War Cry - October, 2015 Page 13

The War Cry | OCTOBER 2015

A Conversation

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starved. Poverty drives human trafficking. People in
poverty are deceived into thinking there will be a
better life.

Gangs have preyed on vulnerable teenagers and traf-

ficked them within their community for sex. These
[teens] are desperate to be accepted and loved. Somebody
comes and befriends them and then uses them.

WC:

Are there any parts of the world where this is

more prevalent?

EP:

It affects every part of the world. People are traf-

ficked to rich areas--Australasia, the United States and
Europe--but 80 percent of trafficking is actually done in
the country or the region in which the person originates.
There are specific trade routes across the world. Some
countries are very definitely source countries for those
who are trafficked worldwide, [such as in] Southeast Asia
and parts of Africa.

Even though the most trafficking is sex trafficking, in

places such as West Africa nearly 100 percent is child
trafficking for child labor. It's very large in India as well.

But human trafficking goes on everywhere and it's

important that people realize that it's not something that
is somewhere else, it's in their own neighborhood.

WC:

What is The Salvation Army doing about hu-

man traffi cking?

EP:

Each Salvation Army territory has its own response.

The responses can be divided into three different types:
prevention, protection and rehabilitation.

Prevention includes raising awareness amongst our

own people and the communities in which we are serv-
ing, trying to help them understand the risk, the warn-
ing signs and the things that they should do to prevent
being trafficked.

In protection it's recognizing someone has been traf-

ficked. There are signs that people have been trafficked
that you can look out for. We provide drop-in centers, safe
houses, shelters, and ways of leaving.

Rehabilitation is the third part. We are involved in

counseling, supporting people who have been victims.
Providing them with alternative employment allows

them to leave prostitution. The Salvation Army has
also been involved with repatriation from a number
of different countries. In the Democratic Republic of
Congo the Army works with street sex workers, offering
them safe haven. They often find that they are com-
pletely excommunicated from their families and commu-
nities, so it's reuniting and reintegrating them with
their communities.

There is more that can be done. In Europe, they've set

up an anti-trafficking network. There is a contact person
in every country that they can consult. The recent estab-
lishment of the International Headquarters Anti-Human
Trafficking Task Force is an attempt to improve how we
do things by being able to share with each other, learn
from each other, learn what's been successful, what
hasn't, what resources are needed to improve our work
around the world.

WC:

How can an individual make a difference?

EP:

First, it's important to live ethically. What we do

affects people on the other side of the world. We need to
be concerned about who's making our clothes, who's pick-
ing our coffee and cocoa beans, who's making our car-
pets. Who am I hurting?

Don't think it doesn't happen in your neighborhood. If

you see something that you suspect may be human traf-
ficking, know what to do and who to contact. In the
United States, the Anti-Human Trafficking Research
Center is a very good point if you want to find out whom
you should contact in your area.

Welcome into your corps, your church family, anyone

who has been a victim of trafficking. So many are very
seriously damaged, psychologically as well as physically.
They have been humiliated, demeaned, made to feel that
they are worth absolutely nothing. The message of the
Gospel is that all people are precious to God, and there-
fore precious to us. And living that out in our communi-
ties is extremely important.

There are resources at the International Social Justice

Commission website (www.salvationarmy.org/isjc).
Here you will find a Bible study, sermon outlines, posters
and prayers.

Human traffi cking goes on everywhere

and it's important that people realize that it's

not something that is somewhere else,

it's in their own neighborhood.

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