It's easy to think that slavery doesn't exist anymore. It's especially easy to live in our comfy little US bubbles, where are are *free* to be blind and oblivious to oppression in all the other parts of the world. After all, slavery was abolished a long time ago, right? But the truth is, it happens every day. I have to admit, I was stupidly blind to this issue for quite some time. But it is all too common. Actually, it's probably right under you nose, in your city! We just choose to look away, and after a while, it doesn't even phase us or worse-we're naive enough to think because we don't see it, it doesn't happen. Not even a blip on our radar.
Here's the full story that the picture came from.
In Manilla, Philippines, Rebel groups and Islamic extremists use children to fight their battles for them. They are trained from a young age and have no voice or say. They are told that this is the way to secure life in Heaven and peace after they die. There are no words to how disgusting and selfish this is, and how it turns my stomach in knots. Where are those who would cry out against this???
Here's the story where the picture came from.
In India, babies are doing the work of full grown men! What a tragedy! But in a world that knows extreme poverty, what choice do they have? What voice do they have? When there are so many who go hungry that they are forced to put babies to work, what has happened??? As I am writing this, my own 3 year old crawled up in my lap, and I have to admit holding him a little tighter. He is so precious to me, and more blessed that I ever knew, that he gets to just be a baby and snuggle with his mommy. Far too many children are deprived of that. When they should be in school, or playing games, they are forced into a life of child labor.
Another form of modern day slavery is corrupt government, with those in charge keeping their people in poverty to control them and break them down making them depend on what little they are given. The system in the US is more than broken and the same idea applies, but it is much worse in other countries. Governments with corrupt leaders make it almost impossible to ever get out of a life of poverty by taxing their people to death (eventually literally), keeping food and clean water out of the hands of their people, and making it difficult for outsiders to come in and help. At best, it's a dog and pony show, to make things appear better than they are.
People are still sold as slaves too, every day. Sometimes it is by their own people group. Sometimes it is one people group degrading and oppressing another. Sometimes they are forced to do physical labor because of a debt they could never pay off, that they are forced to pay off their bond through slavery. Sometimes it comes in the form of sex trafficking and prostitution.
When I say the word prostitute, does slavery come to mind? If not, it should. I can think of no reason why one would truly want to sell themselves. I would argue that each and everyone was forced into it at some point. It makes me sad, though, the way people respond to this. In a local news story, our 'safe' city's polices just busted 15 people for prostitution. Why would someone want to sell what should be given to one person they love? Desperation? Money? Drug addictions? Needing serious mental and emotion help? Needing the love of Jesus????? And what about people who were willing to pay them? One coach from an area High school was one of those convicted, but they are all someone's brother/sister/son/daughter. What made them willing? I have read the comments on the article and everyone either responded that they were sick and disgusting, or saying that it was no one's business if money was changed because it was 'consensual'. Read the story here. This is one of the reasons God intended sex only for a husband and wife. Because ANYTHING else cheapens it. And apparently we live in a world where you are pushed that sex is part of being a teenager, and by the time we reach our 20's we're supposed to have given pieces of our heart away a half dozen times. What else could we expect, other than for the cycle to continue on. To tell people that their desires are something that can't be controlled and to just give in to the lust and greed of it all? That's a post of another day, but the point is, if there was no one to pay for it, then there would be no one having to sell themselves.
In impoverished countries, it is not uncommon for the parents to (both willingly and unwillingly) to sell their children into slavery to provide for themselves and other children. It's also not uncommon parents to have to prostitute themselves out to provide for their children.
People are kidnapped and then sold as slaves all over the world, including the US, for sex trafficking. There are always pimps involved. And it's not about cliche heavyset men in large hats and purple suits. It's a shame that there are so many jokes about that kind of thing, as if it were something to laugh about. This is one of the biggest weekends, in the US, for the sex trafficking industry. Unwilling and unsuspecting individuals are kidnapped and stolen away from their loved ones and brought into the industry. It's also a big weekend for soliciting because there are so many people, it makes it harder to get caught.
So here's my challenge for you. What are you going to do about it? You have the choice to ignore this, go about your day and pretend this stuff doesn't exist. Or you can do something. Christ said to advocate for the poor, the widows, the orphans: the oppressed. If you want to do something, start with a prayer. God hates this even more than we do, but He's waiting on you to act as He leads to stand up and do something. Pray and ask Him what He wants you to do and then be bold. Do it!!
Support organizations that help those in impoverished countries to get clean food and water. Sponsor a child. Or maybe God is calling you do foster or adopt a child. Go on a mission trip and help those in need experience real love. Support missionaries who are willing to travel and live overseas to do the work first hand. Support businesses that have little overhead but manage to help those in need to support themselves and provide for their family.
If you are feeling a little lost, here's some great resources:
http://madeinafreeworld.com/
http://enditmovement.com/
http://childhoodlost.org/college/
http://www.polarisproject.org/
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