It’s hard to believe that modern day slavery exists. It’s even harder to believe there are 46 Million slaves and that the human trafficking industry is a $150 Billion industry.
I just read an article published the other day about how sex-traffickers brought 115 girls from Thailand to the States.
THIS WAS THE OTHER DAY PEOPLE.
I’ve spent the last 5 months in Asia where sex trafficking is huge and it didn’t start becoming real to me until I went to Cambodia and Thailand.
In this culture (at least where I’ve been) you are praised to have a daughter because that means you’ll have a resource for life.
Children are viewed as a resource. They know from a young age that they “owe” their family income.
A question I’ve wrestled with since going to Cambodia last month is
“How could a mother sell her daughter?”
Before you start making assumptions that all these parents are horrible people let’s take a step back and look at the culture.
Here’s some facts.
In these cultures women aren’t taught about their worth, so their daughters are viewed the same way.
Mothers sell their daughters for income. When they’re desperate and need to get out of debt, maybe a family member is sick and they need the money for meds, or a family member has died and they need more income to support the family..
Since half of Cambodians live off of less than $2 a day, a lot of people get trapped in this industry. It’s a guaranteed way to make money, if the family decides take the child out of the sex trade they lose money.
Sex traffickers prey on the poor.
Here’s some facts: Cambodia is the core of child trafficking in South East Asia. 100% of children ages 8-12 are trafficked, by the van load. One third of the child population in Cambodia is trafficked.
So here’s the question again,
“How could a mother sell her daughter?”
It all comes down to worth. They don’t see worth in themselves let alone their daughter. They don’t see another way to get out of the debt or the piling medical bills.
There are opportunities for the girls to get out of his trade, to gain dignity and to see worth in themselves. They have to make a choice. A choice of wanting a new life for themselves. But it’s the thought of disappointing their family that hold them back, the thought that there’s nothing more to life, many parents won’t allow their child to leave the industry.
This is an industry that isn’t going to shut down over night, but it’s something we need to keep shedding light on.
We need to keep going to the dance bars and massage parlors, we need to keep sharing the love that Jesus has for everyone, we need to keep sharing that you can find purpose and worth in HIM.
He won’t stop pursuing me.
He won’t stop pursuing you.
He won’t stop pursuing the 9 year old being sold by her mother.
He won’t stop pursuing all the mothers selling their kids.
That’s why we need to keep reaching out, because Christ doesn’t give up on us and we shouldn’t either.
