A JOURNAL FOR THE PRAC TICE OF RECONCILIATION
Summer 2010
VOL. 30, NO. 3
Human Trafficking, Slavery
and Sexual Exploitation
A number of years ago, a representative from
International Justice Mission (IJM) spoke at
the Grantham Church as part of our annual
Peace Sunday observance. That was when I
first learned of IJM and their work addressing the world-wide problem of human trafficking, slavery and sexual exploitation. But
I still thought of it as a problem somewhere
else in the world. Imagine my chagrin to find
out that not only is it a serious problem here
in North America but also near my home in
conservative central Pennsylvania. The PA
Turnpike runs less than two miles from my
house; some of the large 18-wheelers lumbering across Pennsylvania on the turnpike are
transporting young girls trapped in a life of
prostitution or other type of exploitation. If
this is happening here, it’s probably also happening in your community.
When I say “it,” I’m not referring just to
the business of trafficking in humans, however—that is, stealing and/or selling young girls
into prostitution, recruiting children to fight
in rebel armies, selling and hiring people for
slave labor, or being a sex tourist in brothels
in various place around the world. I’m also
referring to stuff that goes on much closer
to home: the husband with a secret stash of
pornographic magazines; the teenager who
sends text messages and/or revealing photos to everyone at school labeling someone
as “easy”; the family with the closely guarded
secret of sexual abuse and violence. These too
are forms of trafficking and exploitation.
Becoming aware of and understanding the
scope of a problem is a good beginning, and
this edition of Shalom! starts there. Several
articles, including one from IJM, the organi-
zation that first opened my eyes to this issue,
explain what’s really happening—not only
in other countries but also here at home, almost literally in our own backyards. Other
articles describe specific efforts to stop human trafficking and rescue and minister to
the victims. One happy article highlights
one child who was rescued from Haiti after the earthquake last January, saving him
from the exploitation that is almost certainly happening there. Pointedly, as part of this
year’s 30th anniversary Shalom! retrospective, I’m reprinting the story of a Brethren
in Christ woman who was sexually abused
as a child by her father, a Brethren in Christ
pastor. This is definitely NOT an issue we
can easily dismiss because it has nothing to
do with us or where we live.
Unlike last quarter’s theme of “Heroes,”
the topic this time isn’t pleasant. In fact, it’s
downright disturbing, ugly and anger-producing. However, new heroes are emerging
who are channeling their anger against this
ugly reality into compassionate action on
behalf of the victims. They are following
the principles outlined by the prophet Isaiah thousands of years ago and echoed by
Jesus in his first public message: “Learn to
do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan, plead for the widow….
He has sent me to bring good news to the
oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners” (Isaiah 1:17, 61:1).
THIS ISSUE OF SHALOM!
Rescuing Jayashri
2
About International Justice Mission 3
Resources on Human Trafficking, 4
Exploitation and Sexual Slavery
Setting Free Today’s Slaves 4
Truck Drivers: Transporting or
Rescuing the Victims of Human
Trafficking
6
An Unexpected Journey
7
fo c u s o n m cc 8
m i d n i g ht m u s i n g s 9
MCC Addresses Modern Slavery
Dealing With the Stigma
of Mental Illness
10
Fighting the Global Slave Trade: A
Review of Not For Sale
b o o k rev i ew
The First Lie
a s h a l o m ! re t ro s p e c t i ve
Anna: Accepting Pain as a Gift
11
12
Harriet S. Bicksler, editor
1
Rescuing Jayashri
By Christina Hayden
Jayashri’s childhood afforded her few op-
portunities: She was never able to go to
school, and instead worked alongside her
uncle making spoons at a steel factory—
work she began at such a young age that she
can never remember a time without it. Her
father was dead and her mother had abandoned her as a toddler, leaving her with her
grandmother and a young uncle in Mumbai.
But her life grew even darker when a local
trafficker took interest in her.
Uttam, a career pimp, sold young girls
in and around Mumbai. He suggested to
Jayashri’s uncle that the 15-year-old girl
could be prostituted in Mumbai’s sex trade.
Uttam would arrange everything. When
Uttam was approached by two customers
looking to secure young girls for an associate of theirs, Uttam confidently told the
men he could provide at least six young
girls, including Jayashri. The men negotiat-
A JOURNAL FOR THE PRAC TICE OF RECONCILIATION
Shalom! A Journal for the Practice of Reconciliation
is a quarterly publication of the Brethren in Christ
Church. Its mission is to educate and stimulate
Christ-like responses to the needs of society by providing biblical, theological, sociological, denominational and personal perspectives on a variety of
contemporary issues.
editor :
Harriet S. Bicksler
127 Holly Dr.
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
email : [email protected]
editorial committee :
Don McNiven, General Secretary, BIC Church
Lois Saylor, Elizabethtown, PA
Janet Sherk, Mechanicsburg, PA
Joel Wenger, Greencastle, PA
Please direct all correspondence, including changes of address, to the editor. A third class nonprofit
mailing permit is held by the Brethren in Christ
Church, P.O. Box A, Grantham, PA 17027. Third class
postage paid in Grantham, Pennsylvania.
2
ed a price and agreed that the
transaction would take place
at a beachside hotel.
But what Uttam didn’t
know was that his new “customers” were undercover investigators working for International
Justice Mission—and they
had been watching Uttam for
months. Immediately, IJM’s
investigations team alerted
Mumbai police and, together,
A Mumbai brothel area
they developed a plan to rescue Jayashri and the other girls
Uttam was selling.
Uttam had all the girls he intended to sell into prostitution
tricked into believing they were
being taken to watch the filming
of a Bollywood movie at a Mumbai hotel. On a warm, rainy August night, Jayashri dressed in
her best clothes, and excitedly
left her home for the filming.
The hotel was a luxurious place
Jayashri after her rescue in aftercare
for an impoverished girl; Jayashri looked around in awe and
excitement as her uncle brought
her upstairs to room 705. In the suite, sev- the row of girls, and passed a fistful of rueral other girls, including her 12-year-old pees to Uttam. He took Jayashri by the arm
friend Florence, were awaiting the promised and led her towards the bedroom connected
start of the movie shoot. Uttam told all of to the suite. Jayashri was nervous and bewilthe girls to line up in a row. Jayashri moved dered. What is happening? she wondered.
swiftly, ready for things to begin.
