. each year in a form of modern day slavery – primarily for sexual purposes. But that’s only 10-percent of the trafficking problem. Host Peggy Wehmeyer talks with former Congresswoman Linda Smith who says thousands of young girls already living in the U.S. also are being duped into the sex trade – primarily through the Internet. Smith heads the organization “Shared Hope International” which found two-million sex sites on the Internet, 5,000 of them dealing in child pornography.

Listen to the full story

Shared Hope website

Prayer Focus:

Ask the Lord for exposure and convictions for those demanding and those providing 100,000-300,000 human  trafficking victims along the truck routes of America. Cry out to God on behalf of those 11-13 year old little girls on the Internet thinking that they are communicating with another innocent who end up taken advantage of and even killed as they respond to predators on line.  Ask the Lord to let America wake up to its own sin and repent from human trafficking.  Ask God to stop the online growth of child pornography in the US.  Ask God to shut down these sex industry sites.  Ask God to bring freedom and healing to those like Amy who are rescued.   Praise God for the progress that has been made through Shared Hoe International and World Vision in America.

Post Conference Prayer Day 12

Find Your Voice. . .Break the Chain

MYANMAR: Tricked by Traffickers

 The international community needs to put pressure on countries of destination

Information: From a May 31, 2010 article of IRIN Humanitarian news and analysis; a project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

From IRIN News: “…Due to limited job opportunities and low incomes, tens of thousands of Burmese seek work abroad, hoping to earn a better living, but many…fall prey to human traffickers. Although there is no reliable data on human trafficking in Myanmar, experts believe several thousands are trafficked annually. 

Human prey
According to the UN Inter-Agency Project (UNIAP) on Human Trafficking, Burmese women, children, and men are trafficked to Thailand, China, Malaysia, South Korea, and Macau for sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, and forced labour.

Myanmar is also a transit country for trafficked Bangladeshis to Malaysia and Chinese to Thailand. The Burmese government says China is the main destination, followed by Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Women and girls are trafficked to China for forced marriage and sex work, while adults and children are sent to Thailand and Malaysia for forced labour and sexual exploitation. “The victims of trafficking blindly believe whatever they’re told by the brokers without trying to get correct information regarding the job,” Nan Tin Tin Shwe, anti-trafficking coordinator of the international NGO World Vision, told IRIN…”

The country also has internal trafficking from rural areas to the Chinese and Thai borders – known international trafficking routes.  “Children can fall prey to traffickers once they have migrated internally to these areas – or they may end up in exploitative and abusive labour in these areas,” said Lamia Rashid, director of child protection for Save the Children.   Agencies say traffickers with job offers are targeting children and young people in the Ayeyarwady Delta, which was devastated by Cyclone Nargis two years ago.   “Children and young people are keen to take these risks and migrate, and there is a high possibility for them to end up in exploitative working conditions, including sexual exploitation,” Rashid said.

Coordinated fight
The government and international agencies have been working on a national plan of action to combat human trafficking, raising awareness through the media and community meetings. In addition, the government has 23 anti-trafficking task forces to rescue survivors and stringent laws to punish the traffickers. Experts say ongoing efforts are needed to protect victims once they have returned home and to scale up prevention efforts in vulnerable communities. “Victims of trafficking come from source communities that are spread across the country, often living in villages that are remote and situated a long distance from services available from the Department of Social Welfare, the Myanmar Women’s Affairs Federation, and NGOs,” said Maciej Pieczkowski, programme manager of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Myanmar.  Just raising awareness in the country of origin is not enough,” said Ohnmar Ei Ei Chaw, national project coordinator of UNIAP. “The countries of destination, too, should take action effectively against the industries that use cheap labour and exploit the workers… The international community needs to put pressure on those countries of destination.”

Prayer Focus:
Ask God to bring unity between the governments in the countries of origin and the countries of destination of human trafficking.  Ask God to bring into light these transit countries that are lurking in the shadows as victims are transported from one country to another under the turned eyes of their governments.  Bring these governments into the spotlight so that more powerful governments concerned about humanitarian affairs will see these inhumane activities and step in to put pressure on these remiss governments.  

Ask God to give potential victims wisdom so they can detect warning signs and danger when they encounter human trafficking agents who disguise themselves as employers with good intentions.  Pray that the Lord will take away the timidity of these potential victims and replace it with boldness.  Ask God to cause them to use logic and reasoning inspite of the despair and emotion they are cloaked in from poverty.  Pray for open doors for microenterprise in these countries so that people can be empowered to economic independence.  Pray that God will stir the hearts of people with resources to begin to share their wealth with these areas of the world where people have so little.

