“The American people have a right to know that what they are buying was not made on the backs of slaves.” That somber statement, along with several other halting comments and statistics, are part of what you hear watching “At the End of Slavery”, an International Justice Mission (IJM) production.
January 11th was national Human Trafficking (HT) awareness day. The church I attend hosted a showing of At the End of Slavery to help unveil the realities of HT in today’s world. Not only did the film provide a look into the world of modern day slavery, it touched upon the realities of it happening right here in the United States. After the film we heard from a young woman who is a survivor of human trafficking and who lived as a domestic slave for years in Irvine, CA. For those who are unfamiliar with the area, Irvine is considered one of the safest places to live in America as well as being one of the wealthiest cities in Orange County. This woman’s story of survival is incredible. She is a testament to the reality that slavery does exist in America and that it can be stopped.
I’ll be honest with you, when I first learned a few years back, that there are an estimated 27 million people enslaved in the world today I thought it was a joke. When I learned that there are 1 million people enslaved in America, I was speechless (believe me, that doesn’t happen to often).
Modern day slavery* is happening everywhere. America is not an exception. Over the next few months, I’ll be tackling this issue of HT here in America by posting a series of columns and videos on the topic. My hope is that we can enter into a dialogue, creating awareness and a hope for action. William Wilberforce, along with only a handful of friends, abolished slavery in England. If we work together with our churches, our communities, our friends, our families, our local governments and law enforcements, I know we can end slavery in America too.
Hearing that there are 1 million slaves in America today can be paralyzing. Don’t forget that God is not overwhelmed in the same way you and I are. He is mighty and he desires to use ordinary people like you and me for his extraordinary purposes of carrying out justice and mercy. Don’t forget Moses, who was only one man, and God used him to rescue thousands of Israelites from the bondage of Egyptian slavery.
In the columns to follow, I want to create conversation about the different coats modern day slave wears on its back and what you and I can do about it. I’ll be bringing in some special people at times to help us in our dialogue as well. Our first guest will be Sandie Morgan, featured in the video here. Some of what I write about will be central to Orange County, CA simply because I am currently in OC. But I hope that through that, you may discover more about the slavery that may be happening in your backyard. I’ll also be addressing the questions of, is prostitution slavery or a personal choice? But I want to hear from you too. I really do want to dialogue with you. I think the best place to start with this issue of injustice is to talk about it and to ask our questions. A good friend of mine recently said “the church has stopped talking.” When the church closes its lips to the issues of its culture, it isolates itself from its neighbors. May this not be so in our churches and in our communities.
Please share with me your thoughts or questions on human trafficking in America and we can wrestle with this global issue here at home together. Trafficking thrives because there is a demand. We can lessen the demand beginning today.
So let’s hear it. What pops in your head when you hear the words modern day slavery? What questions do you have?
*There are many terms for which slavery falls under today. The most common are human trafficking, modern day slavery, restaveks, domestic slaves and debt bondage.
There are many resources that can help in understanding modern day slavery. Here are just a few:
Thanks for providing this pertinent information Carrie. I will be glad to invest in this dialogue. When you said what pops into your mind I instantly thought of Food, Inc. and the plight of immigrants in this country in terms of being traffiked by food companies to work on the assembly lines. ICE has agreements with the companies to only deport 15 workers a day from the largest meat packing plant back east so that it doesn't interfere with production. These companies place ads in Mexico promising high wages and people come across the border for these jobs and then are deported after doing the work Americans don't want. That part of the documentary sickened me more than watching the animals being abused.
When I spoke with a pastor this past week about the food industry, not the issue above, but simply the morality of food (my blogs from the summer) he started chuckling and said, that's when ignorance is bliss. There is much work to be done with the church in America. The more I dive into these issues the more connections are made that can no longer be ignored- food, traffiking, healthcare, humanity, personhood, citizenship, immigration, diversity, racism... it's all connected. And I so appreciate you being a voice to speak into a part of it.
I too, found the most disturbing part of Food Inc, to be the issues of immigration and trafficking. It's appalling. I'm glad you brought up that issue. That is one of the areas of HT I'll be posting on in the near future.
As you pointed out, the areas of life that HT intersects with are in more places than we realize. When we take a step back and look at these issues on the larger scale, we begin to see just how many overlaps there truly are. Poverty, lack of education, racism, consumerism, stereotyping, drugs, prostitution, and so much more all cross paths with HT in some form or another.
I hope that through this series, we'll begin to see those areas clearer and understand our role and responsibility in ushering in change upon them.
Thank you and I look forward to future discussions...
I drink coffee, read books, and travel. I’ve been able to drink coffee and discuss books with friends all over the world, simply because someone built a bridge and I made it east of the Mississippi and beyond. For this reason, I love bridges.
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Thanks for providing this pertinent information Carrie. I will be glad to invest in this dialogue. When you said what pops into your mind I instantly thought of Food, Inc. and the plight of immigrants in this country in terms of being traffiked by food companies to work on the assembly lines. ICE has agreements with the companies to only deport 15 workers a day from the largest meat packing plant back east so that it doesn't interfere with production. These companies place ads in Mexico promising high wages and people come across the border for these jobs and then are deported after doing the work Americans don't want. That part of the documentary sickened me more than watching the animals being abused.
When I spoke with a pastor this past week about the food industry, not the issue above, but simply the morality of food (my blogs from the summer) he started chuckling and said, that's when ignorance is bliss. There is much work to be done with the church in America. The more I dive into these issues the more connections are made that can no longer be ignored- food, traffiking, healthcare, humanity, personhood, citizenship, immigration, diversity, racism... it's all connected. And I so appreciate you being a voice to speak into a part of it.
I look forward to your future posts!
Kristin,
I too, found the most disturbing part of Food Inc, to be the issues of immigration and trafficking. It's appalling. I'm glad you brought up that issue. That is one of the areas of HT I'll be posting on in the near future.
As you pointed out, the areas of life that HT intersects with are in more places than we realize. When we take a step back and look at these issues on the larger scale, we begin to see just how many overlaps there truly are. Poverty, lack of education, racism, consumerism, stereotyping, drugs, prostitution, and so much more all cross paths with HT in some form or another.
I hope that through this series, we'll begin to see those areas clearer and understand our role and responsibility in ushering in change upon them.
Thank you and I look forward to future discussions...