Teacher Guide to Identify a Victim of Human Trafficking

Unfortunately, trafficking can and does involve school-age children - particularly those not living with their parents. Sex traffickers target children because of their vulnerability.  They will typically look for children with low self esteem.  Sadly, there is a great demand for young victims. The average age of entry into prostitution is 12 to 14 years old and traffickers are known to recruit at schools and after-school programs.

 Recruitment can take multiple forms, including:

·        kidnapping

·        solicitation by other women or girls who are recruiting on behalf of the sex trafficker

·        the “loverboy” approach of appearing genuinely interested in a romantic relationship while gradually coercing the victim into prostitution

 Warning signs

·        Has unexplained absences from school for a period of time, and is therefore a truant

·        Demonstrates an inability to attend school on a regular basis

·        Chronically runs away from home

·        Makes references to frequent travel to other cities

·        Exhibits bruises or other physical trauma, withdrawn behavior, depression, or fear

·        Lacks control over her or his schedule or identification documents

·        Is hungry-malnourished or inappropriately dressed (based on weather conditions or surroundings)

·        Shows signs of drug addiction

 

Additional signs that may indicate sex-related trafficking include:

 

·        Demonstrates a sudden change in attire, behavior, or material possessions (e.g., has expensive items)

·        Makes references to sexual situations that are beyond age-specific norms

·        Has a “boyfriend” who is noticeably older (10+ years)

·        Makes references to terminology of the commercial sex industry that are beyond age-specific norms

·        Engages in promiscuous behavior and may be labeled “fast” by peers

 

Source:  U.S. Department of Education

 

 

10 Steps to Internet Safety

The Internet and Social Networking has completely transformed the way perpetrators lure and recruit victims. It provides a free, easy venue for pimps and sex traffickers. Make teaching your children about Internet safety a priority.

 

1. Websites like Backpage.com provide avenues for traffickers to advertise and sell women and children on line.   Write to the company and urge them to shut down their adult services ads.  Read this post to learn more about Backpage.  Read this post to sign an online petition or contact your state government to stop Backpage.

 

2. Teach your children to follow NetSmart rules, www.netsmartz.org/Parents

• Do not give out their phone number
• Never give your address
• Do not give your school name
• Never give team names or after school activities
• Be careful of your picture on the Internet
• Don’t accept friend requests on Facebook from someone you don’t know

3. Teach your children to identify inappropriate Internet interactions.  Encourage open dialogue with then so they feel comfortable reporting any improper or uncomfortable online activity.

4. Teach them to never plan a face to face meeting with someone they met online.  Teach them that people may not be who they have said they are.

5. If you notice exploitation of children online call 1-800-843-5678 to report child pornography or visit www.missingkids.com to make a report.

 

6. Learn as much as you can.  Vist websites for internet safety:
• www.protectkids.com
• www.WiredSafety.org. 
• http://www.blogsafety.org. 

7. Be actively involved. 

·        Supervise their computer use. 

·        Keep access to computers in an open area of your home.

·        Know their on line activities and friends

·        Be aware of what photos they are posting

 

8. Make sure the privacy settings for Facebook are set up correctly.  Under “account settings” there are a variety of privacy settings that limit who can view your child’s page and get access to their profile.  Make sure their date of birth is not visible to viewers.

9. Install a Safety Filter such as Net Nanny

10. Install Monitoring software.  This is different than a safety filter in that it actually tracks keystrokes and internet activity.          

 

  

 

 

Books about Human Trafficking

Books about GLOBAL trafficking issues:

 

Not for Sale by David Batstone

Award-winning journalist David Batstone, whom Bono calls "a heroic character," profiles the new generation of abolitionists who are leading the movement. This groundbreaking global report is now updated with the latest findings, new stories, and statistics that highlight what is being done to end this appalling epidemic—and how you can join the movement.

The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam

A riveting and beautiful memoir of tragedy and hope–by a woman named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.  Born in a village deep in the Cambodian forest, Somaly Mam was sold into sexual slavery by her grandfather when she was twelve years old.

