Monday, February 23, 2015

Human Trafficking Awareness



A Lot to Learn

I attended a faith- based training on human trafficking at Tampa's Salvation Army. Much of the information posted here comes from their Facebook Page.










Much of the information was hard to hear and to realize how much suffering is going on in the trafficked people's lives.

Because of Christ's call on our lives, it is VERY important that we listen and act for justice!







Julie Shematz, M.A, the facilitator of the training, indicated that the WellHouse, in four years of operation has raised 1.5 million dollars.  It has 22 full time staff, a short term shelter and three residential homes for female survivors of sexual exploitation.

She stated emphatically, that Tajuan McCarty  is MORE than on overcomer!

Check our page 72 of the March edition of Good Housekeeping Magazine.  There you will find the story of Tajuan, how she founded the Wellhouse.  Also included in the article is the story of one survivor telling how Tajuan helped her escape and overcome being trafficked.



A Lot to Do

Trafficking is not just an international problem.

It is estimated that there are 100,000 - 300,000 people in the United States being trafficked every year.   Eighty percent of those trafficked are women.

Many of the trafficked are children.  I learned during training that a runaway child will be approached by a trafficker within 48 hours.

National Human Trafficking Resource Center

The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) is a national, toll-free hotline, available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year in more than 200 languages. The NHTRC is operated by Polaris, a non-profit, non-governmental organization working exclusively on the issue of human trafficking. They are not a government entity, law enforcement or an immigration authority.

One of the Important Things To Do

Train yourself on the topic of trafficking.  The websites given above are a good place to start.  Train yourself to "see" trafficked people by reviewing the signs of trafficking; click:  Recognize the Signs.  Call law enforcement if you observe any of these signs.

United Methodist Women

The organization of United Methodist Women is committed to work against trafficking.  More information may be found on their web site, www.unitedmethodistwomen.org.