The Church Must Join the Fight

sioni rodriguez | bit.ly/rebuildingwhatwasdestroyed

My name is Sioni Rodriguez. I am an activist exposing the evil of Human Trafficking and Human Rights violations. I am also a Human Trafficking survivor.

In my biography, Three Times Sold, I share my story of overcoming the odds and heart as an advocate to reach and rescue the countless faces, who like me, know the dark world of sexual slavery.

My story starts in Mumbai, India. The place of my birth. And my trafficker was my own mother. However, this atrocity is not something that is happening “over there.” It is all around you—even in the smallest and wealthiest places in America. It does not discriminate.

January was National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

And, while coronavirus has halted a vast number of activities around the world, one thing has not stopped—human trafficking.

Now, more than ever, because of Covid-19 lockdowns, victims are suffering behind closed doors. And now, more than ever, we are called to Arise.

We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus to help the suffering and erase the practice!

Globally, Human Trafficking is a $150 billion industry, with more than 40 million victims. But this is not just a crime of third world nations.

The crime of Human Trafficking is a $32 billion-a-year industry in the United States, and it is on the rise in all 50 states.

Estimates put the number of victims in the U.S. between 15,000 to 50,000 women and children forced into sexual slavery. My own home state of Pennsylvania ranks 7th in the nation!

While these are the States with the highest numbers for the highest numbers of child sex trafficking in the US:

1. California (San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego) 2. New York 3. Texas

These victims are not only forced into sex slavery but also into forced labor and debt bondage. They are 21st-century slaves! Psalm 82:3 is God’s mandate to us:

“Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.”

And so, we must ARISE against the darkness of Human Trafficking and put an end to this scourge against humanity.

The first way to do that is to do the research. Start with humantraffickinghotline.org.

The second is to keep your eyes open to the signs that someone might be a victim. Don’t turn a blind eye to someone who looks like they may be in a trafficking situation or suspicious activity, like frequent visitors to a home, even in suburban and rural residential areas.

A lot of very young girls, that look like the girl-next-door might be suffering in silence. You might just the person God is calling to be her voice.