Prostitution, Human Trafficking, Me, and Minnesota

 When a person thinks of modern slavery or human trafficking, the most typical thing to envision is girls in Cambodia being sold for sex, child soldiers in the Sudan, or slave workers harvesting coffee in Brazil. It's a horrifying thing when looking out into the world and seeing this cruilty and atrocity but far too often our involvement stops there, with the big obvious forms of human trafficking. We let it touch our hearts and even our pocket books and even at times, our prayer, yet we think it's something that's "out there" like lack of clean water in Africa. 


 But it's not. This is something I have come to realize more clearly over the last year and particularly the last few months. Over Christmas break I was talking to several friends of mine and the subject of human trafficking came up. One of them who currently attends school in Duluth, only 90 minutes away, mentioned the fact that it was something Duluth was having issues with because of their huge shipping industry. Though I had never thought of it before, it made perfect sense. A combination of huge ships, no way to monitor them without spending a fortune, and an easy way to bring foreign women in and pretty Scandinavian girls out and it sounds like a traffickers dream.


 After hearing about that, I went on a search to find out more about trafficking in my area and the results were not satisfying. Information was hard to come by and not very specific at all. I could find no organization or ministry or task force working to stop this or even information about exactly what is happening. What I did get was the assertion that it is in Duluth. And the reservations.

 I live in an area with a large amount of Native Americans and reservations and again, it made sense that prostitution and sex slavery would be among them. Most people in reservations are below the poverty line and come from broken families filled with drug and alcohol addictions and general darkness that includes things like sexual abuse. But here again, information on the connection to prostitution and human trafficking was scarce. 


 This furthermore brought me to study Minneapolis and as I did God pressed this burden onto my heart for the city. Here I was able to find news articles and task forces and information about the prostitution and human trafficking that goes on and I have been left broken hearted. There is such need a short four hour drive from my house and it's in a highly concentrated area that there are a few ministries and organizations reaching out to the prostitutes. At the same time, not enough is being done. 


 The issue of prostitution and human trafficking is such a messy, all encompassing, tricky thing to fight and sometimes it seems like "enough" will never be done. More and more, it's becoming evident that it needs to be something that the federal, state, and local governments as well as the police department, schools, churches, rescue and homeless shelters, and general public need to all work together to help stop or at very least minimize.  It can look so huge and scary from this perspective, but if everyone worked together, some real change could come. 


 And change has come. My mom remembers in the 80s being able to walk down Lake Street in Minneapolis and it was everywhere. Has it gone away? No. But it has become less public and almost harder to stop. Sadly, change is a slow thing most of the time and it simply takes time. And in that time women with be murdered by their pimps, fourteen year old girls will get addicted to drugs and develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, eighteen year old olds will be faced with beatings and unplanned pregnancies, and more women will be destroyed by this raging monster. 


 It breaks my heart and very soul and it sets it on fire to let my meager life be used as a vessel of the gospel. Of the good news to those who are broken, destroyed, lonely, hurting, and dirty. Jesus came for the sick, for the prostitutes and sinners, and it's up to us to make sure that they know that. I look forward with great excitement for the hope of how Christ can use me to reach the prostitutes of Minneapolis both someday through physical and active work, but also currently through prayer. 


 It's hard for me because I want to do something hands on and relational, but it's a matter of time. I'm still very young and still live four hours away. But I have no doubt that in time God will show me what He wants me to do and that He will guide and bless my desire to work with prostitutes.