We are Young, Let's Influence the World

* This one goes out to students especially. College. High School. Graduate students. Middle School students. Seminary students. Not because I don't like non-students, but because I'm a student myself, so I can relate. *


Dear Student (or interested person who happens to not be a student at this time),

You have a louder voice than you realize. You are in a community surrounded by many people each day. You have connections to teachers, counselors, professors, even janitors who are active members of the community. Please, raise your voice. Speak up against injustice.

I started only 5 months ago and here is, by the grace of God, what has been done already so far: Raised awareness in my community while helping a local organization raise money, had a meeting with a government official, wrote letters to state legislators, judges, and education board members, organized a presentation to be given to school officials. There is also a campus organization possibly in the works.

Most of what's been done is all about RAISING AWARENESS. The more awareness there is in the world, the more prevention there will be. When people know the signs to look out for they will be better prepared to protect themselves and the ones they love.

Awareness also promotes community involvement. Think about it. If you see something suspicious and you call your local police station they will be much better equipped to investigate the situation if they have an awareness of what human trafficking is. The more people know about it, the better your community will be at preventing, recognizing, and fighting human trafficking. And the better your community is at those things, the safer it will be for everyone.

Okay, are you convinced now? If so, you are probably still wondering: "What can I do?"

Thanks to Polaris Project, I have a suggestion for you. Try out their Student Toolkit. It is a very clear and concise handbook on how to start raising awareness about human trafficking on your campus. (I might start using some of these tips myself.)

Note: I'm sure that these ideas can be implemented in many other areas as well. Church communities, offices, libraries, apartment buildings, coffee shops. Get creative. Think of any place you frequent where there is a group of people and start raising awareness.

I won't delay you any longer, go read the Toolkit, and change the world!


Sincerely,

W.C.

Spotlight on...Unearthed

"The average age of exposure to pornography now is 8."



Unearthed aims to prevent human trafficking by stopping the demand. Their video speaks for itself. Watch it now on the Unearthed website.



God bless.

Spotlight On...Missing Children

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that children who leave or lose their homes are likely to be approached by a trafficker within 48 hours.

I know it can be overwhelming to view missing posters on social media and on store walls. It feels hopeless. It feels like there are too many, there is no way that we could memorize all those names and faces and be constantly on the lookout for missing children wherever we go.

But seeing these CAN and DOES make a difference in the following ways:

You can PRAY. God is bigger than this. God knows more than we can ever know. When we connect with Him He can give us a greater awareness of our surroundings. Through prayer we can support missing children and their families, even from thousands of miles away.

You can narrow viewing to local cases: the National Center for Missing and Explioted Children has a page called "Critiacally Missing Children." If you click that link, you will be shown a box which says "Help Me Get Back Home." This box will list three critical local cases.

• You can also search for local cases via the search bar on the NCMEC website.

You can call. If you see anything suspicious call your local Police Department. Or if children are involved immediately call the National Center for Missing and Explioted Children hotline - 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) - This would be a great number to add into your phone and/or memorize. 

You can share. Social media is a great place to spread awareness of missing children. You yourself may not live in California but you may have some friends or family who do. "Like" the Missing page on Facebook to get updates every day about missing person cases. 

• Read this recent article about the success of using social media as an awareness tool - The Daily Dot 

               Reminder: The first story discusses a girl who faked being
               trafficked, but many of the trafficking cases are NOT fake. 



Thank you for reading, sharing and acting. God bless.

- Warrior Child -  

 

Being a "Pimp" is Not Admirable! - A Reprimand

Dear Friends,
The attitudes towards human trafficking in popular culture are appalling. I realized this recently while listening to a popular song.

In this song, the singer identified himself as a "pimp," using the term as a positive way to brag about himself.

WHAT!?

Does he know what a pimp is, truly?? 

A pimp is someone who SELLS PEOPLE for his own monetary profit! A pimp is someone who USES HUMAN BEINGS for unjust purposes. A pimp is NOT TO BE HONORED IN ANY WAY!!!

Legally, pimps are not regarded as a positive term, either. Here's an interesting quote from UsLegal.com:

         "Pimps are people who procures a prostitute for customers or vice versa, and takes a portion

           of the profits from the sexual activities. Supposedly he provides protection for the prostitutes,

           but quite often he will threaten, brutalize, rape, cheat and induce drug addiction of the 

          prostitutes. A pimp is guilty of the crime of pandering. A pimp is someone who brokers the 

          sexual favors of women for profits" (emphasis my own).

