multiple resources to help you educate yourself and others .
Learn how to spot trafficking in your own community . If you live in the U . S . and suspect someone is a trafficking victim , he or she can get help regardless of immigration status via the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline : 888-3737-888 . 5
Pray and Give
The familiar responses of prayer and giving can ’ t be overstated here . A dark , demonic network has a hold over victims , traffickers , and customers in this decadent industry . Combine illicit sex , force , violence , and power , and you have a recipe for Satan ’ s ugliest work . This is not primarily a battle against flesh and blood ; it ’ s a battle of supernatural proportions . Pray and recruit others to pray .
Groups seeking to end modern-day slavery always can use financial gifts , so consider creative ways to contribute to one or more groups with your wallet .
Advocate
Trafficking victims don ’ t have access to the resources we take for granted . They may be held under lock and key and may not even know their exact locations . In addition to physical barriers , many are held in prisons of fear due to threats of violence . These women , children , and men need others to advocate for them – as human beings , it ’ s our responsibility to advocate for the oppressed .
Responsible Consumerism
Victims of the labor trade have made some of the goods sold in our stores . How many times have you bought chocolate this year ? Who harvested the cocoa beans in that chocolate ? You might not have a clue , but with a little research you can learn whether the chocolate you enjoy was made on the backs of slaves . More than 35 percent of the world ’ s chocolate is made from cocoa beans grown in Cote D ’ Ivoire where children are forced to work all day long . 6 Check out stopthetraffik . org for more information on whether or not your chocolate is “ slave-free .” The Fair Trade Federation also has information on responsible buying on its website , as well as a tool to locate stores in your area that sell fair-trade products ( fairtradefederation . org ).
Offer Dignity and Respect When talking about victims of human trafficking – whether they ’ re working in prostitution , laboring in a field , or carrying weapons in their young hands – these victims are people . They ’ re God ’ s creation . Throughout your education and conversations , encourage language that removes derogatory terms from the “ job ” a person is being forced to perform – such as “ the prostitute ” or “ hooker ” – and instead refer to them as “ victims of prostitution ,” etc . Watching our speech is a good way to start treating these individuals with the dignity and respect they ’ re due as fellow human beings .
Final Thoughts
The topic of human trafficking is en vogue right now , but that ’ s not why we ’ re into it . We have to stand up for the women , children , and men who suffer the effects of slavery . We can – and we need to . Let ’ s revolt against this evil and join others in freeing all the Eliras and James .
Portions excerpted from What Can We Do ? by David Livermore and Terry Linhart ( Zondervan 2011 ).
About David Livermore
David Livermore is a thought leader in cultural intelligence ( CQ ) and global leadership . He ’ s president and partner at the Cultural Intelligence Center in East Lansing , Michigan and a visiting research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore . He has done training and consulting with leaders in 100 countries across the Americas , Africa , Asia , Australia and Europe , and has authored several books . To learn more about David ’ s work , visit : www . davidlivermore . com .
Artwork by Ryan Hanberry
1 Kevin Bales , Disposable People : New Slavery in the Global Economy ( Los Angeles , CA : University of California Press , 1999 ), 9 . 2 U . S . Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons , “ U . S . Department of State : Trafficking in Persons Report ”
( June 4 , 2008 ), http :// www . state . gov / g / tip / rls / tiprpt / 2008 / 105376 . htm . 3 Polaris Project : For a World without Slavery , http :// www . polarisproject . org . 4 Caitlin O ’ Neil , “ Sex Trafficking Hits Close to Home ,” http :// www . thelantern . com / campus / sex-trafficking-hits-close-to-home-60-90-womenaffected-in-franklin-county-1.890395 ( accessed February 9 , 2011 ). 5 U . S . Department of State , Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons , http :// www . state . gov / g / tip . 6 “ Campaign Against Child Trafficking in the Chocolate Industry ,” Stop the Traffik , http :// www . stopthetraffik . org / ourwork / chocolate .
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