Greetings!  Because of the amount of sporting events going on this month, and that will become more frequent in the months to come, this month’s newsletter will be addressing the connection between sports and sex trafficking.  I will be specifically addressing international trafficking in a more detailed way in a future newsletter.

U.S. National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

I am hoping you received the Aglow Call To Prayer for January 11-13, 2013, as January 11th was the U.S. National Human Trafficking Awareness day.  In fact, the entire month of January is the U.S. National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, with the U.S. National Freedom Day following on February 1.  Particularly in January and February you will find a heightened media awareness of human trafficking.  Use this to your advantage to learn about trafficking in your area – what does it look like, what are the statistics given in articles, does anything you read surprise you?  This is a time to learn and share what we find with others, as many are more open to hearing about trafficking due to the increased media focus at this time.

Super Bowl & Sporting Events

For the next month between now and mid-February, I want to draw your attention to the issue of sex-trafficking that happens based around sporting events, in particular the U.S. Super Bowl.

Experts say the Super Bowl is estimated to be one of the largest human trafficking events in the world.  Sports-related trafficking is not limited to the U.S. by any means.  (The World Cup is also thought to be one of the largest human trafficking events; some anti-trafficking organizations have already started teams on the ground in Rio de Janeiro in preparation for the World Cup in 2014.) Human traffickers set up shop in Super Bowl host cities, trying to cash in on the celebration.  And cash in they do - one article says that, “Children exploited through prostitution typically are given a quota by their trafficker/pimp of 10-15 buyers per night...though some service providers report girls having been sold to as many as 45 buyers in a night at peak demand times, such as a sporting event or convention."

The New Orleans Dream Center states, “New Orleans is always unique, and in 2013 the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras will converge in a three-and-a-half-week party. We are calling it the Super Mardi Gras Bowl. The parade season opens January 19, the party hits a high point with the Super Bowl on February 3, and the grand finale is Mardi Gras on February 12.”

Due to the general atmosphere of partying and sports that take place during this season, let’s pray for our communities.  While I am specifically pointing out the U.S. Super Bowl, the following information is not exclusive.  Sports – any sport – and sex seem to go hand in hand; traffickers make sure of it.  This month focus on sex trafficking happening around your community in response to sports events. This will provide you with a good base for prayer when there are sporting events in your area. 

Red Light District?

Keep in mind that the old picture of prostitutes walking up and down the streets is transitioning… Now traffickers and pimps save time and women by posting ads online.  Sex Buyers find it less invasive and more convenient, to “pick and choose” or ‘order’ from the comfort of their own home, and traffickers find it less risky and more lucrative to use this format as well.  While prostitutes still walk streets, a majority of the action is now happening in suburban houses, hotels, and apartments.  A click of the mouse can send a prostitute, or many, into any super bowl party, sport gathering, or season training event.  Men traveling to sports events can also pre-arrange their meetings over the internet.  As simple as booking a hotel, they can book ‘companions’ for their sporting weekend.

Prayer Points

•  Proclaim the freedom of God over your community and the trafficking victims around you.  Christ came to give life and life    abundantly, and Christ lives in you!
• Prayer walk your local sports fields.  It doesn’t have to be elaborate – simply walk or drive by and take some intentional prayer time.  Proclaim the Glory of God in your community.  Declare the goodness and power of God to set captives free.
•  Pray for victims to be rescued, and for them to experience the love of Jesus, their savior and healer.
• Pray especially for trafficked children at this time.
• Pray that buyers are healed and restored through the Savior, Jesus.  Pray for wholeness in families.
• Pray for police and government workers who are looking for and responding to trafficking situations. Pray for these laborers that they will not grow weary in well-doing.  Pray for their strength and peace in their own families and homes.

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

Suggested Resources for February

Click here for a Prayer Guide specifically written for the Super Bowl in New Orleans; This 40-Day Prayer Guide started at the beginning of January but is a great prayer guide and resource for sporting events.

U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline Number
1-888-3737-888

This hotline is a national non-profit run hotline with call operators that speak multiple languages.  If you suspect labor or sex trafficking within the United States you can call in your tip here. If you are a trafficking victim seeking help, you can call here.  This is a handy number to plug into your cell phone to have ready at any time you might need it.

Upcoming Newsletter Focus

The focus for February will be a more detailed look into international trafficking and how trafficking victims are trafficked.