A Reflection on Human Trafficking

by Gretchen Carvella

I first heard of human trafficking around 2008 when a friend of mine went on a mission trip to Cambodia and Thailand. She came back and spoke of people, many who were children, who were tricked or forced into physical labor or commercial sexual exploitation as slaves. I was shocked that that could happen “in this day and age.” I was very naive. And her stories were heartbreaking and very real.

Over the next few years, I learned more about trafficking and its prevalence around the world, which led me to attend a conference hosted by International Justice Mission (IJM).  IJM is a non-profit organization that partners with justice officials in countries around the world to advocate for victims of human trafficking, work for their freedom, and bring perpetrators to justice. So then I knew that 10’s of millions of people were enslaved around the world! Out there...

A year or so later I attended a conference where I learned about Exodus Cry. Exodus Cry is a non-profit that works to abolish sex trafficking. They seek to shine a light on the international and domestic commercial sex industry, to break the cycle of exploitation, to change laws and to assist victims. Did you read that?... domestic. I was learning that trafficking happened in the U.S. What!? I pictured Vegas or New York City...

Soon after I heard a speaker who said “think of someone dear to you. What would you do if they were trafficked? Think of their name...”  I was thinking of my daughter, Julie. The speaker continued “To God, they are all named that.” That was my road from “out there” to “right here”: to realizing that trafficked people had names, and families, and mattered.  

That’s when I became involved with Peace Promise. Peace Promise started as a prayer movement and is still rooted in prayer. They have grown to be a non-profit that fights locally to end human trafficking and sexual exploitation—right here in our community. I’ve attended their monthly prayer times; helped make meals with other Liberti women for the girls that they visit in the strip clubs; attended their annual fundraising banquet with other Liberti folks; and gotten some great products from Soaps by Survivors—it is survivor run and raises proceeds for Peace Promise to minister to girls in the industry.

Their website is a great source of information and offers ways to get involved. Right now there is a great piece on there that walks you through the life of an exploited woman. If you want to learn more about trafficking, I’d also suggest ijm.org and exoduscry.com.