“Please!” I begged in frantic desperation, “Please don’t do this. You can’t do this to me!” I had been taken against my will by two of my colleagues; a middle-aged woman and a man in his late twenties. They dragged me to a deserted building and shoved me into a small, concrete room. Terror like I had never known paralyzed me to the core of my being. I knew exactly what was happening; I had been sold into sex trafficking. I would be systematically assaulted and sexually abused dozens of times a day for profit.
This couldn’t be happening. Not to me. I was too good to be abused. Too young to die. Too innocent to be assaulted. Sheer panic ravaged me, burning me alive from the inside out. “You only have to work here for 2 months, then you’ll be free to go,” the woman replied as the door to my cell was slammed shut. But, I knew I would be dead, in the only way it really mattered, long before then. Hysteria began to overtake me; a thick, heavy darkness filled the room. Then, I woke up.
* * *
I remember thanking God over and over again that it was just a dream; nothing more than a nightmare. But soon, a different kind of horror reared its ugly head; the realization that what was merely a nightmare for me is a horrific reality for the millions of people enslaved in sex trafficking today. As I dream in my comfortable bed, these captives (mainly women and children) are caged like animals awaiting a slaughter that repeats itself again and again, every single night.
I have prayed on more than one occasion that God would give me His pain for the lost, His compassion for the broken and His love for the oppressed. I believe that God allowed me to feel such a vivid sense of panic and terror in my dream so that I would experience a minute fraction of the emotions these women face on a daily basis. Because now, more than ever, my heart is truly broken for the oppressed and the enslaved. It is impossible for me to turn a blind eye to this horrific injustice. I will never be able to walk away, feigning ignorance, after tasting the terror of this reality in my nightmare.
God’s mandate in this regard is undeniable, we must use the blessings we have been given to proclaim freedom for those in captivity. We must act on our convictions; we can no longer remain apathetic and complacent in the face of injustice and oppression. We must pray intentionally, give generously, love sacrificially, obey faithfully and fight wholeheartedly against the evil of sex trafficking until it has been completely and utterly defeated. Until every captive’s chains are broken.
“You may choose to look the other way,
but you can never say again that you did not know”
William Wilberforce
Photo From Here
A Girl After God's Heart 
Hi Natasha, a really good foundation, founded by a survivor, that does rehabilitation programs for young women and little girls who are survivors of human trafficking is the Somaly Mam Foundation. Perhaps, you would be interested in checking them out and learning further about this topic? Also watch this video, this is breaking news around the world, maybe three days old: Sweetie: a new initiative to catch sex predators. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGmKmVvCzkw.
Hi J, thanks for your comment. I will definitely look into that organization! I have seen that video, so glad they are able to catch so many sex offenders through that program! Be blessed!
Hi Natasha,
wondering what effective actions we could take to save people from this kind of life, apart from spreading awareness which is also good.
Hi David,
That is a great question. At my church we have a ministry called HOPE Be Restored, which stands for Helping the Oppressed and Prisoners of injustice Be Restored. We have various branches of this ministry: Research, Awareness, Restoration (hands-on), Prayer etc. We partner with other organizations that have the same goals so we can support one another. The research team gathers accurate information/statistics and presents practical ideas of how to address these issues (much of it involves the political and judicial systems of the country/region).
The Restoration Team takes part in actual face to face contact with various organizations that rescue women and children from sex trafficking, we do fundraisers to help them financially and we meet with the women, host parties etc. This is more aftercare. In terms of actually helping the women in the red light districts, it is a very difficult process as we cannot just go there and grab the women and walk out. Many are locked in rooms and this is very dangerous. A proper system must be in place. Our church partners with several national organizations such as AIM – Agape International Missions that is based in Cambodia that works with government and law officials to shut down brothels in the country. Sadly, these illegal brothels are protected by corrupt police officers who are profiting from the sale of these women. In some parts of Korea, there are large illegal red light districts right beside police stations.
My pastor wrote a book called Justice Awakening in which he discusses many issues pertaining to injustice in our world including the fact that it is the responsibility of every human being to promote justice and fight against oppression however we can. There are other national organizations you can support such as International Justice Mission which is a human rights organization that works with lawyers, local officials, investigators and aftercare professionals to rescue and care for victims as well as persecute perpetrators. The site does list different ways to get involved on a personal level. http://www.ijm.ca I hope this answer was helpful and that we can make a difference together!
Set the captives free!
Natasha