Okay this is not my normal post, but I wanted to share/teach you all something that you may or may not know much about.
Last year, my oldest, who at the time was 15 years old, came to us and shared a concern/burden about Human Trafficking/Slavery, which she had come across in her reading of books. We then began to do some research ourselves, and were alarmed at the numbers and statisics and the childern and adults that were imprisioned in this. Most of us are not aware that it still exists to day. In fact it is worse today than it ever was before. So let me give you some statisics and information about it.
Definition of Human TraffickingThe United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime defines human trafficking as recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring or receiving a person through a use of force, coercion or other means for the purpose of exploiting them. In fact Slavery didn't end with the Civil war. In fact it has grown bigger than ever
There are more slaves today than in any other time in history.
- More than 27 million people are trapped in slavery today.
- It's estimated that there are 200,000 people trapped in slavery in the United States, and 17,000 more will be trafficked in the next year.
- The average price for a slave in 1809 was $40,000 now it is only $90.
- 50% of all victims of slavery are children. 80% of all victims of slavery are women.
- Human trafficking and sex slavery is a serious problem that exists right in our backyards. It is not something that only happens in other countries. There are 11,000 runaways a year in Ohio, and a runaway is likely to be forced into prostitution within 48 hours.
- The three greatest risk factors for women being trafficked into the sex trade are: having an older boyfriend, dropping out of school, or being raped before the age of 18.
- Human trafficking — sexual, domestic, industrial and agricultural — is a $32 billion per year industry.
- Women and children make up 80 percent of all trafficking victims who are forced into the commercial sex trade.
- Nearly 2 million children are involved in the international commercial sex trade.
- Human trafficking occurs in 161 out of 192 countries.
Up to 96 percent of women in prostitution want to escape but feel they can’t.
In some countries, it is estimated that 70 percent of men purchase sex.
Pornography is a $96 billion per year industry.
1.5 million are trafficked in developed economies, the European Union and the United States.
Okay, that is just some of the statistics that I have come to learn and know. It has all broken my heart and given me a new look on life and people. We as a church and family and mostly our youth group want to make a difference in someones life, and make a change in our world by raising awareness in our community. So last year we had a campaign to raise loose change. Did you know, there is an estimated 10.5 billion dollars in loose change lying around in U.S.
households. That is alot of money that could change someones life! Well, last year our little youth group of 4 kids raised $400. We were so proud of them and we sent it in to International Justice Mission, who are Lawyers,
investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to rescue
victims, prosecute perpetrators and protect the poor.
We were so proud of them and amazed at how God worked through them. They educated us as parents, then moved on to teaching our church family and are working at doing the same for our community. So I wanted to share some of the picutres of what they did last year and what they are doing this year!
This is from last year, 2012, but it is of, my daughter and friend/cousin, raising awareness in our community.
Our Counting Party of all the loose change we raised in 2012
$400 with such a small group! God is so good!
Now this year they have almost filled a gallon ice cream bucket up with loose change.
And this weekend is our big and last push, to raise money and awareness, for it! So we made T-shirts with stencils that we made, using my cricut and a clear acetate sheet from an office suppy store.
Here is some of the girls working on painting their shirts!
The red X is very wet and red!
Almost done!
All finished!
Not bad for our first time doing fabric painting and making our own stencil!
There will be more pictures to follow in the near future!
"You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you
did not know."
- William Wilberforce
Thanks for taking the time to read this and learning with us!
I hope you have a day filled with many blessings!
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