They had scarcely been in the bedroom a
While Jayashri waited for the filming, moment when, suddenly, the door opened,
next door in room 706, the IJM team and and police filled the room. Uttam and sevMumbai police awaited the start of the eral other adults who had brought girls to
carefully-planned operation. One IJM in- offer for sale were placed under arrest. IJM
vestigator, Brent, who was playing the role social workers were on the scene immediof a decoy customer, was already in the suite ately, sharing with them what was happenwith Uttam and the girls. Timing would be ing and comforting the girls who had been
everything. The clock hit 5:30. The IJM spared a terrible fate.
team knew Brent was moving into action.
Rather than spending her days in a steel
In room 705, Jayashri noticed that one factory—or worse yet, as a forced prostitute
man seemed to be negotiating something —Jayashri is now in school, studying history,
with Uttam—she wondered if perhaps he geography, language, math and science. She
was an actor in the film shoot that had yet lives at a loving aftercare home and works
to begin. After a few minutes of conver- half-days with a micro-enterprise organizasation, the man—Brent, IJM’s decoy cus- tion, where she is learning beautiful and intomer—pointed Jayashri out from among tricate jewelry making. She remains close to
Shalom!
her friend Florence, who has also lived at the
same aftercare home since the rescue operation. She told Sheela, her IJM social worker,
that her goal is to work someday as a beautician, and that her desires for her future are
not extravagant—simply “a good job and a
good life.” Through the dedicated work of
IJM Mumbai’s legal team, Uttam and three
other adults complicit in Jayashri’s traffick-
ing, including her uncle, have been convicted and jailed for their crimes.
Christa Hayden is regional director of church
mobilization for the Mid-Atlantic Region of
International Justice Mission. You can contact
her at [email protected]. Jayashri and Florence
are fictitious names.
International Justice Mission
Protecting human rights
International Justice Mission (IJM) is a
Christian human rights agency that secures
justice for victims of slavery, trafficking,
rape, illegal imprisonment and other forms
of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and social work professionals work
with local governments in 13 countries
throughout Asia, Africa, South America to
ensure victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators, and to promote functioning public justice systems.
In the tradition of heroic Christian leaders like abolitionist William Wilberforce
and transformational leaders like Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King, Jr., IJM’s staff
stand against violent oppression in response
to the Bible’s call to justice (Isaiah 1:17): Seek
justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan,
plead for the widow. IJM seeks to restore to
victims of oppression the things that God
intends for them: their lives, their liberty,
their dignity, and the fruits of their labor.
By defending and protecting individual human rights, IJM seeks to engender hope and
transformation for those it serves and restore
a witness of faith, courage, and redemption
in places of oppressive violence.
In addition to bringing justice to individual victims, IJM pursues structural transformation of broken justice systems to prevent
the abuse of vulnerable people. This is accomplished through capacity-building activities,
including training police and other local authorities, building social demand for robust
law enforcement and responsive judicial
systems, working to decrease vulnerability
to violent abuse in high-risk communities
and advocating with local governments on
behalf of the poor.
IJM also believes that God is calling his
global church to courageously and faithfully answer his command to seek justice on
behalf of the oppressed. We desire to see the
church grow in its understanding of and passion for God’s call to seek justice and rescue
the oppressed in their own communities and
around the world. To that end, IJM’s Church
Mobilization team encourages and equips
churches, student groups, and other partners
in ministry with helpful resources, information and opportunities to deeply engage in
biblical justice prayer, study and ministry.
In his call to us to seek justice for victims
of violent oppression, God offers a rugged
challenge—a task that requires the great
energy stored in the global church. The
work of justice can be difficult and even
scary for believers unaccustomed to facing
violence—but it is not work we are asked
to undertake alone. As we follow his call to
bring victims of injustice the relief they urgently need, God frees us from the fear and
triviality that can stifle our faith. He only
asks that we bring him what we have—our
loaves and fish—and allow him to do the
miracles of rescue and redemption.
As your church steps forward in the
adventure of following this call to seek jus-
tice and rescue the oppressed, we believe you
will discover that this work is truly a journey.
While no two churches are the same, we have
found that this justice journey usually involves
three phases – Educate, Explore and Engage.
The first step on the justice journey is
education—discovering God’s call to justice
and what it means for your congregation.
As Christian leaders, we must come under
the biblical conviction that God is a God of
justice, he hears the cries of the oppressed,
and he clearly calls the church to bring
light to the darkest places of oppression
and violence. In the Explore phase, you can
give this biblical foundation context as you
learn about the justice issues within your
congregation, your community and your
world—and about the specific gifts and
skills your church community could bring
to this battle. In the Engage phase, you will
put your prayerful study and investigation
to action as you discover and implement the
specific ways your church can contribute to
the work of justice in the world.
IJM’s Church Mobilization team has the
privilege of walking alongside hundreds of
churches as they courageously begin their justice journey and learn to use their “loaves and
fish” to make a life-changing impact on those
who suffer from violent oppression. You can
visit www.ijm.org or email churches@
ijm.org to request an IJM speaker or learn
more about resources and opportunities for
justice ministry.
3
Resources on Human Trafficking,
Exploitation and Sexual Slavery
Setting Free
Today’s Slaves
Available through International Justice Mission (IJM)
by Joe Vigliano
Biblical Study and Prayer on Justice
Sex? Slavery? Not your usual topics of dis-
• Churches can invite an IJM speaker
to speak at weekend services or at
conferences. IJM’s message focuses on
the biblical mandate to seek justice
along with real life stories of injustice
and rescue to help congregations see
the miracles that God is doing and
wants to do through the church. Request a speaker at IJM.ORG/RESOURCES/INVITEASPEAKER
• Church members or small groups
can become IJM Prayer Partners and
receive a weekly email to learn how to
pray more specifically and deeply for
the investigations, trials, and aftercare
needs of IJM staff and the people we
serve around the world. Sign up at IJM.
ORG/GETINVOLVED/PRAYERPARTNERS
• Churches can send a group of people
to IJM’s Global Prayer Gathering, which
takes place every spring, to join more
than 1000 people gather to worship the
God of justice and pray for the work of
justice around the world.
