The importance of acceptance

  One article I read recently about a girl who had been trafficked from China to Manhattan made me realize something. She had been offered a job abroad, and ended up in an office - in midtown Manhattan - with strange men, and after they gang raped and beat her, they videotaped her in humiliating poses, and threatened to send the video to her family if she didn't comply to their demands. She was forced into prostitution, and at some point eventually got arrested. The police asked her if she had been trafficked into the country, and she said no. She was afraid if she made it known to the police that she was a victim of any sort, her captors would send the videotape to her family.

  This brings up many things. One: so many times we think of human trafficking happening in and around third-world countries, but the truth is, it happens everywhere. Even America. Two: a myth surrounding the issue of prostitution is the thought that it is the choice of the sex worker to be in that industry. More often than not, that's completely not the case. Many are forced and enslaved. 

  What struck me the most about this story, was that this girl was more afraid of what her family would think of her, than she was of going back to her pimp, and working the streets selling her body for sex, repeatedly raped and probably beaten every single day. I understand that the Asian culture puts a great deal of emphasis on family honor and status, but something has gone wrong when a girl would rather be violated every day than be rescued from that situation, and have her parents know about it.


  Something I found interesting about the children in Romania who had been dumped in the orphanage, was the fact that they still longed to be accepted by family. It didn't matter if they were still in contact with family, or they knew that their parents wanted nothing to do with them, they would jump at the slightest gesture - a phone call, a letter, an invitation to visit. I believe God created us to thrive in community. We were not meant to be isolated. That is why God said when He created Adam that it was "not good for man to be alone." He created the family structure for our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual growth. When that family structure breaks down, we are vulnerable to harm in every area. The good news is that when we accept God, He puts us in a new family! And in that, there is restoration and healing.

  My prayer is that mothers and fathers will realize that their unconditional love and acceptance is more important than reputation. If those girls who ran away from home and are now "working" the streets, knew that their parents loved and accepted them no matter what, and were not going to be made to feel ashamed, they may run back home. Unfortunately, when we are rejected, we tend to look to anyone to feel accepted. And sometimes it's the wrong acceptance.

Human Trafficking & Romania

Romania is one of the poorest countries in eastern Europe, making it fertile ground for human traffickers. Men, women, and children alike are trafficked in Romania for labor & sex trade. According to Romanian police statistics, about 3,000 children disappear each year... just disappear.

All of this information came to me unexpectedly (how did I not think to look up "safe houses in Romania" on Google??) I didn't think there were any, until I stumbled upon a random website via an organization I follow on Twitter. (By the way, I used to think Twitter was utterly ridiculous, and just another way for us to idolize celebrities and boost our American egos by seeing how many people we can get to "follow" our mindless, absurd "tweets".... and I still pretty much think that. But praise God for the networking possibilities of the Internet! A lot of the organizations I do "follow" on Twitter are a big source of where I get my information regarding human trafficking. Now if only I could get 1+ million followers..... JK!)

All this to say, a few days ago, I had no idea if there were any efforts made to prevent human trafficking in Romania via the government, or locals. And then I discover there are laws against trafficking, and there are safe houses! I suppose I'm a few steps behind on the informative scale, but I just see this as another stepping stone towards the amazing plan God has for my life.


And all I can say is, who am I?