 

Sold by Patricia McCormick

A fictional story of a thirteen-year-old girl from Nepal who is sold into slavery in India. Lakshmi's stepfather says she must leave home and take a job to support her family. He introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi journeys to India and arrives at "Happiness House" full of hope. But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution.

 

Terrify No More by Gary Haugen (Founder of International Justice Mission)

Tells of Cambodian girls sold into sex slavery by their families or tricked into it by the promise of legitimate work. In Terrify No More an international team of investigators goes undercover to infiltrate this ring of brothels and gather evidence needed to free these girls. The team perseveres against impossible obstacles—police corruption, death threats, and mission-thwarting tip-offs—in a mission focused on bringing freedom to the victims.

 

Escaping the Devil's Bedroom by Dawn Herzog Jewell

Dawn Jewell weaves the stories of individual victims with the grim realities that propelled them into prostitution in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Alongside she highlights ministries that are reaching one life at a time through prayerful visits to strip clubs, bars and seedy streets. Readers will glimpse the Gospel's transforming power in individuals who have left prostitution and found new life in Christ.

 

Half the Sky by Nikolas Kristoff

Half the Sky is a passionate call to arms against our era's most pervasive human rights violation: the oppression of women and girls in the developing world.  An odyssey through Africa and Asia to meet the extraordinary women struggling there.  Through these stories, Kristof and WuDunn help us see that the key to economic progress lies in unleashing women’s potential. They make clear how so many people have helped to do just that, and how we can each do our part.

Priceless by Tom Davis
A fictional story about the plight of orphan children in Russia.  Stuart Daniels is on assignment in Russia and is persuaded by an old friend to help save two girls from a desperate situation. Soon he becomes a key player in a dangerous campaign to rescue helpless women trapped in the sex-slave trade. What Daniels encounters during his journey will shake his faith, test his courage, and even threaten his life. Yet as Daniels gets deeper and the stakes get higher, he will discover that hope can be found in the darkest of places.

A Walk Across The Sun by  Corban Addison
A fictional story about Ahalya Ghai and her younger sister Sita who are as close as sisters can be. But when a tsunami rips through their coastal village, their home is swept away, and the sisters are the sole survivors of their family. Destitute, their only hope is to find refuge at a convent many miles away. A driver agrees to take them. But the moment they get into that car their fate is sealed. The two sisters--confused, alone, totally reliant on each other--are sold.

 

DOMESTIC trafficking issues: 

Refuse To Do Nothing by Shayne Moore and Kimberly Yim
The sad truth is, slavery never ended. It just went underground, where it continues to exploit powerless men, women and children in horrific ways throughout the world. Now for the good news: you have power.  "Abolitionist Mamas" Shayne Moore and Kimberly Yim share their stories of coming to terms with the power available to them in their normal, everyday lives to join the fight against slavery.

 

Girls Like Us by Rachel Lloyd

During her teens, Rachel Lloyd ended up a victim of commercial sexual exploitation. With time, through incredible resilience, and with the help of a local church community, she finally broke free of her pimp and her past and devoted herself to helping other young girls escape "the life."  In Girls Like Us, Lloyd tells the story of her groundbreaking nonprofit organization: GEMS, Girls Educational and Mentoring Services.

 

The White Umbrella by Mary Frances Bowley
The White Umbrella tells stories of survivors as well as those who came alongside to help them to recovery. It describes the pain and the strength of these young women and those who held the "white umbrella" of protection and purity over them on the road to restoration.

Somebody's Daughter by Julian Sher

Author Julian Sher takes you behind the scenes to expose one of America’s most underreported crimes: A girl from New Jersey gets arrested in Las Vegas and, at great risk to her own life, helps the FBI take down a million-dollar pimping empire. An abused teenager in Texas has the courage to take the stand in a grueling trial that sends her pimp away for 75 years. Survivors of the sex trade in New York, Phoenix, and Minneapolis set up shelters and rescue centers that offer young girls a chance to break free from the streets. Somebody's Daughter is a call to action, shining a light on America’s dirty little secret.