Short-Term Mission Teams
• IJM’s As You Go: IJM Mission Training
Guide equips short-term teams or missionaries to research, study, and report
on violent oppression, such as trafficking, slavery, police abuse, land seizure,
rape, or other issues of injustice while
traveling abroad. This tool can also help
your church determine how to incorporate justice ministry into your missions
programs. Order it at BIT.LY/CCJXG7
Youth
• IJM offers a professional education
curriculum for teachers to educate
students about slavery & trafficking in
public or Christian high schools. Check
out the curriculum at IJM.ORG/GETINVOLVED/STUDENTS
4
• IJM and Youth Specialties created The
Justice Mission Bible study for high
school students. This study awakens
youth to issues of slavery and trafficking, builds a biblical justice worldview
in older students and helps them think
about how God wants to use them.
Order it at BIT.LY/CCJXG7
• IJM’s Loose Change to Loosen Chains
(LC2LC) program helps youth ages 6-18
use what they learned in The Justice
Mission Bible study or in Sunday School
to educate their community and raise
funds to combat slavery. LC2LC helps
children and youth do something
tangible and turns them into leaders
and educators on the issues of injustice
and the biblical call to seek justice.
Learn about the LC2LC program at IJM.
ORG/GETINVOLVED/YOUTH
Outreach and Advocacy
• IJM’s Government Relations team has
training materials and tools to help
churches engage in advocacy through
signing petitions for anti-trafficking
legislation, meeting with state and
national legislators, writing op-eds and
opinion letters to local newspapers, and
more. Details are at IJM.ORG/JUSTICECAMPAIGNS
• In IJM’s newest documentary, At the End
of Slavery, our investigators, lawyers,
social workers, the people we serve,
along with other leading abolitionists,
show that there is nothing inevitable
about slavery. Churches can host citywide screenings of At the End of Slavery,
or individuals and small groups can
purchase Screening Kits and hold their
own house-parties to educate about
slavery and take action with friends,
neighbors, and co-workers! View a
trailer of the film and order your screening kit at ATTHEENDOFSLAVERY.COM.
cussion for church groups. Which is just
what the enemy would like.
Most people—Christians included—relegate human sex trafficking to other countries.
And our stereotype of prostitution is often
young women with a drug problem who sell
themselves so they can buy their next “fix.”
The facts present a more chilling picture.
Yes, it is a world-wide criminal problem, second only to drug dealing in terms
of growth, with an estimated 27 million
people enslaved and between 600,000 and
800,000 victims transported across international borders each year. Here in America, the FBI tells us that they estimate well
over 100,000 children and young women
are trafficked in our country today.
Children? The ages of these victims range
from 9 to 19. The average age is 11. At a time
when young girls should be immersed in 6th
grade, many are instead forced into the violent world of sex slavery. Most don’t survive
into their 20s; the average lifespan once engaged in the sex industry is seven years.
And it’s not just a big city problem; investigators for ICE (Immigration customs
Enforcement) find these crimes happening
in communities across the entire country,
large and small. South central Pennsylvania is particularly vulnerable because of the
number of truck stops that serve the intersecting highways in the area.
The PEACE Promise (People Engaged
in the fight Against Child Exploitation) is
an emerging organization dedicated to rescue, refuge, and restoration for the victims
of sex trafficking in the south central Pennsylvania area. The key component of The
PEACE Promise is the use of the protocols
of healing prayer or formational prayer as
it is sometimes called. For girls and young
women who have been rescued and given
safe haven, inner healing offers the path to
restoration to their true identity in Christ.
Lindsey Flanagan, The PEACE Promise founder, remembers watching a TV speShalom!
cial on women and children in brothels and
being brought to tears. When she was still
crying 24 hours later, she realized God had
touched her heart for a specific purpose. He’s
re-affirmed this call on her life several times.
A member of Mechanicsburg Brethren
in Christ Church, Lindsey shared her vision with several others already trained
and serving in the presence-based healing prayer model used at McBIC. She met
with pastoral leadership at the church and
was given encouragement to proceed with
her vision. The PEACE Promise desires to
operate under the spiritual umbrella of the
church, especially in its formative stages.
The vision of The PEACE Promise is to
receive local victims of sex trafficking, house
them temporarily in safe houses and the
homes of church members, and to provide
inner healing through prayer as well as vocational training and assistance where appropriate. To fulfill that mission, The PEACE
Promise has begun the process of incorporation as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
Others have stepped alongside Lindsey
on this journey.
Bethany Woodcock, of Gap Community Church, has taken a key leadership position within The PEACE Promise, drawing
upon her education and leadership skills.
Bethany’s introduction to human sex trafficking came in 1999 while she was helping
to set up a refugee camp in Eastern Europe
during the war in Kosovo. A young woman
named Maria shared her story with Bethany, planting a seed that is now beginning
to blossom.
Susan Vigliano, a member of McBIC,
is an anointed pray-er. Trained and experienced in the healing prayer protocols, Susan
also acts as the prayer coordinator for The
PEACE Promise. She ensures the prayer
partners are kept up to date with needs and
requests and she ministers through prayer
and intercession to those directly involved
with The PEACE Promise.
Two other members of Mechanicsburg
Brethren in Christ church, Andy and Krista Dollman, play key roles in the organiza-
tion. An attorney, Andy is guiding The
PEACE Promise through the legal process of formation. Krista will be serving
as a life coach and healing prayer facilitator for the women who are brought to
The PEACE Promise.
A licensed counselor who specializes
in working with women suffering abuse
and sexual abuse, Cynthia Vander Ark,
recently joined the team. Until she attended a conference on sex trafficking,
she had no idea of the extent of its evil.
Now, she, too, feels particularly led by the
Lord into this area.
Ultimately, as many as 30 to 50 women could be served at any given time by
The PEACE Promise. Facilities are being explored and prepared for use. Healing prayer facilitators are being recruited
as are counselors and therapists in other
areas such as equine therapy and vocational training. People like Ang Moran,
of Mountain Ridge Church, are offering
potential employment for the victims
through ChangePurse.org. Ang’s husband, Dave, a worship musician is donating proceeds from a special CD of music
he wrote and performs. Bryan Flanagan,
Lindsey’s husband, has been training in
healing prayer ministry and has real gifts
in the fundraising arena. Robert Woodcock, Bethany’s husband, is providing
guidance based on his doctoral level education and his years of experience in the
missionary field. The PEACE Promise is
also interfacing with other related organizations like Northstar Initiative in Lancaster and FREE in Reading.
