Human Trafficking Training

Hey Friends and Family.

Let me start with saying God is doing some AWESOME, AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, LIFE CHANGING, things in my heart and I cannot wait to share about those things. However, this blog isn't going to go there yet :) Just want to keep you on the edge of your seat for the next blog LOL actually I'm just waiting until I have some more understanding and feel like I can convey some events that happened and how that affected my heart.

What I want to talk about in this blog is the training I went to yesterday for Redeemed Ministries. Redeemed Ministries is a ministry in Houston TX that works specifically with Human Trafficking in the Houston Area. They work on different levels of Prevention, Prosecution and Protection. In other words they try to keep it from happening, they rescue people out of this horrible business, and they work on the legislative side trying to change laws to help protect girls rescued and prosecute the ones responsible.

While I was looking for mission trips to do this summer I was looking at Cambodia and was seeing how horrendous the problem of Human Trafficking was there. If you're unfamiliar with human trafficking I'll give you the Jessika (non-official) definition it's taking any persons and illegally putting them into a lifestyle of sexual exploitation, labor exploitation, etc. Redeemed Ministries works specifically with sexual exploitation (i.e. prostitution). So, I was studying Cambodia and my heart began breaking for the issue of human-trafficking in the world. Light bulb, does this happen in America? As I researched I found that it not only happens in America, but it happens in my "own back yard" so to speak. Houston is ranked 3rd in the country for the amount of human trafficking it has.

Yesterday's training was just the tip of the iceberg really giving us all the information on human trafficking and how real it is. We were given shocking statistics, but also hope. REDEEMED, what a name. These girls can be redeemed physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I'm ready for the trainings that I have up ahead (2 more until I start volunteering) and I wanted to give you some statistics that shock and awed me...

-There are 219 KNOWN brothels in the Houston area... This only includes brothels out of businesses, in other words it doesn't include prostitution being sold out of hotel rooms, apartments, houses, etc. and once again only the KNOWN ones.
-50% of runaways will be approached by a "PIMP" in 48 hours or less. There are 300,000 runaways a year in America.
- There are 250,000 sex slaves in North America
- The avg age for these girls is 14
- They avg amount of time in the "business" is 7yrs before they die or are kicked out because of one reason or another (too worn out, diseases, etc)
- The women service on avg. 15 men a day

There are tons more statistics, but I am running out of time to type them all out. The point is we have to do something about this problem. Young women are being sold as sex slaves, illegally, they're being forced into prostitution by threat of harm done to them, or someone they know, or perhaps manipulative coercion.

I cannot hear statistics like this, I can't hear about a problem like this and be inactive and ignore it. These victims (and honestly all others that are in this business or use this business) need hope, they need Jesus, they have spiritual and natural needs, all of which mean life or death rather spiritually or physically. Im ready to help in any way I can.


Be Blessed,
J. Tate