 

In Our Backyard by Nita Belles

Human Trafficking in the United States? In Our Backyard uses true stories of trafficking on our soil to instruct, inspire and invest the reader to be God's hands in helping stop this atrocity. Though clear in exposing this evil, Belles words are always marked by hope. A book that is sure to change the lives of its readers and change how the church views and joins the fight against modern day slavery In Our Backyard.

Not in My Town by Dillon Burroughs and Charles Powell

Not in My Town answers questions and promotes discussion about the slavery system that crisscrosses Atlanta, Orlando, Las Vegas, New York, California, Texas, North Carolina, Haiti, Amsterdam, India, Cambodia, and beyond. The authors’ gripping journey shocks but also motivates and provides resources to equip new generations of abolitionists from all corners of society and diverse worldviews who share the common call to stop injustice.

Just Courage by Gary Haugen

International Justice Mission president Gary Haugen has found that engaging in the fight for justice is the most deeply satisfying way of life. This book shows how we too can be a part of God's great expedition.

The Slave Across The Street by Theresa Flores
True story of Theresa L. Flores and how her life as an All-American, blonde-haired 15-year-old teenager who could have been your neighbor was enslaved into the dangerous world of sex trafficking while living in an upper-middle class suburb of Detroit

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

A powerful retelling of the story of Gomer and Hosea, Redeeming Love is a life-changing story of God’s unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love California’s gold country, 1850. Sold into prostitution as a child, Angel, survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.  Then she meets Michael Hosea, a man who seeks his Father’s heart in everything.

 

Scars And Stilletos by Harmony Dust

Fear of being abandoned keeps nineteen-year-old Harmony Dust trapped in an abusive and cruel relationship. She thinks she has hit bottom—tens of thousands of dollars in debt, struggling to get by, and so controlled by her boyfriend that she doesn’t protest when he begins openly sleeping around. Things can’t get worse . . . until someone tells her how much money she can make as an exotic dancer. For the next three years, Harmony lives a double life as Monique, a dancer in a fully-nude strip club.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Striving to be More Like Abraham

I mentioned in my very first post that my reason for creating this blog was to raise awareness around the issue of human trafficking.  I have had several promptings to sew dresses out of pillowcases.  And while I have followed the promptings, I must admit that I have been slow in responding to them.  Sadly, I have been more like Moses than Abraham.  Look at his response when God appeared to him in the burning bush and calls Moses to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt:

• Moses gives God excuses why he isn't the one for the job. "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?"   (Ex 3:11)
• He questions in fear "What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say?"  (Ex 4:1)
• Moses doubts his abilities and pleads with God  "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent..."   (Ex 4:10)

I too questioned my abilities. I struggled with wondering if another cause might be more beneficial.  Something that would be more direct in helping the girls.  But the reality is that if even one girl avoids being sold then my effort will be worth it.  If it comforts just one girl that has already been victimized then my effort will be worth it. 

So I told my husband that I was just going to set a date for the first event because if I didn't then it might never happen.  I would be letting fear hold me back from serving God. I am trying to follow Abrahams lead and step out in faith.  When God called Abraham in Gen 12:1, he asked Abraham to leave his country, his people and his father's household.  His only instructions for where Abraham was to go were "to the land I will show you."  Abrahams response in Gen 12:4 was to follow God's call wholeheartedly. No questions asked.  Scripture tells us that Abraham packed up ALL his possessions.  He was fully committed to following God and had no intentions of returning.  I am striving to be more like Abraham. 

So the date for the first event is set.  January 12th.  I am trusting God to bring the people, provide enough sewing machines and to make the event a success which will ultimately be for His glory.  I am nervous.  As I mentioned in my first post, I do not sew.  But I am trusting God and am clinging to this verse:

Romans 10:11  "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

When is enough enough?

