My first exposure to human trafficking came in 2010 when I walked by a wooden shipping crate and saw a young girl huddled inside. She was tucked into a corner of the small crate wearing a t-shirt and pair of shorts. Her head tucked into her knees with long, dark hair covering her face.
How did a human being get shoved into a wooden box? How was that possible?
Luckily, the young woman in the box was an exhibit at our church women’s conference. Every half hour or so she was free to stand and stretch her legs. At the end of the night, she packed up her display and drove home.
But millions of humans around the world aren’t free to go home.
Over the past few years, a lot of attention has been directed toward human trafficking. One of the things that I fear is that we think that talking about the horrors of human trafficking is the same as actually doing something about it. Even as I type these words, I’m feeling the pressure of the question, “Barb, what are you going to do about it?”
My freedom means that I’m often too busy to consider someone’s desperate slavery.
In part 2 of my Better Together episode with Merrie Karimov, she talks about human trafficking in her hometown Orlando, which ranks #3 in Florida for human trafficking. However, we know that forced slavery occurs in every community, including yours.
Merrie’s interview walks you step-by-step through how you can get involved with human trafficking, but here’s a summary of what we should know:
1. Make sure that you are educating yourself about what’s happening in your local community.
2. Find out which human trafficking organizations are already doing the work and partner with them – you don’t need to start something.
3. Remember that we are not the savior of the survivor. God doesn’t need us to fix them, just love them in a responsible and sacrificial way.
RESOURCES:
Fight4Freedom at Discovery Church (Orlando)
Harbour Hope International
US State Department Report on Human Trafflicking (2016)
About Merrie…
I am passionate about life, love God and love people. I am the wife of a “Rusky” (Russian), mother of twins AND one adorable big brother. I am a daughter, sister, friend and all around adventurer at heart. I am candid and creative and live to cultivate, invest in, develop, & mobilize others. I believe that inside every person is a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered, developed & encouraged.
Connect with Merrie via email at merrie@harbourhope.com.
