There are 27 millions slaves in the world today. That is more than in the entire Trans-Atlantic slave trade. We all thought slavery was abolished with Abraham Lincoln and yet there is more slavery in the world now than in all of history.
Every 30 seconds another victim is ensnared in human trafficking. The facts show that 80% of trafficking victims are women and children. Children as young as 5 are forced into prostitution. Four generations of families are punished for a $10 “loan”. Children are forced to murder, pillage and rape as child soldiers. Lives are bought and sold as if people could be owned.
Someone should do something…and that’s exactly what we’re doing.
We started with a 2.7 mile walk in August 2010 to raise funds and awareness to fight human trafficking. That day nearly 90 people showed up and together we raised over $4,000. All of the funds were sent on to International Justice Mission. And we’re just gettin’ started! Our second annual walk was in August 2011. We were excited to expand our reach in the 2011 walk. The funds raised were used for both prevention and rescue (IJM is wonderfully skilled at rescue). This work, both prevention and rescue, is focused on sex trafficking in South East Asia. We are big fans of prevention. If we do some hard work of education and practical community development it will reduce the number of people that are at risk and vulnerable to human trafficking. We’d be glad to stop people from being trafficked in the first place. Yet we know many millions have been so it’s important to have a balance of both prevention and rescue. Once again, in 2011, participants raised over $4,000. The 3rd annual Hope For Freedom Walk is scheduled for this summer.
We desire to develop a community of individuals and organizations that are committed to justice. This site can be a place to meet up, gather resources, make connections and head out into the world with hope and freedom. Thanks for stopping by and being a part of the solution!
Check out the video of the 2010 Walk!