Victims of human sex trafficking are
lured into it with the promises of a good
job or marriage proposals. Often, they’re
just kidnapped. These are not just runaways
or abandoned children. Many come from
“good” families, coerced by predators with
experience and skill at finding and exploiting vulnerabilities in the girls they contact.
As with much of the sin of the world,
sex trafficking revolves around money.
In this case, large sums of money. The
law of supply and demand holds sway. The
men who pay to have sex with these young
women are in many ways victims as well.
Thus The PEACE Promise interfaces with
organizations like Transport for Christ and
Chapter 61 Industries to raise awareness
among truckers, truck stop owners and
employees and others who exploit these
women. Prayer for the “johns” is part of
what The PEACE Promise is called to do.
God is obviously at work in the intricate weaving of His tapestry as it relates to
The PEACE Promise. They welcome any
support people feel led to give, whether
to serve as a volunteer, to offer prayer support or to make donations of money, food,
clothing, shelter, etc. The PEACE Promise
can be contacted at thepeacepromise@
yahoo.com .
Joe Vigliano, Susan’s husband, is a member of
the leadership team for healing prayer ministry
at Mechanicsburg Brethren in Christ church.
Co-founder of Surrendered Lives Ministry (www.
focus-on-prayer.com) he has written several
books, both fiction and non-fiction. His role in
The PEACE Promise will be guidance, counseling,
and communications.
5
Truck Drivers: Transporting or Rescuing the Victims of
Human Trafficking
by Lois Saylor
… bind up the broken-hearted … proclaim
liberty to the captives and the opening of the
prison to them that are bound … Isaiah 61:1
Is that big rig passing you on the highway
transporting slaves? Today’s term is human
trafficking and the trucking industry’s connection to the problem of modern slavery shocks
most people. It’s just that we see them all the
time, big rigs on the highways, delivering cars
to dealerships, gas to service stations, boxes of
cookies to our grocery stores. We know truck
drivers in our churches, neighborhoods and
our families. We see the trucks stopped for
a few hours of needed sleep at rest areas and
truck stops. Places we visit on our travels too.
So how could these everyday scenes be connected to something as horrendous as kidnapping, forced labor, and sexual slavery?
The unfortunate truth is that human cargo has to be transported and in North America and globally trucks and truck drivers carry
this dreadful freight. Obviously there are lots
of truck drivers and trucking companies, if
not a vast majority, who would never involve
themselves in human trafficking, but others
buy the sexual services of enslaved girls and
transport kidnapped girls for money. Both
of these activities happen routinely at truck
stops. The perpetrators force girls to work the
parked trucks, and approach and pay drivers
to transport girls to new locations away from
their homes and familiar surroundings in order to isolate them. Both American and foreign women and girls are abused in this way.
The beginning of the good news is that
the trucking industry actively confronts the
issue. Groups like Transport for Christ and
Truckers Against Trafficking are working to
educate truckers and the general population
on recognizing and responding appropriately
and safely to this crisis.
Transport for Christ’s mission is to support truckers with the gospel through ministries like mobile chapels, newsletters, booths
at truck shows, and Bible studies. Their chaplains hold services and offer a listening ear to
truckers at truck stops. This puts the chap-
6
lains in the hub of the world of human trafficking. So Transport for Christ educates its
staff and chaplains, truck drivers, and truck
stop owners to recognize and respond to
victims of trafficking. Things such as young
age or malnourishment or fearful, anxious
behaviors may cause a truck driver, chaplain, or truck stop worker to suspect that
the girl/young woman is a victim of trafficking. If so there are some questions they
could ask, but the basic next step is to call a
hot line number and report their suspicions
to the authorities.
The opening statement on the Truckers
Against Trafficking web site reads:
Human trafficking, a term for modernday slavery, is a $32 billion worldwide
industry with more than 27 million
people enslaved. It has been reported in
all 50 states and the number of victims
in the U.S. is estimated in hundreds of
thousands. This website has been set up to
enable truck drivers and other travelers
to learn what you can do to help stop this
atrocity (truckersagainsttrafficking.com).
Transport for Christ also holds webinars or live, on-line seminars teaching
people about trafficking. They promote
awareness and fund raising events, and
provide wallet cards and posters to hang in
public restrooms (available through Truckers Against Trafficking) to remind people
of the signs and the multi-lingual hotline
number. Trucking companies post educational materials in trucker break rooms and
offices. Driving schools have begun to educate their students about the link between
trucking and human trafficking. At an expo
in Tulsa, Truckers Against Trafficking reported that people crowded around their
booth to watch a DVD aimed at shutting
down trafficking and rescuing victims.
The groups addressing this issue from
within and alongside the trucking industry
work on the front lines. Willing truckers,
trucking organizations, and truck stop own-
ers can identify and help rescue the victims of
human trafficking. A recent TV documentary followed the story of two minor girls
whose rescue from abduction and forced
prostitution was triggered by an observant
trucker who called the authorities.
As the church we too can join this fight
by educating congregations, praying, giving,
and seeking how God might be moving us
into this arena of setting the captives free and
binding up the broken hearted. It is a call we
hear from the prophets of old that still rings
with truth and urgency.
Lois Saylor is a deacon and chair of church
board at Harrisburg Brethren in Christ Church.
She is also the chair of the Leadership Team for
the BIC Council for Women in Ministry and Leadership.
Human Trafficking by the Numbers
• The average age of girls in the U.S.
to be recruited into prostitution is
between twelve and fourteen.
• Pimps typically approach runaways
within their first seventy-two hours
of being on the street.
• One-third of American runaways
end up working as prostitutes.
• 17,000–19,000 women and girls from
outside the U.S. are annually brought
in and forced into prostitution.
• The average lifespan of a victim after
being introduced into the sex industry is less than seven years.
Resources
• National Hotline: 1-888-373-7888
• Web sites:
•
truckersagainsttrafficking. com
•
chapter 61. com
•
transportforchrist. org
Shalom!
An Unexpected Journey
by Vincenza Smith
There are times in our lives when we do
things with an expected outcome, but in
the end we find that the experience we were
anticipating is completely different on so
many levels. I was doing much introspection about myself and wondering what I
could be doing that would add value to our
world, for God, my husband, my children,
my family and friends and for myself. I felt
I needed to go on a mission trip to a country where the language was not English. I
discussed this with my pastor and his wife
who were planning a two-week mission trip
in Haiti. When I found out the language
of Haiti is Creole, a mixture of French and
Spanish, I thought to myself, “Perfect. I had
French in school and my background in
Italian is similar to Spanish.”
