Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
Isaiah 58:6
Prayer breaks chains and gives favor that is supernatural. It enables rescue and puts people in the right place at the right time.
Greetings! This month we are addressing international sex trafficking, with an emphasis on Europe. In a future newsletter we will address trafficking in Southeast Asia. The same ideas behind international labor trafficking addressed in the February Newsletter are at work here: Traffickers rely on false advertising, lies, threat, and coercion. Women are tricked, coerced, lured, sometimes kidnapped, and are forced into a dark life.
As you may know, there are over 27 million slaves worldwide (some reports say the low estimate now is actually 32 million), and this includes women and girls who are being used as sex slaves and forced prostitutes.
Did you Know?
- More than 1 in 4 sex trafficking victims are trafficked from Southern and Eastern Europe.
- 90% of victims trafficked into the European Union member states will end up in the sex industry.
- Greece is a prime destination and transit country – it is seen as the center of trafficking in Europe.
- Ukraine and Bulgaria are both source countries for trafficking victims, and destination countries for sex tourism. An estimated half a million victims have been trafficked out of Ukraine, into the EU.
- Up to 80% of rescued victims in Europe become re-trafficked.
- The average age of entry into prostitution is age 12.
- The average lifespan of a prostitute is 7 years.
What Does Sex Trafficking Look Like?
Sex trafficking can appear in many forms, including:
- Pimp-Controlled Trafficking (Forced Prostitution)
- Stripping/Exotic Dancing
- Escort Service
- Brothel worker
- Massage Parlor/Brothel
- Pornography
How Does This Happen?
Many women, especially in Eastern Europe, are offered jobs in other nations as nannies, teachers, beauticians, etc. Jobs come though newspaper ads, recruiters, or even “a friend of a friend” or a “friend’s cousin.” Some survivors report that in advance of accepting these job offers, they knew something just didn’t seem right, however poverty is the main reason they accept these positions. The idea is “stay here and starve with my family, or try to get a job somewhere else so I can feed my family.” The fall of Communism in Europe had an incredible impact on the nations of the former Soviet Bloc, and unfortunately widespread poverty was one result. Women are more likely to be recruited for jobs they know are risky, because the risk seems to outweigh their present financial circumstance.
Working Abroad
When women choose to accept the job, travel arrangements are made. From the traffickers view, the key is to remove the women from all things familiar. Pimps, traffickers, and brothel owners all have the same idea – isolate the person, and make them dependent (physically, emotionally, financially) on you.
This article on sex trafficking in Ukraine gives the following real life examples:
Sergei Kostin, who works at the Way Home project for Odessa's (Ukraine) homeless, said that duping young women with promises of a better life in the EU was one of the most common tactics. "A lot of women have been deceived and have left the country." Some are ferried by boat across the Black Sea to Anatolia. Others are flown to Western Europe or taken by train to Russia. "We track down victims thousands of miles away," said Kostyuk [anti-trafficking charity Faith Hope Love]. One described how she was persuaded to fly to Istanbul by a friendly woman offering a job in a Turkish gift shop. On arrival she was imprisoned in a hotel.
Sofiya, 26, said: "They said my job was sex. A client came in, and I started screaming." She was sold to a trafficker in Izmir, who owned two Moldovan girls, then on to another, joining 38 women kept on the roof of a five-floor hotel. She was repeatedly beaten. After eight months she was arrested during a police raid, imprisoned in Istanbul for 30 days and shipped back to Odessa.
This Month Pray For Sex Trafficking Victims:
- Pray for the women of Ukraine and Bulgaria specifically, who are heavily targeted in sex trafficking recruitment.
- Proclaim redemption over the city of Greece – that it would be a place of abundant LIFE.
- Poverty is an extreme issue. Proclaim the provision of God in Europe.
- Pray for trafficking survivors, that they would not be re-trafficked and that they would receive hope, strength, and provision in Jesus.
- Proclaim the hope and provision of Jesus in the lives of women throughout Europe.
- Pray for discernment for potential victims, that they would not fall for the schemes of traffickers and recruiters.
- Pray for rescue. For freedom of victims currently trapped in sex trafficking, for wisdom, safety, and the safety of their families.
- Proclaim the true life, purpose and destiny of these women. They have been bought and paid for – by JESUS.
Suggested Resources For This Month
Book: The Natashas: Inside the New Global Sex Trade By Victor Malarek
Article: This article, referenced above, is an eye opening story of trafficking in Ukraine specifically.
Upcoming Newsletter Focus
We have exciting information about Aglow partnering in prayer with anti-trafficking organizations. Stay tuned!
Standing in the gap with you,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Anti-Trafficking Specialist
Aglow International