Praise God for what He is doing through these nongovernment organizations like World Vision and Save the Children and others that are making a difference in these areas of the world in the fight against human trafficking.

Casting Crowns Praise You In The Storm

Post Conference Prayer Day 10

Find Your Voice. . .Break the Chain

World Vision: 
 Jesse Eaves in Southeast Asia

Information:

This information is taken from a March 2009 blog

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Part 1: Introduction to trafficking

Okay, we need to cover some basics about human trafficking. So bear with me. After that, we can dive right into some of the problems I’m hearing about right off the bat here in Cambodia. And it’s only my first day here!!  Let me give you a quick primer:

Simply put, trafficking is the use of fraud, force, or coercion to exploit a person for profit. It’s that simple. It can take the form of abduction, fake job offers in another country, even a parent selling a child. But trafficking is more than just a person moving from one location to another. As one activist Siddharth Kara puts it “trafficking is about slavery.” And that’s exactly what it is. From the transport of the victim, to the final location where they are exploited sexually, physically, or emotionally without a choice — trafficking is slavery. Case in point: There are more slaves in the world today (12-30 million people) than during three centuries of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade (9-12 million people).

Today I met with a bunch people about a bunch of different things. The one I’ll highlight is a meeting with Helen Sworn, director of the Chab Dai Coalition in Cambodia. “Chab Dai” in Khmer means “Strong Hands” and it is a group of Christian NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) that are committed to ending sexual exploitation and trafficking in Cambodia. Helen is simply amazing. She knows every aspect of the fight against trafficking and sexual exploitation in Cambodia, the good, the bad, and the so very ugly. With her animated personality and sharp British wit, a conversation with Helen is like strapping into racecar at the Indy 500 — it never slows down and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

When I asked Helen to tell me about the issues faced by the coalition in their fight against child exploitation, what I got was a litany of problems in Cambodia that perfectly typify the challenges and tragic nature of fighting trafficking and exploitation found all over the world. For instance, while it may seem opposite of everything a family stands for, many families in the world view daughters either as a burden or a financial nest-egg. In certain communities of the Vietnamese population living in Cambodia, 80-90 percent of the families sell their daughters either to individuals, or to organized trafficking networks. The girls are sold for their virginity. When that is taken from them, the girls are often returned to their families, where they will either be sold again or be forced to flee the community for the shame of no longer having their virginity, which is their greatest asset in finding a husband to marry. Many girls who are sold into sexual slavery often escape only to find they are outcasts in their home communities. Scorned by neighbors and ignored by their family, these women often fall forlornly back into sexual slavery, viewing it as their only option.

This tragic situation is replayed in communities across Cambodia. The cultural significance given to a girl’s virginity cannot be overstated. In short, it is all these girls have to offer if they are to marry. When that is taken from them by force, there is often little hope for them. The case in point is found in the rise of widely available hardcore pornography and a rising number of child rapes. Curious about the correlation? So was I.

I’ll let Helen explain.“You see, on every street corner and in every market around the country you can find both locally produced and imported pornography showing every imaginable horrible thing you can do to a woman. These movies are played openly in bars, restaurants, barber shops, and even after weddings and funerals. In some communities it has become the form of entertainment, and everyone’s invited. In communities where porn is prevalent, we are seeing a shocking rise in child rape cases. What’s even more shocking is that the offenders are often children themselves. Just two weeks ago an 11-year-old girl was walking home late at night and was raped by four boys. None of the boys was older than 14. It’s children raping children. And right now, the only link we can find is the ‘XXX’ factor of readily available pornography.”

So look, I can hear the quantitative minds out there groaning “Hold on now, correlation does not equal causation.” And maybe you’re right. But that doesn’t change the fact that in recent years, organizations like World Vision and Chab Dai Coalition have seen the rise in child-on-child rape along with a rise in pornography. Whatever the cause of the rise in rapes, the number is rising, which means there are that many more girls who find their most precious possession taken from them. This leads to increased vulnerability as they lose the support network found in communities and family. Vulnerability is what traffickers prey on. Through no fault of their own, the rape victims of these communities all over Cambodia are now prime targets for falling into sexual slavery, and many already have.

