What do I do? Here I am, my eyes opened to even more of the evil in the world. I’ve read about it, said that I care about these pressing issues, but it’s never been real for me like this before.
The other night Annie, NightLight’s founder, took Kaite, Anne and I to a bar where the trafficked women from Eastern Europe are bought and sold. The hotel looked nice from the outside, like any other hotel in Bangkok, but inside it was a different world.
Walking through the lobby was like walking a gauntlet. The men most from the Middle East and Africa stared, winked and gestured obscenely. They looked at me like an object to use, a thing to buy. We went and sat in the restaurant.
Three or four tables were surrounded by women, dressed scantly, with lots of makeup, some looking as young as 16. I was struck by how much these women looked like me, light skin, blue eyes, brown hair. All I could think was, “that could be me.”
Annie explained, “The women here are trafficked, brought in illegally. They are promised a better life, education, money and what they get is so vastly different. Many are locked in virtual cages during the day, then taken out and beaten into submission. They are moved often from country to country so they never make friends, or know their surroundings.”
We watched and prayed. A few kept looking over, Annie said, “they know why we are here, and some want help, but they are being watched.” The women would talk to each other in hushed tones then disappear with different men. They are rented by the hour, servicing as many as possible in a night.
I prayed that just for a moment God would let me feel what was going on. It became hard to breathe; I felt like some one was pressing on my chest and throat, the oppression was heavy. God only let me feel it for a moment but that oppression is the reality that these girls face every day.
To Be Continued….