Who would look seriously at this and say "Hmmm. A broker of PEOPLE. Sounds like something I would love to identify myself with" ?

PLEASE, let's not support the flippant use of this term! There are REAL people out there who are truly hurt by pimps. And not just hurt, as in "ow, I skinned my knee," but physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally TORN APART!

Let's at the very least respect and honor our enslaved brothers and sisters by taking a stand against blatant disregard of the seriousness of human trafficking.

Thank you,

Warrior Child

Two things you can do - Right now

Here are two of the most important things you can do right now to help fight against human trafficking in your own community:

1 - Pray!

2 -  Get the right numbers in your phone and in your memory.

• The Trafficking Hotline number is 888.373.7888 - put it in your phone RIGHT. NOW (for more information on what this is, see the NHTRC page.) 

• Also, put your local police numbers in your phone. This includes your town police number, the police number of the towns/cities around you and towns/cities you frequently visit.

**** DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER OR LEAVE THIS PAGE UNTIL YOU 
HAVE THOSE NUMBERS IN YOUR PHONE!***

       Now, what goes along with these is being willing to act. You already have two very valuable tools to use (1) communication with God and (2) a direct link to people with the right resources. 

       Armed with these, you can now report anything you come across that sounds, looks, or otherwise seems unusual or suspicious. You will be able to tell. Trust your instincts. And, if you're praying along the way you will have an even greater awareness of when you should act. 

Here are some common signs that human trafficking is occurring:

          - a person cannot talk to you alone

          - a person cannot freely come or go as he/she chooses

          - the individual avoids eye contact

          - the individual seems to be anxious, nervous, tense, or paranoid

For a more detailed list, see the Polaris Project's "Recognizing the Signs" page. 


- Warrior Child - 

My Story

I don't know how to start this blog other than by sharing my story.

Before
I've know about human trafficking for a while. However, I felt inadequate to fight it. I thought, "What is there that I can even do?" The topic was consistently placed at the back burner of my mind (the farthest one back). My belief was that the issue was far too big for me to handle.

What Changed
For about the past year I've been interested in being more involved in fighting human trafficking. However, I let excuses such as "I'm too busy" get in the way of me being very serious about it. And still a little thought ran through my mind; the one that told me there was nothing I could do that would have any big effect.

Fast forward to two weeks ago. I saw the trailer for a film called Playground. (WARNING: This video contains very sensitive material and should not be viewed by children.)

It tore me apart. It made me angry. I was mad at God, not wanting to believe that He could allow this to exist and still be a good God. But every time I prayed to Him that's when my heart broke the most. He showed me that He is broken over this. He used this video to wake me up and give me a glimpse of His heart over these suffering children, women, and men.

I need God in this. I need to know that God is still good. I need to know that He is big enough. This issue is indeed far too big for me to handle. However, God is bigger than human trafficking. I realized this and surrendered to Him. After God cleaned the anger out of my heart, I was ready to take action.


First Steps
PRAYER. This is and will continue to be my first step in every single action I take. I need God's leading in my life because He can see the big picture and I can only see a portion the size of a grain of sand.

Another important task is to become more educated. I bought a wonderful book called Refuse to do Nothing. I highly recommend it! As a reader I felt that the authors were empathizing with me in how they became more aware of and active in the battle against trafficking. This book is also a great resource, listing and describing multiple ways to get involved with fighting human trafficking. If you are even slightly considering finding out more about how you can get involved READ THIS BOOK! (Less than $5 on Amazon).

To educate myself further I hope to attend the upcoming International Justice Mission Summit in Washington D.C. on June 10th and 11th. It would be a wonderful way to learn from people who are more experienced than I am. I'm still praying about whether or not this is a financial possibility, but I'm trusting that God will take me where He wants me. He's already lead me this far :)

How You Can Help
My goal for this blog is to provide resources and ideas for friends, family, community members, and all U.S. Citizens so that they can fight against human trafficking as well.

The first thing you can do is pray. See where God is leading you.

Second, read Refuse to do Nothing.

Another suggestions: Watch the trailer for Playground, or find a way to watch the whole thing; find a way to watch Nefarious, Call + Response, or simply look up "Human Trafficking" on YouTube and I guarantee you'll be able to find some video to educate yourself more on the issue.

More detailed ideas to come soon :)


Thanks for reading!

- Warrior Child -