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| Infographic from the University of New England |
Trafficking 101: A Christian Response to Sex Trafficking in Worcester, Mass. with Route One and Bonnie Gatchell this Saturday, June 18 at 4 p.m.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime describes human trafficking as "the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them.” This doesn't require a movement from one place to another. A person merely needs to be exploited through force, manipulation, or coercion to be considered trafficked. This type of abuse does not happen for those just overseas. It happens right here in Worcester. In order to learn more, Emmaus City has:
+ hosted a sex trafficking seminar with Route One on with Jasmine Grace Marino, founder of Bags of Hope,
+ participated in a workshop with Sarah Durfey Dunham, founder of The Abolitionist Network.
+ welcomed Cara Garrity from Route One to join us and share during the International Justice Mission Freedom Weekend
+ And on Saturday, June 18 after our service, we will welcome Bonnie Gatchell, co-founder of Route One, to share more about how we can grow in awareness and advocacy in our city.
I was introduced to Bonnie back in May 2016, when another person from Emmaus City and I were generously invited to come to Boston and hear about how sex trafficking is being recognized and confronted by humble and courageous people in the greater Boston area. Bonnie helped lead the discussion. You can also hear more from Bonnie through the Tedx she gave at Wellesley College.
On that day in Boston, I learned that 83% of those who are being exploited in the U.S. are American citizens. And out of all being exploited, 40% are children. Nearly 90% of those in the commercial sex traded were sexually abused as children. For example, 90% of women who work in strip clubs were abused before 18 years old, and nearly 80% of these women who are working in the clubs experience shame and low value. And 1 out of 3 women in the U.S. has a whole have been abused in some capacity. The average age of women in the sex industry is 14-62 years old. Many of these statistics are provided by the U.S. Justice Department in their focuses on labor and sex trafficking.
In Boston proper alone, there are 250+ pimps. Pimping or street hustling tends to be a family affair that is passed down from a relative. It's less risky and more profitable to sell women than it is to sell drugs. If the world's oldest profession is prostitution, then the world's oldest oppression is being trafficked.
Along with learning the statistics and information above, Emmaus City Church had the privilege of hearing from Jasmine Grace Marino when we welcomed her to Worcester. Jasmine generously told us her story of being trafficked, while also sharing how she now lives and works to give other girls hope. She made it off the streets, and she believes other can, too. Jasmine put another face on the issue of sex trafficking in Massachusetts. She told us her story to help educate us about the complex trauma trafficking victims experience and the difficult, often messy work of recovery. The darkness and damage is real. Jasmine grew up in Revere. She met a boy who promised her more love and more possessions than she had received before only to be persuaded over time to be trafficked by him from a nice house in Chestnut Hill that was called a "stable home" with other "wife-in-laws."
On that day in Boston, I learned that 83% of those who are being exploited in the U.S. are American citizens. And out of all being exploited, 40% are children. Nearly 90% of those in the commercial sex traded were sexually abused as children. For example, 90% of women who work in strip clubs were abused before 18 years old, and nearly 80% of these women who are working in the clubs experience shame and low value. And 1 out of 3 women in the U.S. has a whole have been abused in some capacity. The average age of women in the sex industry is 14-62 years old. Many of these statistics are provided by the U.S. Justice Department in their focuses on labor and sex trafficking.
In Boston proper alone, there are 250+ pimps. Pimping or street hustling tends to be a family affair that is passed down from a relative. It's less risky and more profitable to sell women than it is to sell drugs. If the world's oldest profession is prostitution, then the world's oldest oppression is being trafficked.
Jasmine Marino, Survivor, Advocate, and Founder of Bags of Hope
Along with learning the statistics and information above, Emmaus City Church had the privilege of hearing from Jasmine Grace Marino when we welcomed her to Worcester. Jasmine generously told us her story of being trafficked, while also sharing how she now lives and works to give other girls hope. She made it off the streets, and she believes other can, too. Jasmine put another face on the issue of sex trafficking in Massachusetts. She told us her story to help educate us about the complex trauma trafficking victims experience and the difficult, often messy work of recovery. The darkness and damage is real. Jasmine grew up in Revere. She met a boy who promised her more love and more possessions than she had received before only to be persuaded over time to be trafficked by him from a nice house in Chestnut Hill that was called a "stable home" with other "wife-in-laws."
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| Infographic from the University of New England |
In reading her story, you will hear about grace of God in the backseat of a car, the very place where she had done so many transactions. She shared how the faithful love of Jesus and the local church God connected her with helped provide her with a glimpse of what she was always searching for: the unconditional love of Christ. The journey was never straightforward, and she continues to need healing, but God has pursued her every step of the way.
The Abolitionist Network Sex Trafficking Systems Diagram
After hearing from Jasmine, Emmaus City Church also invited Sarah Durfey Dunham, who not only helped Bonnie envision Route One, but also founded The Abolitionist Network, to come and help us learn more. From their website, the The Abolitionist Network connected with the Emmanuel Gospel Center in Boston states that they "equip leaders to understand and abolish systems of human trafficking." They are a community of leaders seeking to understand the systems driving human trafficking in Boston and beyond in order to better learn effective Church engagement. They ask: "What does it look like for our local congregations to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our neighborhoods; preventing, identifying and ultimately ending abuse and exploitation?" Below is a very helpful diagram they created to reveal how one steps into the world of sex trafficking in Massachusetts.
You can also check out The Abolitionist Network's "Exploitation Response Resource Sheet" to begin to understand what advocacy might look like. Other informative and helpful resources include the My Life My Choice and the WBGH Boston articles: Human Trafficking in New England: The Role of Nail Salons, Sexual and Human Trafficking in the Boston Area, and Human Trafficking: Child Exploitation. Also, for a heartbreaking story about how trafficking is often in plain sight, carefully read Fight the New Drug's article, "Florida Girl in Bathroom Sex Scandal Revealed as Former Sex Trafficking Victim" and "Alia's Story: How I was Sex Trafficked as a Popular Mainstream Porn Performer." And here is one of the most emotional videos I've watched from a survivor: I am Second - Annie Lobert.
Book resources include:
+ Girls Like Us: Fighting for a World Where Girls are Not for Sale: A Memoir by Rachel Lloyd
+ The Just Church: Becoming a Risk-Taking, Justice-Seeking, Disciple-Making Congregation by Jim Martin
Those who are being trafficked in our city need a safe person to be a reference because it takes advocacy, money, and counseling for those involved to get clean and sober. Jasmine shared that the deprogramming is very similar to those who have left cults. There is a bond that occurs between victim and abuser. They need help. It takes time to learn how to live life.
Emmaus City Church is praying and inviting other churches to consider how they might meet, know, and love more exotic dancers in Worcester through faithful care and compassion. What might a first step for you look like? Anna McCarthy shares her story in "I went to a strip club." Is God calling you to have a similar story? Please pray and consider joining us on Saturday, June 18.
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| Infographic from the University of New England |
P.S. For a helpful infographic that pulls together all the images above, check out Fight the New Drug's post entitled "The Inseparable Link Between Porn and Sex Trafficking" featuring a powerful infographic created by the University of New England. Worcester Magazine has also provided some background in our city, "Sex Trafficking: Youth a Disturbing Target".
The Lord bless you and keep you always,
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