In Haiti we were divided into different
groups. One group built homes, one was a
cooking team and there was a medical team.
I was assigned to the medical team. It was often very sad and difficult to see the illnesses,
the malaria and the distended stomachs due
to starvation. One child in particular caught
my attention. He was six months old, skin
and bones with a swollen stomach and a
body that looked like it had been chewed
by rats. He had a serious skin infection from
lack of water, soap, shelter and clothing. I
wanted to grab him, clothe him and run for
the airport to take him home with me. He
stirred something in me that a mother feels
when she breastfeeds her baby or when her
child is seriously injured.
Towards the end of the trip I heard
that this little boy was being placed in an
orphanage and available for adoption.
I found out where and I immediately
e-mailed my husband and children and
told them I found a son and new sibling
for them. Their response was that if I felt
that strongly, they would support me. So
the unexpected journey began!
We signed with an adoption agency and
started gathering all the information we
would need for our dossier, which would
then be sent to Haiti for their government
to decide. We had to send originals of everything; duplicates were not allowed. When
our information was
all collected (which
took about a year), we
waited for Canadian
approval. Once that
happened, everything
was sent to the Haitian consulate in Ottawa, then stamped
and off to Haiti. There
they lost three original
documents which we
had to reproduce and
send again.
In Haiti there are
The Smith family with Jean
three stages before the
adoption is complete. We were in the sec- left over with no file attached to him—our
ond stage when our adoption agency went Jean! He had been taken in error, and was
bankrupt. At this point we were in year placed in temporary custody in another
three of trying to help and rescue this child orphanage. The U.S. military admitted the
who was six months old when I met him. I error and assisted in working with the Cathought that maybe we were not meant to nadian government to place him with us,
adopt him after all, and I was devastated. his rightful adoptive family.
We told our youngest daughter who from
After three weeks and dozens and dozthe time she was three thought she was ens of calls we finally were authorized to go
getting a brother that it was no longer go- to Miami to collect him. He has now been
ing to happen. In simplest terms we told with us for six months. He will soon turn
her it wasn’t meant to work out and Haiti four. I can’t tell you how blessed and lucky
didn’t want him to leave the country.
we are to have him as part of our family.
Then on January 12, 2010 the earth- We are still in the legal process of finalizing
quake hit and did more damage to this the adoption but we finally have him in our
already fourth world country. I was beside care. Praise be to God!
myself. I knew so many people there and
I thought, “Oh my God, how is Jean?” I Vincenza Smith and her family attend the Falls
wondered whether his orphanage was hit, View Brethren in Christ Church in Niagara Falls,
On. According to her husband, she is an incredsince it is in Port au Prince, but it wasn’t ible mother, wife, chef and educator, and one of
and Jean was safe! Praise be to God for the kindest and most generous individuals he
protecting these poor innocent children.
has ever met.
My husband Michael and I followed
the news closely when we heard about
adoptions that were now being quickly
expedited. Michael called the agency that
had gone bankrupt and asked if there was
any way the adoption could go through.
They returned the call saying they assumed not. We then found out that Jean
was one of 83 children that the U.S. military brought to Sanford, Florida to meet
their adoptive families. Once all the children were placed, they realized one was
7
MCC Addresses Modern Slavery
by Linda Gehman Peachey
The Bible records two amazing encounters
between God and Hagar, a female slave.
What is especially remarkable is that God
gave this young woman so much attention
and intervened to help her survive, even
though she had so little status in her society.
In fact, it appears she had no rights of her
own, and was used by others to serve their
interests and needs.
We don’t know how Hagar became
a slave. Perhaps she was born into a slave
family or her parents had to sell her in order to pay off a debt. We do know she came
from Egypt and may have been one of the
gifts Pharaoh gave to Abraham after he
took Sarah into his harem. We also know
Sarah and Abraham used Hagar to try to
solve their inheritance problems and finally abused and rejected her when her son
appeared to threaten their son’s status and
access to the family’s wealth.
Nevertheless, God did not abandon
Hagar but sought her out and gave her the
resources and assurances she needed to survive. This is an important example for us,
for Hagar is not just a biblical figure from
long ago. In many ways, she represents those
today who are used and exploited by others,
and find it difficult or impossible to escape
their situation.
During an MCC-sponsored learning
tour to southern Mexico in 2008, for instance, participants encountered young
women from Honduras and El Salvador
who came to Mexico looking for a job. Perhaps their families had experienced a bad
harvest, a devastating illness or a natural
disaster. So they came to earn some extra
money in order to pay off a debt or provide
for their children, siblings or parents.
Bar owners search out these women and
promise them jobs as waitresses. Sadly, these
women soon discover the way to earn money is to drink 30-40 beers each day with male
clients. To counter the effects of so much alcohol, they are then given drugs and soon
find themselves in a cycle of addiction, debt
and prostitution. They become trapped and
find it very difficult to leave the bar.
8
FOCU.S. ON
MENNONITE
CENTRAL
COMMITTEE
Immigrants to the United States can
also be caught in dire circumstances. They
may be promised jobs as waitresses, nannies or construction workers but then are
easily exploited and not paid fair wages,
since they fear speaking up or going to the
police for help. Women and girls may also
discover they are at the mercy of an employer who takes their documents, isolates
them from family and friends and requires
endless labor and sexual services.
MCC has responded to these situations
in various ways. In the United States:
• MCC staff participate in denominational efforts, such as the Statement
against Human Trafficking passed by
Mennonite Church USA in 2009. A
follow-up task force continues to create
educational and worship resources, encourage church members to learn how
to recognize those who might be enslaved in our communities, and engage
in investment and consumer advocacy
with corporations which use slave labor.
(See us.mcc.org/programs/women, click Human trafficking; and mennoniteusa.org, click on Delegate
Actions.)
• The MCC U.S. Washington office also
encourages constituents to advocate for
fair trade and economic justice, as well
as comprehensive and just immigration
reform. For example, the MCC U.S.
2009 Immigration Policy Principles urge
government leaders to:
• Create just and fair guest worker
programs, along with appropriate
oversight mechanisms, to protect
labor rights such as fair wages, employer choice and due process protections. Provide the opportunity
for immigrant workers to apply for
permanent status and, eventually,
citizenship.
