Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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Maybe you’ve seen this video already, maybe you haven’t.  Either way, watch it now.

Numbers from Brian Alonzo on Vimeo.

This video was made by World Racer Brian Alonzo after spending 3 months in south east Asia and seeing first hand the effects of human trafficking.  Brian, along with his wife Stacy, had to face this daily while in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam on the World Race.  This video is just a tiny representation of the many lives affected by the horror of human trafficking and those numbers are just the beginning.

Now, I’ve watched that video at least 6 times since it was posted and each time one of the numbers just makes me silently shake my head.  While they are all sad and disturbing, it is this number that breaks my heart in a way I never guessed it would.  Which one you might be wondering?  This one:

161 Countries identified as affected by human trafficking
           The United States is near the top of the list.

Maybe you didn’t catch this one when you were watching.  Maybe it didn’t affect you as strongly as it did me.  But here’s the truth-human trafficking isn’t simply a daily reality in south east Asia, it’s a daily reality for us all, even those of us in the “land of the free.”

It breaks my heart each time I read that statistic because in the United States, it’s not addressed.  Heck, people don’t even know we have a problem at all!  When most people hear human trafficking, they think of countries in African, Asia, or the Middle East.  Rarely do people think of the United States.  The sad truth though, however, is that it is estimated that 14,500 to 17,500 people, primarily women and children, are trafficked to the U.S. annually and that cases have been reported in all 50 states.

What does human trafficking look like in the United States?  Like these individuals.
                                        Florencia Molina                                                    Given Kachepa
   
I choose not to share their stories with you, but allow you to just see their faces.  They are not defined by their story for they are children of God like you and I.  To read their stories, however, just simply click on their picture.  I’m also including a wonderful documentary that really, you should watch.  It’s a bit on the long side being over 30 minutes but it’ll give you another answer as to what human trafficking looks like in the U.S.
 
 
It’s not enough just to simply watch a video, shed some tears, and go on with your day.  You need to do something.  Whether that be support me, support Brian & Stacy, or get involved in an organization such as Not for Sale or Free the Slaves.  The choice is yours, but something must be done.  Human trafficking is not my problem to deal with.  It’s all of ours.  Do something.