In the Land of the Free, where slavery was outlawed 150 years ago, slavery is thriving in the United States. In fact, Americans are the biggest buyers of slaves in the world. Denial does not make it go away. And turning our backs on the victims goes against everything we are called to do as Christians.
How does it happen? The allure is simple - Summer jobs and internships in the USA with mid-sized companies seeking bookkeepers, engineers, welders, and registered nurses. For college students and ambitious young foreign nationals, a single summer in the United States will net enough income to pay for their entire college education, or provide a comfortable life for their families for a year or more. For ambitious young Americans, it's a chance to venture out, learn skills, become independent.
It's the dreamy opportunity that lures tens of thousands into slavery and bondage every year.
They paint a beautiful picture. "You’ll have a great job, a chance to see America!” If they do not cooperate, their families are threatened or they are told their family is ashamed of them and they cannot return home.
At some point, they are forced to do the biddings of their captors. They are often beaten, or kept locked in windowless rooms, chained to their beds, and pumped full of narcotics. They are forbidden to speak to any outsiders, and they are given stories to tell law enforcement if they are questioned for any reason.
Law enforcement and community members see them as dirty law-breaking prostitutes, unworthy of protection or concern. They are arrested and treated with contempt while their traffickers continue to sell the bodies of others with impunity.
We have an obligation to not just pray for the captives, but also for their captors. We have an obligation to do everything we can to set them free and expose the corruption on high that keeps slavery one of the most profitable enterprises in the world. We have an obligation to the enslaved, to help them get out, find a safe place to heal and rehabilitate.
It saddens me that this plight can be ignored, and so many Christians can be so oblivious... so, this post is my intent to enlighten and perhaps spark your compassion to do something about the slavery in your own community... and I assure, it is in your community...
WE ALL NEED TO BE 21ST CENTURY ABOLITIONISTS!
http://sharedhope.org/
How does it happen? The allure is simple - Summer jobs and internships in the USA with mid-sized companies seeking bookkeepers, engineers, welders, and registered nurses. For college students and ambitious young foreign nationals, a single summer in the United States will net enough income to pay for their entire college education, or provide a comfortable life for their families for a year or more. For ambitious young Americans, it's a chance to venture out, learn skills, become independent.
It's the dreamy opportunity that lures tens of thousands into slavery and bondage every year.
They paint a beautiful picture. "You’ll have a great job, a chance to see America!” If they do not cooperate, their families are threatened or they are told their family is ashamed of them and they cannot return home.
At some point, they are forced to do the biddings of their captors. They are often beaten, or kept locked in windowless rooms, chained to their beds, and pumped full of narcotics. They are forbidden to speak to any outsiders, and they are given stories to tell law enforcement if they are questioned for any reason.
Law enforcement and community members see them as dirty law-breaking prostitutes, unworthy of protection or concern. They are arrested and treated with contempt while their traffickers continue to sell the bodies of others with impunity.
We have an obligation to not just pray for the captives, but also for their captors. We have an obligation to do everything we can to set them free and expose the corruption on high that keeps slavery one of the most profitable enterprises in the world. We have an obligation to the enslaved, to help them get out, find a safe place to heal and rehabilitate.
It saddens me that this plight can be ignored, and so many Christians can be so oblivious... so, this post is my intent to enlighten and perhaps spark your compassion to do something about the slavery in your own community... and I assure, it is in your community...
WE ALL NEED TO BE 21ST CENTURY ABOLITIONISTS!
http://sharedhope.org/