By Krin Van Tatenhove, Presbyterians Today.
You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know. —William Wilberforce
Joe grew up in the Dorchester district of Boston, where unemployment, crime, and poverty made everyday life a challenge. None of us choose our families of origin, and the forces within Joe’s home were corrosive. His father sexually and physically abused him before vanishing. Both his grandmother and mother engaged in prostitution. A constant supply of drugs and alcohol fueled this furnace of family dysfunction.
By the time he reached adolescence, Joe found it hard to relate healthily to anyone, especially role models. He longed to fill the vacuum left by his absent father.
Joe was a prime target. An older “friend” began to “groom” him, buying him expensive gifts, taking him to dinner and sporting events. Eventually that man made sexual advances, and Joe was immediately introduced to a shadowy network of predators.
Joe is a victim of human trafficking, a criminal world in which victims are forced to work without freedom to leave. His name has been changed here to protect his privacy.
The sex trafficking that Joe got caught up in is only one face of an evil that has been present throughout history. Even as global human rights have advanced in many ways, trafficking has become, according to the US State Department, the fastest growing crime on the planet. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates its total market value at $32 billion.
Estimates of the number of victims vary widely, but the International Labour Organization calculates that 21 million people are in forced labor.
The Presbyterian Church (USA), spurred by its General Assembly, is seeking to become more aware and involved at every level of the denomination.
Related article: Presbyterians call for seven days of prayer and action to end human trafficking