Prayer Focus:
Pray that God will help us continue to be faithful to be informed about and faithful in praying against human trafficking.  When you are tempted to stop reading another thing about human trafficking because it is so difficult, ask God to help you focus on creative ways to take action steps to combat this evil.  Pray against discouragement as we press into the darkness on behalf of human trafficking victims.  Lift up these children in Cambodia whose very parents who should be protectors of their children are placing these girls in harm's way.  Pray that these girls will be able to find Jesus and His forgiveness which they can in turn pass on to their parents for selling them into slavery.  Pray for improvement in the economy of Cambodia so that families are not put in a place of such desparation that they would sell their own children.  Pray that families will hear of World Vision's microenterprise projects and become business entrepeneaurs to support their families rather than selling their children.  Pray that laws protecting the children of Cambodia will be passed and enforced.  Praise God for what He is doing through World Vision and Chab Dai Coalition against human trafficking and ask Him to bless these organizations and expand their work.  Praise Him for the heart of compassion that He is growing in you as you learn about human trafficking and take action against it.  Praise Him that none of this goes unnoticed by God and that there is nothing hidden that won't be revealed as we pray and ask God to expose places and people of corrupt living who are benefitting financially from this vile practice.  Praise Him that He is faithful to hear our prayers.  

Post Conference Prayer Day 9

Find Your Voice. . .Break the Chain

Concerns Raised About Illegal Sex Trade

World Cup in South Africa heightens awareness about human trafficking
By John Barr and Nicole Noren

ESPN
Updated: June 7, 2010, 1:27 PM ET
  CAPE TOWN, South Africa
 

Editor's note: For more than nine months, "Outside the Lines" has investigated whether the presence of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa will have an effect on human trafficking in the country. OTL interviewed dozens of sources in South Africa and around the world, including officials in law enforcement, government agencies, research institutes and advocacy groups, as well as pimps and prostitutes who will work the brothels and streets of South African cities that are hosting World Cup matches. The investigation included undercover footage, recorded from within the South African sex industry in Cape Town and Johannesburg. The reporting process led to multiple sources who said more young people have been trafficked either into South Africa from other countries or internally to work in a rapidly growing sex industry because of the monthlong soccer tournament.

 

Through coercion or deception, and sometimes force, traffickers lure people into exploitative situations. A person does not have to cross a border into another country to be trafficked. In fact, in South Africa, internal trafficking is as much a problem as, if not more than, external trafficking. According to the U.S. State Department's most recent (2009) Trafficking in Persons report, "The government of South Africa does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, however, it is making significant efforts to do so."

 

There is no law against human trafficking in South Africa making it difficult for police to come against the practice.  Without hte legislation in place it makes it difficult for police to act and there are not enough recources in place make a lack of cohesion between agencies to work together.  People's hands are tied to work against human trafficking.  Police are doing what they can and even risking their own lives to rescue victims.  It is a new issue and there is not a lot of understanding about it and what to do about it.  Often they go into a house and blanket arrest anyone there including the victims.  The government is not doing its part.  The end game for victims is grim at best.  Even if agencies can get the victims off the streets, many return to the streets.

Tonya Stanfield, network director of Justice [ACTS], a Cape Town anti-trafficking group spoke with ESPN reporter John Barr outside a Cape Town warehouse, where police rescued five teenage trafficking victims in late April. Stanfield's organization distills the often murky practice of human trafficking down to four core elements. Trafficking victims, Stanfield said, are tricked, transported, trapped and traded. As South Africa awaits an estimated half-million soccer fans for the World Cup, there are increasing concerns that more people will become victims of human trafficking and that younger women and girls, in particular, will be at risk.

