• "...to bring good news to the poor... proclaim release to the captives... let the oppressed go free..."
  • (Luke 4:18-19)
  • MISSION FOCUS:

    Sex Trafficking

    Prayers to break the chainsApproximately 800,000 to 900,000 victims annually are trafficked across international borders worldwide; between 18,000 and 20,000 of those victims are trafficked into the United States. The majority of those victims are women and girls. This is not a problem that solely occurs “over there,” but reports of sex trafficking are being increasingly received from even rural areas here in the United States. Big events such as the Super Bowl, Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, even political conventions see a rise in sex trafficking in the area where they’re held. Truck routes are corridors. Women living in poverty and teenage runaways are particularly vulnerable. The more we educate ourselves on this issue, the more we can take a stand for abolition.

    Human Trafficking National Hotline: 1-888-373-7888 (TTY: 711)
    Text: 233733
    Website (with online chat): 
    https://humantraffickinghotline.org/get-help
     

    For Your Study

    Taking Action
    • Visit the website of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation for excellent information. http://endsexualexploitation.org/.
    • Participate in the Cities for CEDAW advocacy movement. The United States is one of only seven countries in the world that has not ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979. CEDAW is a landmark international agreement that affirms principles of fundamental human rights and equality for women around the world. In addition to eliminating discrimination against women in every sphere, it also addresses sex trafficking and domestic abuse. Tired of waiting for the United States to ratify CEDAW, the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles passed ordinances in 1998 integrating CEDAW into city and county governance. Since then, similar initiatives have been enacted in other U.S. cities. Creating a groundswell of local, municipal support for this global human rights initiative will not only improve the lives of women in the U.S. but will significantly increase the possibilities of the U.S. ratifying CEDAW. To read a PDF document describing this intiative more fully, click here.
    • Type “sex trafficking [name of your area]” into your Internet search engine to find news stories, statistics, or programs addressing this issue near you.
    • Visit www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking for information and “tool kits” that are available for free.

    Po Box 851 · Valley Forge, PA · 19482-0851
    (610) 768-2288 · info@abwministries.org