We didn’t know but now we do: Today is Human Trafficking Awareness Day

Slavery is not just part of our past. Slavery is part of our daily present. Will you and I stay ignorant and choose to ignore?

According to International Justice Mission’s fact page:
• Human trafficking is the world’s third largest criminal enterprise, after drugs and weapons. (U.S. Department of State)
• Worldwide, there are nearly two million children in the commercial sex trade. (UNICEF)
• There are an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 children, women and men trafficked across international borders annually. (U.S. Department of State)
• Approximately 80 percent of human trafficking victims are women and girls, and up to 50 percent are minors. (U.S. Department of State)
• The total market value of illicit human trafficking is estimated to be in excess of $32 billion. (U.N.)
• Sex trafficking is an engine of the global AIDS epidemic. (U.S. Department of State)

Human trafficking is not limited to women and girls, but for my sisters there is a special place of pain knowing that broken systems, cultures and families would allow others to profit through the sale of the only thing considered worthwhile – their bodies. May my daughter grow up to be a woman valued for her humanity and personhood and not for her body. May my sons grow up to be men who honor and value men and women equally.

Check out  the New York TimesHuman Wrong,  International Justice Mission and One Day’s Wages for more information and for ideas on how you can make a difference.

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