This is a heatmap showing the locations of likely human trafficking cases in the United States. Where are you? I would wager that you are somewhere in the red zones, as is most of the population of our country.
Human trafficking is everywhere that there are, well, humans. According to the website, polarisproject.org, there has been a 25% increase in cases of human trafficking since 2017. And do you know what is even more scary? That is only the reported cases.
How many victims never speak up out of fear? How many are intimidated into staying silent about the hell in which they are living? How many more die before they can cry out for help? After all, the average life expectancy for a trafficking victim is seven years. Seven. And when the victimization begins during childhood, as it too often does, seven years is not very long. That means a five year old smuggled into the country and used is dead at twelve. That means a three year old is dead at ten. That means an eleven year old is dead by the time they are eighteen.
This is why I wrote “Paper Dolls: Trust Your Instincts.” I want you to realize how close this problem is to even the most affluent neighborhoods. I want you to have eyes that are open, ears that are listening, and hands willing to intervene and set captives free in the name of Jesus. It is time for us, as the body of Christ, to do something.
Just think…
What if the children being used in seedy motels and held in dark rooms were yours?
Because they are.
What if predators lurked in your neighborhood, looking for a stray child happily toddling around on their tricycle, momentarily unsupervised?
Because they do.
All of our children are at risk. Evil is everywhere.
But the good news is that Jesus has overcome evil and has equipped us, his beloved Church, to be His hands and feet. The same God who purposefully included prostitutes in the lineage of Jesus includes you and me in his great and beautiful rescue plan. We get to be part of the solution.
So let’s GO. Let’s act on what we know and get involved! There are organizations all over the country who work to rescue and rehabilitate survivors of human trafficking. They desperately need our help and support. All it takes is an email or phone call to one of these organizations for you to find out what their needs are and how you can serve them.
God has given us a voice. We must use it.
For more information and ways you can get involved, just click on the following links:
https://polarisproject.org/action/
https://ithastostop.com/how-to-help/
https://polarisproject.org/initiatives
https://ithastostop.com/the-problem/about/
https://humantraffickinghotline.org/training-resources/referral-directory
And if you want to put faces on the problem and have your heart broken over this very real epidemic, read my book “Paper Dolls: Trust Your Instincts”…available now in paperback on Amazon and coming to Kindle December 16. Go to https://www.amazon.com/author/jeaninejoyner to order. It is a fictional story, but one that is based on stark reality. Your eyes will be opened. I guarantee it.
A Life of Simple Joys 