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.