• Ensure access to basic benefits and services for those lawfully present, while
avoiding policies that seek to deter access to public health and safety services
and lead to a culture of fear and isolation in immigrant communities.
• Address political instability and
economic disparity in migrants’
home countries caused, in part,
by U.S. foreign policies and trade
agreements. Create incentives for
sustainable development. For more
details, go to the MCC Washington Office website at: washington.mcc.org.
• MCC U.S. Immigration Education staff
provide education and Biblical reflection
on immigration issues, as well as legal
training for lawyers and others working
directly with immigrants. See immigration.mcc.org for more information
and resources.
• In New York, South Florida, Virginia and
California, MCC regional staff provide
counseling and information to help immigrants facing difficulties with their status or documentation. For instance, Gloria James, an immigration associate with
West Coast MCC and member of The
Lord’s House Brethren in Christ congregation in Alta Loma, helps immigrants
understand current procedures and fill
out the necessary paperwork.
• In Houston, MCC staff support community organizations such as Houston
Interfaith Workers Justice in their efforts
Shalom!
to stop wage theft and other unfair employer practices. See centralstates.
mcc.org/programs/houston.
MCC also supports programs in other
countries which provide ways for vulnerable
people to earn income. In Bangladesh, for example, some women end up doing sex work
as a way to support themselves and their children. Perhaps their husbands are abusive or
addicted to alcohol and drugs, or they’ve been
raped and then punished by their families.
MCC Bangladesh created Pobitra as an
alternative job training program for women
in these situations. Pobitra means holiness or
sanctity and reminds women they need not
be bound by harmful labels from their past. In
addition to handicraft skills, the program provides teaching about health and hygiene, mental health, human rights, peace and literacy.
Certainly, all of us can find ways to lis-
ten to victims of exploitation and slavery,
and work toward a world in which all can
survive and thrive. Just as God did not abandon Hagar, God invites us to pay attention
to and encourage those who find themselves
in similar situations.
Linda Gehman Peachey directs the Women’s Advocacy department for MCC U.S. Peace and Justice
Ministries.
Looking for Light in the Darkness: What
I’m Learning about Human Trafficking
by Jeremy Ritch
When I received this assignment to “muse”
about human trafficking, I was eager to get
started. Upon further research I became intimidated by the immensity of the issue. The human
trafficking problem is so widespread it is now
the second most lucrative crime in the world.
The more I read, the more I became discouraged with my lack of knowledge and
disgusted by how close to home this trade
is. There’s tons of information out there, on
programs as diverse as “Dateline NBC” and
“The 700 Club,” but no one seems to be doing much to stop it.
Estimates are that there are more than 27
million slaves worldwide today (notforsalecampaign.org). That’s more slaves
than during the height of the Trans-Atlantic
slave trade of the 1700s. Today slaves work in
sweatshops and poorly run factories in third
world nations and are being forced into prostitution and pornography. In South East Asia
the sex slave trade is booming. Young girls,
some as young as pre-teen, are forced to have
sex with adult male tourists. A majority of
these so-called sex tourists are from Europe
and the United States. Thailand, Cambodia
and Laos have some of the most popular sex
tourism attractions, but the trade happens
in just about every country in the world. A
staggering $32 billion is believed to be generated from this illegal and immoral practice
(love146.org). While the majority of victims are in the commercial sex industry, others
are used for forced labor. In India many slaves
work in brick-making operations where they
are subjected to awful conditions and inhumane treatment. Rebel armies in Africa steal
young boys to be trained as soldiers and
brainwash and desensitize them to carry out
grotesque mutilation and mass slaughter of
rival tribes and armies.
Fortunately, there are organizations—
many run by young people—trying to inform people like me who know very little
about this epidemic. The Invisible Children
is a group formed by college students who
decided to make a film about the child armies
in Africa. Their efforts have raised awareness
among young people and motivated several
other students to begin working on effective
responses. Love146.org and Notforsalecampaign.org are dedicated to raising awareness;
these web sites provide statistics, testimonials
and ways to be directly involved. Movies and
television dramas have highlighted the issue of human trafficking. Some in the music
world have also dedicated themselves to this
cause. I toured with a band called Sleeping
Giant to summer fests. They address the issue
directly on their latest album Sons of Thunder. Singer Tommy Green, in “Descending
into Hell,” says:
“Descending into Hell /Cause these Kids
are for sale, we walk into Hell/For those
locked in a cell, we walk into Hell/Some
can’t speak for themselves, we walk into
Hell/Even Jesus himself walked into Hell.”
With all the darkness associated with human trafficking, the church can’t sit idly by.
When I think of the words of Christ about
taking care of the least of these I can’t help
wanting to rescue the victims. Those song lyrics
really bring this home to me. The problem is so
big and so evil, we have to do all we can to save
these kids. As the song says, “Even Jesus himself
walked into Hell.” I believe Jesus will not only
walk into this human-made hell but stay there
as long as there are people who need his comfort. As Christians we must not only physically
attack the issue but combat it spiritually as
well. We must educate ourselves, be accountable to one another, know where our money is
being spent and speak out when we know we
are supporting the sex or slave labor industry.
We must understand how far-reaching it is and
how many lives are being destroyed.
Evil is everywhere in this world but so is
light. As Christians we have all the tools we
need to break the chains that bind people
spiritually; now we must also begin to break
the physical chains as well.
Jeremy Ritch directs Holdfast Ministries in
Harrisburg, Pa, and attends the Harrisburg BIC
Church.
9
BOOK REVIEW
Fighting the Global Slave Trade: A Review of Not For Sale
by Eric A. Seibert
Not for Sale is a wonderful book about a ter-
rible reality: human trafficking and slavery.
It is estimated that 27 million people around
the world live as slaves in brothels, factories,
homes and businesses, and in military camps.
Many people have little if any knowledge of
the global slave trade and this is part of the
reason it is able to flourish. Batstone regards
his book as “a handbook for the modern-day
abolitionist” and writes with the hope that
it will inspire involvement in the anti-slavery
movement (pp. 15-16).
In an introductory chapter, Batstone
provides some orientation to the nature and
scope of the problem which is breathtaking.