It's happened.  Once again.  Same as it happens this time every year.  I love Christmas.  It's my favorite holiday.  But working in retail really puts it in a different perspective for me.  I work as a vendor for one of the major card companies and every year about this time it hits me and I get a little depressed.  It's because of all the "stuff."  I remember the first year I worked for them and the weeks leading up to Christmas.  I actually thought I may have to quit my job because it was bothering me so much.  I understand the theory behind what they do, but it bothers me never the less.  I know that the more places you have your Christmas items placed throughout the store the better your sales are going to be, but I couldn't help feeling that it was a bit excessive.  I remember setting 24' of Christmas cards the day after Thanksgiving and then having to set up more in the seasonal aisle. Then still more in the "Christmas Shoppe."   More, More, More.   When is enough enough?  Christmas has evolved into such a consumer driven materialistic holiday.  Turn on the TV and you are bombarded with ads aimed at gaining your purchases this year.  We shop for things we don't really need.  More "stuff."  Much of which often get returned anyway. 

The amount of money America spends on Christmas is astounding. 
What America Spends on Christmas

America spends an average of $450 billion a year every Christmas. 10 percent of that is spent on lights and electricity.  We decorate our trees with lights and the outside of our houses with lights when nearly 1/4 of the worlds population doesn't even have access to electricity. It's hard for me to wrap my head around that.  How am I so blessed to have born in a country that is blessed beyond measure when so many in the world have so little? 

I see people with shopping carts loaded to the brim and I am left trying to reconcile the worlds view of Christmas driven by consumerism with the true meaning of Christmas where God became man in the form of tiny baby.  To reconcile the racing, shopping and busyness of Christmas today with the Holy, Sacred, Glorious birth some 2000 years ago in a lowly stable. 

Picture the manger scene for a moment.  Every rendition of the manger scene paints us a picture of peace, tranquility and humbleness.  The lyrics to many Christmas songs also reflect this view...

Silent Night:
Silent Night, Holy Night
All is Calm
All is Bright

It came upon a Midnight Clear:
Peace on earth, goodwill to men
From heavens all gracious King
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing

O little town of Bethlehem:
O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;

Hark the heraId angels sing:
Hark the heraId angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled

Reflect on your shopping list, card list, baking list or your party list for a moment.  Picture yourself at the mall looking for parking or in the midst of a busy store shopping for one of those presents..  How do you feel? What words come to mind?  Perhaps these are some of the words you thought of:  Hectic, Rushed, Chaotic, Noisy, Busy, Stressed.

Now reflect on the words from the songs mentioned above: 
Peace, Gracious, Solemn Stillness, Angels singing, Still, Silent, Glory, Peace, Mercy, Reconciled. 

Two very different feelings.  Are you experiencing more of the first or the second?

Look with me at another Christmas song.
What Child is This
So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh,
Come, peasant, king, to own him.
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone him.

At the heart of Christmas is LOVE.  God sent his only son because he loved us.

1 John 4:9-10  "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him."

We exchange gifts with one another as a token of our love.  It is a relection of the wise men bringing gifts to the baby Jesus.  These gifts were given in adoration and worship of the newborn King.

Incense - burnt in worship of God
Gold - symbol a king
Myrrh - a sign of being mortal - used for annointing the dead

On a side note: Did you know that the bible does not say there were 3 wise men? This is something assumed from the fact that 3 gifts were presented to the baby Jesus. (see Matthew 2:11)

 

3 Gifts.  Not carts full of gifts. 

 

In closing, let me bring you back to another Christmas song.  It's one of my favorites.

 

Joy to the World:

Joy to the world

The Lord is come

Let earth receive her King

Let every heart

Prepare Him room.

And heaven and nature sing.

 

This Christmas, in the midst of planning, shopping and baking I pray that you are taking time to prepare your heart.  Preparing room for Jesus.  To consider the wonder of the true meaning of Christmas.   The wonder of that Holy, Sacred, Glorious birth some 2000 years ago in a lowly stable.  I pray you experience more peace and stillness and less noise and stress.


