Public Urged to Speak Out Against Human Trafficking in the U.S. and Worldwide
WILLS POINT, TX — Gospel for Asia: The scourge of human trafficking is accelerating at a rapid pace, according to Christian agency Gospel for Asia (GFA), which urges the public to ‘Speak out for Silent Victims.’
To mark World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, Gospel for Asia (GFA) is sounding the alarm about the epidemic proportions of human trafficking — the worldwide trade and sale of people for sex or forced labor. For more information on this topic, read GFA’s special report on human trafficking at www.gfa.org/press/human-trafficking, read the U.S. State Department’s 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report, and watch the 6-part Fox News investigation.
“Tens of thousands of hidden slaves are among us,” said Gospel for Asia (GFA)founder Dr. K.P. Yohannan. “The modern slave trade includes young girls who’ve been forced to marry or enter prostitution, migrant laborers who’ve had their passports confiscated and are living in fear of deportation, and children forced to work in sweat shops and other exploitative conditions who make products and clothes we buy.”
Populations in the U.S. vulnerable to human trafficking include: children in child welfare and foster care, runaway youth, children without lawful immigration status, migrant laborers, individuals with drug addictions, person with disabilities, and persons with limited English proficiency.
And, while estimates vary, the Australian-based Global Slavery Index estimated there were 403,000 people living in modern slavery in the U.S. in 2016. Of the estimated 20–30 million slaves in the world today, four out of every five are women or girls.
“As we remember all victims of this horrific trade on July 30,” said Yohannan, “let’s remember that every nation in the world, including the U.S., is impacted by human trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit, or destination.”
The “hidden victims” of trafficking need the church to speak out for justice, Yohannan said. “We need to do all we can to help them.”
Contrary to what many people assume, not all trafficking victims are smuggled across international borders. Many women and girls trafficked for sex in the U.S. are American citizens. The number of people — mostly women and girls as young as five — trafficked within their own country for forced labor or sex has doubled in recent years, representing almost six out of every 10 global trafficking victims, according to a 2018 report by the United Nations (UN) Office on Drugs and Crime.
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