Nena Arias | January 17, 2022
“You should defend those who cannot help themselves. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.”
(Proverbs 31:8-9)
Is human trafficking going on in the U.S.? We usually associate this activity in other countries in the world, but you will be shocked at what is really going on right under our noses.
The details of how human trafficking is going on is heartbreaking. Imagining the kind of suffering that hundreds, thousands and even millions in the world are going through at the hands of those who have tricked them, taken advantage of them, kidnapped and just plain deceived and lured to force them under their control to profit from them is heinous, to say the least.
This practice in the world has reached a pandemic status and we must not stay silent, passive, or stay uninterested in the face of this horrendous human suffering.
Just think about it, the average age of kids getting into sex trafficking is 14 years of age. Some girls even get pregnant and those who are trafficking them drive them to the abortion clinics to further abuse them. They not only abuse their bodies but their souls and spirits are atrophied for life, and they will need deep spiritual healing. Which is where the churches and 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations come in.
The team that is required is law enforcement and non-government organizations. One cannot do the work without the other. This is why we are all urgently needed to get involved. This should never, in a million years, be politicized. This is not and should never be a partisan issue. We are talking about children and the young here for the most part. We must be compassionate and rescue these innocent human beings who can’t defend themselves.
Many times, it is happening within the same family members or relatives. The statistics coming from the police reports say that 1 out of 4 girls are victims and 1 out of 5 boys are victims. It used to be 1 out of 8.
Even parents who think their family and home is doing fine you should never let down your guard especially in the access the children have with social media. It is advised for parents to invade their children’s space and see what social media they are on, to see the history of their phone calls, to look at their texts. The predators are very slick to reel the children in and they can be trafficked into other states in a very short time.
We must all determine to do something about this fast-spreading crime and don’t say it won’t touch me. You never know if a child in your family will go missing, or your friend’s daughter who supposedly “ran away” is never heard from again. The Bible teaches that we are our brother’s keeper. We do owe ourselves in service to others.
Something that we can all do is to urge our government representatives to propose or change legislation that will help at the very least catch these predators. Many states are carrying out sting operations to catch those involved in human trafficking.
We don’t have to sit idly by and just watch it happen. We can all help eradicate this terrible evil that may be going on right in your neighborhood! If nothing else to pray and support those who are already on the frontlines of this horrendous practice right here in our country of the United States of America and elsewhere.
It is of utmost importance to note that a lot of these trafficked children come out of our very own foster care program. That is because the state is not the one that is supposed to take care of the orphans and unwanted children. It’s the Christian church that has been commissioned to do this service. Isaiah 1:17 “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless.” Psalm 82:3 “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.”
As the church of Jesus Christ, this commission belongs to us not the government. This means get involved and adopt those children and rescue them out of that horrendous danger. My family and I are an adoptive family. Every church should appeal to its parishioners to consider this in obedience to the Lord. Or, at the very least, commit to pray and support those who are doing this much needed work in every community. The task is great and requires all of us to do something to meet these needs. In the founding of our nation, pastors and the churches gave their lives to establish this nation and it is again the pastors and the churches who need to step up and make the difference. If we would only get back to the principles in our beginnings, many problems would get corrected in our nation.
We should not talk about being pro-life and not talk about human trafficking. The unborn are not the only ones at risk in life. Once those babies are born, they need us to step in if their biological parents don’t want them. We must take into consideration the children that are already born and growing in our communities but that have no permanent home.
How is it that most churches nationwide choose to invest millions and billions of dollars on buildings more than being a part of solving these difficult issues in our society?
May God help us make the right decisions to obey our heavenly Father in taking care of “the least of these” (Matthew 25:34-40).