Did you know that:
- There are approximately 27 million men, women and children in forced labor, forced bondage, and prostitution across the world.
- Between 14,500 and 17,500 individuals are brought across United States borders for the purposes of trafficking each year. Most of these trafficking victims are brought into the country for purposes of forced labor or sexual exploitation.
- Between 100,000 and 300,000 children within the United States are at risk of sexual exploitation.
- The average age at which a child is first recruited into prostitution is between the ages of 12 and 14.
September 27-29th is the 8th Annual Internation Weekend of Prayer and Fasting for the Victims of Human Trafficking, sponsored by FAAST International and the Salvation Army’s Initiative Against Sexual Trafficking (IAST). We know that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood,but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). Let us join together to pray that the chains of bondage be broken, that justice be done against those who exploit others for their own profit, and that God will bring healing to the victims of human trafficking around the world.
Next weekend I’m going to be at a writers retreat, so I’m going to be fasting this weekend. I’d like to invite you to join me. Next week I’ll be posting more about human trafficking and ways we can engage with this issue. If you’d like to join me in prayer, you might want to check out some of the resources available from IAST. Let me know in the comments if you will commit to pray.
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