Thank you for making a difference.

Everyday we are humbled by the gifts of people who give in order to bless the millions around the world who still hunger for food, freedom, families, and the love of Christ.  We think that there is no better expression of God's love than this, and we could not be more thankful for your support and for using your gifts and resources to show compassion to God's people around the world.  A huge thank you to Lauren and to many others who support such valuable work, we could not do it without you!  

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day-- 2010

What is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day?  

January 11, 2010 is a day set aside for all of us to unite and help spread the word that SLAVERY STILL EXISTS and that together we can make a difference! The more people who know the more people we can mobilize.

We are asking that all of our supporters help educate their family, friends, co-workers, and peers about the reality of human trafficking. On January 4, 2010 President Obama signed a proclamation declaring that January is “National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month,” acknowledging that SLAVERY STILL EXISTS -- YOU CAN BE A VOICE OF CHANGE!  

HERE ARE SOME WAYS THAT YOU CAN HELP:  

Follow our tweets all day on Twitter and RT to your network!

Share this with your friends.

Post this link on your blog or Facebook page. 

Make a donation to contribute to our SAFE home for women who have been rescued from trafficking right here in the St. Louis area.  

To learn a little bit more, you can watch this video to hear about the trafficking issue from ICA Staff, Jennifer Jones.

Join us again on February 1st for National Freedom Day!  

Between now and then snap a photo of yourself spreading the word about slavery.  Be CREATIVE, write in the snow, make a shirt, sign, or whatever else you decide and send it to cdodson@crisisaid.org for a chance to win a gift card from Starbucks and a SAFE campaign t-shirt!   

Should we legalize the sex trade?

One question that we are occasionally asked to answer is whether or not we think it would be best to legalize the sex industry in order for ‘prostitutes’ to become ‘sex workers’ who have the “ability, social supports, and freedom to put themselves through school and/or turn to more lucrative careers?” 

When stated objectively this is a question which appears to be harmless enough...right?  However, when this question is actually fleshed out it becomes about as ironic as using the words ‘prostitute’ and ‘freedom’ in the same sentence... 

 Let’s start by asking a few questions: 

1.  If a man knocked on your door and offered you $20 to rape your 12-year-old daughter, would you find that to be a “normal” request that was no different than the solicitations of the vacuum cleaner salesmen or the Schwann’s man?   
2. If I were to offer you a career that had [on the low end] a 26% chance and [on the high end] a 73% chance of infecting you with the HIV/AIDS virus within a year, would you willingly agree to take it?1 
3. If I told you that this same career would offer you a 68% chance of contracting PTSD [post traumatic stress disorder], nearly DOUBLE that of the returning Iraqi war veterans would it increase your chances of “willing participation?2 
4. Would you find it “normal” if you witnessed a person approaching a poverty-stricken mother of three in order to demand sex from her on the street?  

If you answered “no” to any of these questions than you see the horrible inconsistency in a belief that legalizing an oppressive industry might be a “benefit” to anyone involved other than perhaps those who wish to prey upon the weak and profit at the expense of the oppressed.  

To sum up our response.  While we appreciate your concern for these women’s access to social supports, and medical benefits we would ask that you force yourself to think through the irony of such a question.  At one moment, it acknowledges the humanity and dignity of these women in its assertion that they should have access to healthcare, benefits, education.  Then, it turns immediately around and totally objectifies women and children as “things which might be had by the highest bidder.”  This is an issue that we speak strongly about because it is our belief at International Crisis Aid that the answer to the problem of the sex industry is not to legalize it, but rather combat it holistically. 

Sex Trafficking: Resources for action in 2010!

With the SAFE home underway here in the St. Louis metro area we have received a lot of questions regarding resources that we find helpful for teaching people about the reality of sex trafficking in the United States. While there is no single work that can possibly explore all of the awful depths of this issue, here are a few resources that we really appreciate and recommend to you if you are looking to gain some further insights into the nature of this "business."   

BOOKS:

Good News About Injustice by Gary Haugen

A Crime So Monstrous by Benjamin Skinker

Terrify No More by Gary Haugen

Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy by Kevin Bales

MOVIES and DOCUMENTARIES:

The full FRONTLINE: SEX SLAVES documentary can be found at their website or by clicking HERE. 

The full CARGO: Innocence Lost documentary can be found by going to their website or by clicking HERE. 

HOLLY is a full length movie that follows the story of one girl in the sex trafficking industry in Cambodia. 

CALL AND RESPONSE: full documentary can be found HERE. 

A FEW WEBSITES and AGENCIES THAT WE RESPECT:

SOLD PROJECT

Salvation Army Initiative Against Human Trafficking

US State Department's 2009 TIP Report

STOP THE TRAFFICK

Lets make it our pledge to care for those in our communities who are victims of this horribly oppressive industry in 2010, your partnership really makes a difference! 

Contact us to see how you can help with the SAFE home: St. Louis.

$18,000+ closer to helping end domestic sex trafficking -- thank you Faith that Works!