The global slave trade is an extremely lucrative “business” generating billions of dollars
annually. In fact, “the commerce in human
beings rivals drug trafficking and the illegal
arms trade for the top criminal activity on the
planet” (p. 3). Contrary to what one might
think, human trafficking is not an isolated
problem in a few rogue countries. Rather, it is
prevalent in over 150 countries which serve as
either the source, destination, or transit point
for human commerce (p. 4). A disproportionate number of slaves are young women
and children, and those who are poor and/or
otherwise vulnerable are the ones most likely
to be victimized by unscrupulous individuals.
Apart from the introduction and conclusion, there are six main chapters in the book.
Each of these is devoted to a particular region
of the world and typically to one particular
kind of enslavement. These chapters are as
follows: Chapter 1, “Shining Light into the
Sexual Darkness: Cambodia and Thailand”;
Chapter 2, “Breaking the Chains of Bonded
Laborers: South Asia”; Chapter 3, “Rescuing the Child Soldiers: Uganda”; Chapter 4,
“Undermining the Sex Syndicate: Europe”;
Chapter 5, “Sheltering the Lost Children:
Peru”; and Chapter 6, “Building a New Underground Railroad: USA.”
Anna Rodriguez, a USA based modernday abolitionist mentioned in Chapter 6, lists
the kinds of places or situations in which slaves
are typically found: housecleaning services,
landscape and gardening businesses, domes-
10
tic (home) workers, large-scale agricultural
labor, construction sites, casinos, garment
factories, hotels (housekeeping) nail salons,
migrant or transitional communities, zones
known for prostitution, strip clubs/massages parlors, and domestic violence cases (p.
265). Batstone also includes a helpful list of
questions Rodriguez developed that can be
used to identify a potential victim (p. 266).
These include questions like, “Does the individual have freedom of movement?,” “Does
a minor appear to be under the control of
an adult who is not his or her parent?,” and
“Has the individual been deprived of food,
water, sleep, medical care, or life necessities?”
Throughout these six chapters, Batstone does an excellent job of blending
dramatic stories of human trafficking,
enslavement, and liberation, with the relevant social and political background that
enables readers to contextualize what they
are reading. I found the stories particularly
compelling. They illustrate the devastating
effects of the global slave trade upon the
lives of men and women, boys and girls.
Reading about young girls (and less commonly boys) forced into sexual slavery and
young boys forced to become child soldiers
is heartbreaking – to say the least! The deceitful methods and violent tactics of their
handlers will make your blood boil and
cause you to wonder how one human being
could possibly act with such utter disregard
toward another. Thankfully, their stories
are not the only ones in this book. There
are also stories about the courageous and
tenacious acts of modern-day abolitionists.
Their efforts are nothing short of heroic. It
makes you want to join ranks with them
which is, after all, the point of the book.
In the concluding chapter, Batstone provides several examples of the kinds of things
that have been done or could be done by ordinary people to combat the global slave trade.
At the end of the chapter he lists, and briefly
describes, nearly 30 organizations working to
combat modern-day slavery. This is a valuable
resource for those wanting to learn more and
partner with other abolitionists.
Throughout the book, Batstone does a
good job of helping readers understand the
mechanics of the slave trade. He demonstrates
how slave traders/holders use deception and
coercion to their advantage in order to acquire
and retain slaves (pp. 100-101). Slave owners
threaten harm to family members, or the slaves
themselves, if they try to escape or tell others
about their plight. They also constantly manipulate the terms of the debt – for slaves who
in theory could buy their freedom—making it
impossible for them to ever pay it off.
Batstone recognizes that stopping the
global slave trade does not just mean rescuing people from enslavement. One must also
work on the front end, engaging in advocacy
and pushing for policy changes that will make
it more difficult and less advantageous to engage in human trafficking—or the services resulting from it—in the first place. Additionally, an enormous amount of time and energy
must be spent at the other end, after slaves
have been liberated. Quality aftercare is essential to assist those who have been enslaved
find the emotional, material, and occupational resources necessary to rebuild their lives.
In sum, I highly recommend this book
for age-appropriate readers who wish to
learn more about the global slave trade (the
“Advisory” on the back cover states: “This
book deals with mature subject matter”).
But be warned! You will not be the same
after reading this book. The stories you hear
and the people you meet will compel you to
act, to do something to stop human trafficking and to end the pain and suffering that
follows in its wake. According to Batstone,
“The hardest step to take is the first one:
the commitment to take action. The ensuing steps have a way of revealing themselves”
(p. 273). I am convinced that reading this
book will persuade you to take that first step.
What happens after that is up to you.
Eric Seibert is associate professor of Old Testament at Messiah College. He and his family attend
the Grantham Church. He reviewed Not For Sale:
The Return of the Global Slave Trade – and How
We Can Fight It, by David Batstone (San Francisco:
HarperSanFrancisco, 2007).
Shalom!
The First Lie
By Kristyn Komarnicki
“You will not surely die,” the serpent said
to Eve (Gen. 3:4).
It was the first lie, and it was a whopper.
For not only would Eve and her daughters
die, but countless millions would go on to
die in brothels and in utero; they would die
giving birth before their bodies were fully
developed; they would die of AIDS contracted from their rapists. And before that,
they would live in slavery--to traffickers, to
oppressive cultural practices, to poverty, and
to the pervasive belief that they were secondclass citizens. The value of their lives would
be measured not by how they reflected the
image of their Creator but by how much sex
they could provide, the size of the dowry
their families could produce, and the number of male children they delivered.
A Chinese proverb asserts that a woman
should be like water: “Take no form and
have no voice.” In India, where in some
places it is culturally acceptable for a man
to leave his wife if she bears only girls (or
refuses to kill her girl babies), many believe
that “raising a daughter is like watering your
neighbor’s garden” – a costly and therefore
undesirable undertaking since you are feeding her (and raising a bride price) only for
her future husband. Cows are more valuable than women in Hinduism, and in Islam a woman’s testimony in court requires
validation by three men. Even here in the
Land of the Free, where we pride ourselves
on equal rights and the broad thinking of
our Founding Fathers, it has been only 90
years since women got the vote – 10 years
after foot-binding was outlawed in China!
