I was hanging out with friends a few weeks ago. Like many talks, the conversation bounced around for a bit but, eventually, we centered on the topic of emotionally draining jobs, family problems, and issues in the world. At one point, one of my friends commented that thinking too much about all of the bad things in our jobs, our lives, and in the world can easily become overwhelming.
I have to admit it is difficult to shut off my brain from thinking about the suffering of others. I just read an article that another 16 year old was sold for sex in a town close to where I live. Trafficking is a problem across the globe and across the street. And, now more than ever, we are exposed to the facts. It is easy to become trudged down in contemplating the violence people can afflict on others. With so much information at our disposal, how do we learn to guard our hearts from the evils of this world? However, we cannot turn a blind eye. We cannot refuse to pay attention.
Human trafficking grabs my heart in a different way than other issues. I know that others have been affected like I am. We’ ve all heard or read any number of
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stories that expose the evils of trafficking. Farm labor without pay in America, child soldiers in Africa, brothels in India. The faces of human trafficking are everywhere. They all differ and yet they are all similar. All of the victims are human beings.
Because of celebrities like Liam Neeson, Demi Moore, and Julia Ormond, the issue of human trafficking has gained recognition and received air time. The cause is certainly stimulating discussion. With all the attention and celebrities backing the cause of Abolition, the focus needs to include prevention. In order to do this, we need to adjust our mindset. We need to consider how prevention looks different in India as compared to West Michigan. We need to think about where our efforts are most needed, the place where our talents can best be utilized.
If that means that we host fund raisers for a safe house in Cambodia, then we should do that. Or that we collect clothing for a home which shelters survivors of trafficking in our hometown, then we should do that. Or, we could support those who go into the schools and teach kids how to avoid
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traffickers and what to do should one of their friends fall victim to this crime.
In addition to being thoughtful about our involvement in preventing human trafficking, we need to have a unified front. We all saw the backlash of opposing viewpoints upon the release of the KONY 2012 film released by the organization, Invisible Children. The discord distracted from the effort to assist children who are abused, raped and forced to kill by the Lord’ s Resistance Army. Instead, the focus was on controversy. This must be avoided if we are to make a significant difference in the cause for prevention.
We have many organizations at our fingertips. Great people who have blazed trails, leading the way in the fight for freedom and prevention of human trafficking. If we sincerely think through what we purchase, the causes we support, and the actions we take- we can make a difference. It is very possible to thoughtfully and intentionally chip away at the atrocity that is human trafficking.
The important thing is not that we talk about what we can do. But that we actually do something.
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