On Thursday, December 3^rd, Faith that Works (http://www.faith-that-works.org/) hosted a Christmas Bazaar to raise funds for ICA’s St. Louis SAFE Home for American child victims of sex trafficking.  The event was held at a home in Town and Country, Missouri.  There were 5 rooms with more than 20 vendors who set up tables with their boutique items and other products and donated a % of sales to ICA.  In addition, several items were offered for silent auction, gift baskets were for sale, gift wrapping was offered, and more.  A special Christmas tree was set up with beautiful ornaments that had been donated so individuals could pick their own ornament for a donation to ICA.  Thanks to Faith that Works, the Vendors and those who attended the Christmas Bazaar, $18,398.83 was raised for ICA’s St. Louis SAFE Home!

A THANK YOU FROM ETHIOPIA

As the "Thanksgiving season" rolls around we want to keep the gratitude flowing and tell YOU thank you for all that you do to make thank you letters like this one from the Ethiopian churches possible:  

Below is a picture of the church leaders gathered to pray on the land that will soon house International Crisis Aid's hospital for Ethiopian residents.  Your partnership and prayers join with the prayers of our brothers and sisters in Angatcha to make healthcare an available option for many!  

Thank you for your generosity, your partnership makes it possible for International Crisis Aid to extend hope and mercy to millions each year.  Truly, we could not do it without you thank you for choosing to be a blessing!  

Sex Trafficking Music Video

Thank you to all those who have worked to produce this beautiful music video about human trafficking and child slavery. Take No Glory wrote "Beautiful Slave" after reading a true story of a little girl that was trafficked and forced to be a child sex slave. We hope and pray this song will bring awareness about the issue of trafficking so that we can unite to do something about it.  

Interested in partnering with International Crisis Aid's efforts to end trafficking?  Consider hosting a fundraiser, or emailing us to see how you can be involved!  

You can download the song from their site for free at:  http://www.TakeNoGlory.com

Sex Trafficking in our own backyard.

NEWS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI

MATT J. WHITWORTH

SEPTEMBER 24, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HUMAN TRAFFICKING INITIATIVE

FORMER BLUE SPRINGS MAN, WOMAN PLEAD GUILTY 

TO SEX TRAFFICKING OF DAUGHTER

CHILD SOLD AS SEXUAL DOMINATRIX FOR

BOTH ONLINE, IN-PERSON SESSIONS

For the full text, click here:  http://www.justice.gov/usao/mow/news2009/barkau.ple.htm

October Newsletter

Hello all, here is ICA's monthly newsletter for you to enjoy!  We are thankful for all of you who played a part in helping October to be a wonderfully successful month for all of ICA's programs.  You are a blessing to many and we are thankful for your partnership.  Don't forget to drop us a comment or let us know if you have any questions that we can answer for you!  

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSTANT SUPPORT!

Welcome Back from Ethiopia!

ICA's team returned this past weekend from an incredible trip to Ethiopia and want to express their gratitude to all the people who supported their trips and made the work possible!  You are an invaluable part of the work that God is doing in Ethiopia and we are thankful for your generosity in making this trip a possibility.  

Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and has an incredibly interesting history of development.  We won't bore you with that for now, but if you are interested in expanding your horizons a bit, the US State Department provides a thorough, but brief breakdown of Ethiopian history and culture HERE.

The trip consisted of constructing a playground at the orphanage, building a fence around the facility to keep the girls who are permanent residents safe, visiting the Red Light District where thousands of women and children are forced into the sex trafficking industry in Ethiopia, and spending time with the women whom ICA has successfully rescued from a life of trafficking with the SAFE program.  Here are a few brief reports and a video from Jennifer Jones, Program Director for International Crisis Aid:

"We spent most of the time Wednesday and Thursday working at our Orphanage. ICA currently has 17 little girls ages 5 to 12 that are all total orphans, meaning they have lost both mom and dad to HIV-AIDS.The team built a playground for the girls. They now have two slides and four swings. What was amazing was many of them had to be taught how to “play” as they had never seen these things before coming to ICA’s orphanage. 

The team also started building the fence that will protect these little girls. Until now, we have had a temporary fence, but now, we have begun constructing the metal fence which will have sharp points on the top. The team worked great with the local Ethiopians. Some passersby saw us working and stopped to help."  

"On Tuesday night, after the long drive back from Angacha, we took the team to visit the girls in one of our SAFE Homes. I was able to share with the team about sex trafficking and ICA’s SAFE Program. They met the girls, toured the home and vocational training rooms, and gave gifts to the girls. The girls also set up a table and sold some of the items they had been learning to make through vocational training. They were so proud!

We wanted the team to see the Red Light District, but didn’t feel it was safe enough to take them inside. Instead, we just drove along the perimeter of one of the outer streets late Wednesday night. That alone was enough for them to see more than they could handle. We spent maybe 10-15 minutes driving and in that time saw hundreds of young girls forced into the sex slave industry. It was a cold night and these girls were half naked, standing in doorways and all along the streets—just waiting for their next “client”. The “red lights” shone down on their faces, revealing the reflection of brokenness." 

Thank you for taking the time to support the work of International Crisis Aid!