Over the past few years I have become more aware of the great problem of modern-day slavery and sex trafficking. We think that we live in a world without such things, or that they occur in far away places. It is true that a lot of the torrid stories that do make the news are in places like South Asia or Eastern Europe. However, even here in Idaho we have people basically put into situations of forced labor, where they work to try and pay off their debts, only to have debts continually incurring in the process of working them off.
I am glad to see more publicity for these horrible crimes coming from more and more avenues. I’ve seen features on these subjects from Dateline NBC to my local paper. I think this is an issue that anyone can be against, but it should be particularly critical to Christians. We have a holy injunction to keep watch over “the least of these”. We are to provide for widows and orphans. The Bible talks gravely about any who would cause a little one to stumble.
I have a link to International Justice Mission on my sidebar. They are a Christian organization that works with countries around the world to enforce their own laws in order to protect their citizens. (Some complain that Westerners are trying to impose their morality on this issue. First, as I said it does not require any faith to see that this is an evil practice, and secondly IJM specifically works within the legal framework of any country they’re in.) They have a wonderful book discussing this issue in World Vision. Please check them out, and find out what is being done to combat this evil. We can make a difference through prayer and supporting the people who fight on the front lines, if nothing else.