In their book Captivating, John and
Stasi Eldridge advise against blaming men
for this universal hatred of women. “The
assault on femininity – its long history, its
utter viciousness – cannot be understood
apart from the spiritual forces of evil we
are warned against in the Scriptures,” they
write, referring to “those mighty powers of
darkness” discussed in Ephesians 6:12. They
contend that Eve was singled out for special
attack because Lucifer, so radiant and beautiful before pride led to his fall, loathes her
as the representation of all that he lost and
all that he desires to be. Satan hates Eve,
they assert, for her beauty and her ability
to produce life – the two things in which
she most clearly reflects God’s image. For
me, that goes a long way in explaining the
variety and depth of oppression to which
women have always been subjected.
Human history appears to be one long
experiment in civil war, for a species that
assaults and undermines its females wages
combat upon itself. Here in the Western
world, where women enjoy unprecedented rights and opportunities, we have the
time and historical perspective to wonder how the human race has survived the
atrocities it has perpetrated upon itself.
We also have the resources—economic,
educational, political, and spiritual—to
act against these atrocities.
But even as we act, we must guard
against our own blind smugness, as the
following questions suggest: Are we as
aghast at the practice among wealthy
Western women of yielding to the plastic
surgeon’s knife in order to meet conventional beauty standards as we are at the
practice of “circumcising” young African
girls to make them acceptable to their
future husbands? Are we prepared to critique our freedom-of-speech-at-any-cost
culture that scripts and films rape as entertainment, even as we denounce the terrorism of systematic rape in the Congo?
Can we aggressively and lovingly expose
the patriarchal attitudes that confine and
accuse and condescend to women in the
very place that should be most liberating—the church of Jesus Christ?
I pray that the content of these pages
[the March/April 2010 edition of Prism
magazine) breaks your heart, arouses your
ire, brings you to your knees, and then
sends you into action: to write a check in
support of a fistula hospital or anti-trafficking campaign; to pen a letter to the
editor or a petition to apply pressure to
legislators at home or abroad; to volunteer at a local rape crisis center or sponsor
a girl’s education in the developing world;
to speak out at your church and challenge
the victim-blaming that inevitably accompanies conversations about rape, prostitution, and even abortion and single motherhood. May we be people who invite our
sisters (and brothers) to true freedom, just
as our Savior did when he said to the woman who touched his healing hem, “Woman,
you are set free!” (Luke 13:12)
Kristyn Komarnicki is editor of PRISM, the
magazine of Evangelicals for Social Action (ESA).
Reprinted by permission. Originally published
in March/April 2010 issue of PRISM Magazine
(ESA-ONLINE.ORG/PRISM). You’ll find more articles on
this topic, along with discussion questions, at 
ESA-ONLINE.ORG/PRISMDISCUSSIONMARAPR10.
Editor’s
Notes
The Fall 2010 edition is on “Movies.”
I’m currently planning topics for 2011
and would welcome your ideas to
add to some I’ve been thinking about.
For example, since 2011 is my 30th
anniversary as editor, I’m thinking of
revisiting and updating some topics
from the past. Contact me if you have
other ideas for topics you’d like to see
addressed in Shalom! next year.
11
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A Shalom! Retrospective
Anna: Accepting Pain as a Gift
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in the Winter 1991 edition of Shalom! I
asked Anna for permission to reprint her story. She
was gracious in her response and talked again
about how the experience she writes about here
is always with her even as healing continues. The
article has been condensed.
I have been learning that pain is a gift—a
gift I did not want to accept. However, because I have touched my pain, I am being
healed.
I have beautiful memories of my early
childhood on the farm. I made the greatest mudpies, ran imaginary stores, waded in
the creek, and did my share of the chores.
I also have beautiful memories of Dad, a
Brethren in Christ pastor. Since he was not
salaried in his ministry, he spent long hours
on farm and construction projects. Many
days I would ride his farm truck as he went
to the mill for supplies. I was proud of my
Dad; he was a very basic person and read
avidly, expanding his eighth grade education. His life touched many people and he
was a person worth knowing.
Now as those memories float back to
me, they are savored with joy. But they were
shrouded in pain for so many years. That
beautiful relationship of those early years was
obliterated in a moment. When I was a little
older, one night Dad asked me to sleep with
him. When the night turned into a nightmare, I simply didn’t know how to handle
12
it. It seemed like all night long Dad’s hands
were all over my body. I didn’t know what
was happening to me; I was just aware that
things were ruined, ugly! We no longer
could communicate and I could not trust
my father. I became angry that night but
suppressed it because my pious religious
training told me that anger was sinful.
The next few years are a kaleidoscope of
painful scenes. I never felt safe alone with
Dad, and I tried to keep out of his way as
much as possible. I was confused about Christianity as I saw him standing in the pulpit so
devoutly pouring forth with the gospel.
One night Mom was planning to
be away. I had tried to tell her was what
happening, but Dad would deny it when
she approached him about it. This night
I went to my room with real anxiety, and
later Dad forced himself into my room and
went to bed with me. I died emotionally
and I put a strong fortress around myself.
My life stopped and started that night. I
began the long struggle for survival.
I longed to be close to God but
couldn’t feel close. There were enough
significant Christians in my life that I saw
God was real. But even though I still felt
rejected by God, he kept calling to me.
Eventually, I realized my conflicts were
more than I could handle and I sought
help from a Christian psychologist.
He became a very dear friend as we
chipped away at the emotional barrier I
had built around myself. God’s love began
to flow through him to me. As the psychologist and I worked through the pain, my
anger toward my father and God began to
surface. I began to make definite steps toward a meaningful relationship with Dad.
As a first step, I asked Dad to pray with me.
As he held my hand while praying, God accepted my offering of forgiveness. I slowly
began telling Dad that I loved him.
The last weeks of his life Dad was in the
hospital. Each evening I would read Psalm
8 to him. One evening I sensed that he was
more quiet and contemplative than usual.
Then it happened: he asked my forgiveness.
A great flood of relief rushed over both of
us and I told him I had already forgiven
him. Our last words to each other were to
communicate our love for each other.
I would be happy to say that all the past
was healed then. But since his death, I have
been working through more pain. I was finally able to assume responsibility for my
anger and resentment. As I write this, I feel
more pain. Recalling those memories, old
feelings resurface. I cannot tell you who I
am because I need to protect my family and
the memory of those who knew my Dad.
But I need to have a name so I can be a person. Call me Anna. I have found strength in
the promise in Philippians 1:6: “I am sure
that God who began the good work within
me will keep right on helping me grow in
his grace until … Jesus Christ returns.”
Shalom!