Sunday, February 15, 2009

Be a Modern Day Abolitionist of Slavery


Seth Johnson recently took a trip to SE Asia with friend and photographer, Fritz Liedtke, and together they witnessed first hand the repulsive treatment of women and girls trapped in the sex slave trade.
Fritz took this picture. There are more on his blog and website. He is a gifted photographer.



In grade school, I learned that slavery was an awful time in history. What I didn't learn was that slavery wasn't history, slavery is still occurring today and it is worse than the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade I studied about in textbooks. Slavery isn't something to read about in a book, it is reality, a treacherous reality where books can't contain the depths of human depravity that would even be responsible for such an act. Yet here I am talking about it. I wish so much that it could just end, but change and loosening of chains is a process and requires the many caring compassionate hands. 

I have so many more thoughts and concerns on Human Trafficking, but I wanted to post this quick blurb about it and later I will return to share my heart for those that are caught in the monstrous hands of the devils snare, slavery. Seth Johnson is a friend of mine who is proactively taking initiative to bring about a change, to see the chains loosened for the 27 million individuals enslaved globally (including girls from local high schools in my Portland backyard). Seth will be running a marathon in a week and he is raising money to go towards Transitions Global, a local anti-human trafficking organization in Oregon. I ask you to check out their efforts and give. Seth is hoping to get 1000 pledges of 27 dollars each. This is for the rehabilitation of girls who have been brutalized and trafficked from our own neighborhoods.  

Our economy maybe in shambles, but if we don't put human lives' first, we will only see more and more people falling victim to slavery. Human Trafficking is the second most lucrative illegal money making industry in the world. We spend more money enslaving people than saving them. Help those who don't have a voice.