One-third of all workers in South Africa are unemployed and nearly 70 percent of South African children live in poverty, according to Patric Solomons, director of the Cape Town-based children's advocacy group Molo Songololo.  Solomons fears relaxed visa controls at South Africa's already porous borders, the decision by South African public school officials to give children vacation during the month-long soccer tournament starting Friday and the influx of hundreds of thousands of foreigners with deep pockets have created a perfect storm for sex trafficking.   Solomons pointed out that South Africa, unlike Germany, has a host of factors that make it uniquely susceptible to exploitation by human trafficking syndicates: a huge, impoverished lower class and, unlike more than half the world's countries, no law specifically criminalizing all forms of human trafficking.   Last month, South African President Jacob Zuma signed legislation that makes trafficking in minors a crime, but more comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation remains stuck in a committee within the South African Parliament and won't be passed into law until late 2010 at the earliest, according to Errol Naidoo, an activist and lobbyist who pushed hard to get the legislation passed before the World Cup started. "I think that most people are just appalled that government is not taking this seriously enough," Naidoo said in a recent interview near his Cape Town office, just outside the gates of Parliament. "Recently, they arrested nine Nigerian traffickers … and they don't have the law in place to effectively and comprehensively deal with these guys." An ordained minister who runs the conservative Family Policy Institute, Naidoo said sex traffickers see the World Cup as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to "cash in." "They are operating on the principle that there are many desperate young women in South Africa because of the high levels of unemployment, of poverty and desperation, so they are feeding off that and they know that they stand to make millions and millions of rand [South Africa's currency] over the period [of the World Cup]," Naidoo said.

In Johannesburg, where the World Cup begins Friday, the number of brothels has doubled within the past year, according to one law enforcement source. The source, who spoke to "Outside the Lines" in an extensive interview in early May, agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity because of the undercover nature of his work. He explained that he has spent years penetrating human trafficking syndicates and that he had found 10 trafficking victims in Johannesburg-area brothels alone in just the two weeks before the interview. "In the last couple weeks, there has been an increase in domestic trafficking, and it has been for the World Cup," the source said. He went on to speak of a Cape Town organized-crime syndicate known as "The Firm," an umbrella organization made up of roughly 100 smaller criminal groups that collectively run the sex trade in Cape Town. The Firm, according to the source, recently expanded to include Chinese crime syndicates. "Cape Town is cut and dried into organized crime like you can't believe," he said.

Safe haven

In a safe house on the outskirts of Cape Town a rescued victim, Jasmine, recounted the story of her final months in the sex trade.   She said she almost left South Africa when one of the German pimps she worked for in Mossel Bay told her he wanted to take her to Austria. Convinced she simply would be sold again and might not survive if she agreed to go with him to Europe, she searched for a way out. "I knew I wanted to get away, but I didn't know what reason I could tell them," she said. When her daughter's father died in May 2009, she saw an opening. She told the German pimps she had to return to Cape Town to attend to family matters. "'If you want me to come back, you'll let me go now,'" she said she told them. She never went back.

But Jasmine was hardly free. Still hooked on drugs, including crack cocaine, and fearing the Germans would find her, she avoided brothels and escort agencies and instead worked the streets of Cape Town, living for months in a budget motel. Earlier this year, she said, she was beaten and gang-raped by a group of customers. She said the men drove her to an unfamiliar area and simply left her. With nowhere to go, she reached out to a safe house that takes in prostitutes and former gang members. She said she has since rediscovered her faith and hopes to be reunited with her daughter.  It was Jasmine's mother who told her about the safe house where Jasmine has been since earlier this year.

"I was desperate for change," she said from the safe house where she has lived since February. She's convinced that because of the World Cup, more women will be drawn into a life she only recently escaped."The men of South Africa are OK with their wives, their mothers, their daughters, their sisters … being sold," she said. "It's already sick enough that we are being exploited by our own men; now it's to get exploited by people from other countries."

Prayer Focus:    

Pray that God will send help to the victims in South Africa who have the legal knowledge and skills to work with the government to pass and enforce laws against human trafficking.  Pray that the economy in South Africa will improve so that people are not so desperate that they are willing to allow their women to be victimized in this way for "rand" (South African's currency).  Pray that more safe haven shelters will be established during this World Cup to offer a place of safety to sex trade women and children.  Cry out to God on behalf of these teenagers who have no hope and feel as if no one cares for them.  Ask God to send them someone who cares, someone to be His hands, His feet and whose heart is broken for the things that break the heart of God.  Pray for the salvation of the pimps, the johns, the prostituted women and children.  Praise God for the workers who are there offering safe haven for these victims.  Ask God to provide for them, to protect them, and to encourage them as they face a seemingly overwhelming situation.  Praise God for what He will do in the midst of unbelievable evil knowing God's promise in Romans 5:20 that where sin abounds, grace does much more abound.  Praise and worship God as you pray, knowing that He rules and reigns despite this evil in our world.  Praise Him that one day there will be no more sorrow, no more tears and no more human trafficking.  That ultimately, the light will overcome the darkness because "The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness and the darkness couldn't put it out (The Message).