Dear God,

We pray for victims of human trafficking, for those who have been dehumanized and held captive by the greed and violence of a broken world. For girls and boys, women and men, who are bought and sold and abused by those who have forgotten the eternal value of a human soul. May they rediscover their worth in You. And may we affirm their worth as individuals who are made in Your image.

Lord, reveal the way our choices may play a part in keeping others captive by creating demand for more slaves, and give us courage to make different choices. Give us eyes to see injustice and exploitation, and give us the courage to speak out against evil. Use us to bring light into the darkened corners of this world, that they may not remain dark forever. May Your light expose the evil deeds of the captors, and may Your love create a change of heart within those who are perpetrators of human trafficking. Use us to loosen the chains of injustice and let the oppressed go free. We pray for an end to the evil that is human trafficking, and we pray that the victims of trafficking may find restoration and healing in You.

Amen.

There is so much we can do to address human trafficking but here are a couple of places to start...

Teach online safety.

Traffickers don’t find their victims by accident. They are strategic manipulators, and they look for individuals who are naïve or otherwise vulnerable. Exploiters who focus on sex trafficking, in particular, often use social media to prey on victims. Teach children and youth how to protect themselves on social media, and give parents and guardians tools to know what to look for and how to help their children navigate online interactions.

Fight the demand.

Human traffickers are motivated by money, and our actions can drive the demand for slave labor and commercial sex. Although it feels uncomfortable, churches need to address the connection between pornography and sex trafficking. Seek out resources to help those in your church who may be struggling with sexual addiction. Also learn how our consumer decisions fuel labor trafficking around the world, and consider ways your church can make compassionate choices.

Learn about the connection between pornography and sex trafficking at pornharmsresearch.com.

The X3Network (x3pure.com) helps fight the demand for commercial sex trafficking by honestly addressing the struggle with pornography or sexual addiction.

Learn how consumer choices fuel labor trafficking at GlobalSlaveryIndex.org and ProductsOfSlavery.org. Then consider how we can make compassionate consumer choices as a church and individuals. You can find ideas here: endslaverynow.org/act/buy-slave-free and FreedomBusinessAlliance.com.

More resources concerned with ending human trafficking:

• Nazarene Compassionate Ministries: ncm.org/trafficking

• Faith Alliance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAAST): faastinternational.org

• Alliance for Freedom, Restoration, and Justice (AFRJ): engagetogether.com/church

• Ending Human Trafficking podcast: endinghumantrafficking.org