I have linked up with:
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home,  Mercy Inc and Deep Roots at Home

 

 

The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam

The Road of Lost Innocence is the heart breaking memoir of Somaly Mam.  Somaly was born in the Bou Sra Village of North East Cambodia in 1970 or 1971. The Phong people there are part of an old tribe of mountain people living in primitive conditions. Abandoned by her parents and then her grandmother, she raises herself by foraging for food in the forest and a little help from the other villagers.  When Somaly is about 9 or 10 and older man shows up and promises he will help her find her fathers family.  She is instructed to call him "Grandfather" out of respect.  Grandfather takes her to Thlok Chhrov and makes her his domestic servant.  He beats her and rents her labor out to others as well.  She finds some refuge in the local school teacher there and his family becomes sort of her adoptive parents.  She stays with them as much as she can to avoid Grandfathers beatings.  One night grandfather sends her to get some oil from the Chinese merchant in town.  The merchant rapes her and she later learns that grandfather sold her virginity to him.  At age 14, grandfather forces her into marriage to a soldier who violently beats her.  With her husband gone fighting for long periods of time she runs out of money for food and begins working at the clinic.  The doctors there preyed upon the girls and she is raped again by the chief doctor.  Grandfather shows up a few times to request money from her.  The last time he comes he tells her to pack her things they are going to visit an aunty in Phom Penh.  .

The aunty it turns out is a brothel owner and grandfather has sold her to the woman.  There she is beaten, tied up and locked in the cellar and had snakes poured over her to break her will.  She manages to escape once, but is found and brought back to the brothel.  Her punishment is to be beaten, locked up and covered with maggots. 

Somaly writes:  "The clients were horrible.  To them we were meat...Some of them like hurting us and did it for sport.  They were dirty.  They stank.  In my memory, their dirtiness is the most repugnant thing.  That and the smell"

Somaly eventually meets a humanitarian worker who gives her money and helps her leave the brothel. 

The injustice that occurs in robbing a young girl of her childhood is horriffic. In this book Somaly Mam brings up a couple of issues related to human trafficking that just wreck me.

1. Men believe that they will be cured of AIDS by having sex with a virgin.  This is why girls are being trafficked younger and younger.  Brothel owners can get a much higher price for a virgin because that is where the demand is.
2. Because a virgin will fetch a higher price it is common practice that after a young girl has had been victimized, she will be sewn up so she can be sold over and over again as a virgin.
3. In Cambodia, it is not uncommon for a young girl to be sold into sexual slavery by their own family.  

I can't even begin to imagine the horror of these things that happened to Somaly Mam.  Many people would lose their will to live.  But she has fought back and gone on to save over 4,000 women from sexual slavery through AFESIP (her organization in Cambodia) and the Somaly Mam Foundation which she co-founded.  She is an incredible woman and such an inspiration.

What God wants for Christmas

It's definitely Christmas season.  Parking is getting harder to find at the stores.  The weekly ads are thicker and longer.  We've got our shopping lists of who we need to buy for and what we want to get them.  I'd be willing to bet that Jesus is not on our shopping lists.  What gift we can give TO Jesus?   I love doing "What God wants for Christmas" with my kids. We have done this every year since they were young and they still enjoy it now that they are older. Our pop-up nativity has to be propped up because the tabs have long since lost their sturdyness, but the message is still the same.

What God wants for Christmas is a boxed kit that comes with a pop-up manger, an illustrated story book and 7 little Christmas boxes. Inside boxes 1-6 are different figurines for the nativity scene. Box #7 reveals what God want from you. After reading the part of the story that corresponds with each box, the child opens that box and places it in the nativity scene. You can do one present a day for 7 days or all in one sitting as a one time event. The story for each character reminds you along the way that in box #7 is a surprise and it's what God Wants for Christmas.
The boxes:

1) Angel

2) Mary

3) Joseph

4) Baby Jesus

5) Shepherd

6) Wise Man

7) Mirror (You)

What God wants for Christmas is YOU!   He wants your heart. He wants you to love Him just as He loves you and to extend that love to others. 

"My son, give me your heart, And let your eyes observe my ways." Proverbs 23:26

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"What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part.
Yet what can I give Him?
Give Him my heart."

by Christina Rossetti

 

For more ideas on remembering the reason for the season read my previous post

Keeping Our Focus On Him


I have linked up with: