ItsSarahO

Human Trafficking. Something I wasn’t too familiar with until the beginning of summer. Through my job and many other avenues, awareness of it came like waves,it was almost overwhelming. Reading the statistics alone bought complete sadness to my heart.

Human trafficking is the worlds fastest growing criminal industry. Twenty seven million people are enslaved around the world. In London alone it is estimated that about 6,000 foreign nationals are working in off-street prostitution.

What’s worse, is that many people who have been trafficked thought they were being offered a better life, a higher class of living. They are just innocently desperate people looking for a way out, and the men and women who are trafficking them prey on this. Orphans are promised a better life but end up being sold for money. In certain parts of the world families will sell their children just so they can buy luxury goods such as laptops and phones.

These are the harrowing things that were bought to my attention as I sat and watched award -winning documentary Nefarious by organization Exodus Cry.

In opening scenes we were taken to an orphanage in Serbia. Loud violent men woke young girls from their sleep. They were then all forced to stand in a line and take off their clothes as potential “buyers” stood and checked out “the goods”. The girls were examined like cattle, then one was chosen and taken away. The other girls stood and screamed in horror knowing that their friends’ life and dignity had just been snatched.  

In Moldova, there is a high orphan rate. Many owners of orphanages tell girls to “go out and have fun”, while the girls are blissfully unaware they are being sold. The sad thing is, orphans are the most targeted because traffickers know that no-one will come looking for them.

Once they are in the hands of their trafficker or pimp, their life is not their own. These stone cold men already have the next two years of the women’s lives planned out. They know where they are going to take them and what kind of labour they will be used for.

In Amsterdam and the Netherlands, where prostitution is legal, many of the women put up facades. They appear comfortable parading around naked in shop windows, but behind closed doors it’s a different story. One brothel owner in the red light district said men order their women “like a pizza”, they tell him what they want and he gives it to them. As he spoke about the goings on in the brothel, the numbness of his emotions were real. He said the girls could get up to 30 customers a night.

Across the other side of the world in Thailand, the sex industry is much different. As well as being sold by their families, women will voluntarily offer themselves to men just to put food on their table. In karaoke bars, western men take advantage of this, their bar receipts at the end of the night can read: “Beer: 4 Baht, Grapes: 5 Baht, Girl: 3 Baht.”

After being made aware of the harsh realties of the sex industry, we heard from the women who were once involved themselves. Many echoing the same thing “we didn’t want to do it!” many of them spoke about how they could divide their mind from reality during sexual activity. Many of them revealed their past and how they were abused as children, making them feel like they were worth nothing and couldn’t be anything else. Being offered money for sex almost gave them their power back. It gave them some kind of dignity because in reality, they hated themselves. They hated the men that had done this to them. But they too had their own issues.

A reformed pimp spoke about all he had done with regret: “I was captive of one thing; she [prostitute] was captive of another.”

But it was a relief to see that all hope wasn’t lost and that these people could find a way out. It was amazing to see how some of them turned their lives around with the help of the many secular and faith-based organisations who are combating trafficking.

Over recent years, there have been a number of positive changes in societies’ approaches to various sex industries. One of the countries that are doing an amazing job is Sweden. They now have a model of legislation that criminalises the purchase of sex, but the not the sale of sex. This enables the women who are trapped to get support and take steps towards a better life.

Yes, sex slavery is rapidly growing and that fact alone can leave people feeling overwhelmed and unable to do anything. But for every person that’s made aware it is another step taken towards bringing this thing to an end. Please support all those involved in whatever way you can, whether it’s through prayer, volunteering or just spreading the word. William Wilberforce puts it like this,

“You can choose to look the other way, but you can never again say that you didn’t know.”

For more information on the Nefarious visit

Nefariousdocumentary.com

This piece was written by a dear friend Nay Davis she has a Big heart, big dreams and a growing love for Jesus and His kingdom is probably the best way to sum up Nay. With a full time career in journalism and a bit of blogging on the side, it’s safe to say she has a clear passion for writing. On her blog you’ll find a cool mix of interviews with up and coming designers, singers, natural haired beauties and more. You can also find personal experiences and testimonies of her Christian walk, and current issues that are affecting us and the society we live in today.

Blog: nayoutdabox.blogspot.co.uk

Find her on Twitter: @cheri_nay

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