“Over the last 10 years, the numbers of women and children (who) have been trafficked have multiplied so that they are now on par with estimates of the numbers of Africans who were enslaved in the 16th and 17th centuries” (Laura Lederer, Harvard University, 2000).

I remember learning about the trans-Atlantic slave trade and being shocked that people could have believed that it was acceptable to buy and sell other human beings. It was as if they viewed them as property rather than human beings made in the image of God. Then I found out that the slave trade is still alive and thriving. Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar business in live, human flesh and souls, and there are trafficked people moving in and out of Canada and all around the globe each year.

I just returned from living in Zimbabwe, a country that is going through immense economic challenges. I met several beautiful, thoughtful girls who told me that they wanted to move to Canada and that they would do anything to get into a country where they could make money to send back to their parents. These girls are vulnerable to the tactics of traffickers who will take advantage of them, make false promises and then exploit them once they make it to the “promised land.”

On September 26-28, The Salvation Army is holding its third annual international weekend of prayer and fasting for the victims of sexual trafficking. As part of the weekend, Commissioner William W. Francis, Territorial Commander, is encouraging us to write letters of encouragement to women in Bangladesh, India West, Liberia and Mexico. Samples of these letters are available here. Trafficking victims are not just people “out there.” They are our mothers, our sisters and our daughters in Christ.

The idea for the first prayer weekend started in Canada in 2006, and now it’s a world-wide phenomenon. Salvationists and Christians will be gathering all around the globe to pray and to fast and to beg God to end this evil, unjust sexual slavery.

The vision for the weekend is that Salvationists and friends will pray and fast at work, school, Church, Bible study, youth group, songster practice, etc. Resources for the weekend─such as posters, bulletin inserts, PowerPoint presentations, short video clips, sermon outlines, sample services, Bible study guides and more─are available here.

The Salvation Army has a special concern for those who are sexually trafficked─people who have been bought and sold because of the great demand for commercial sex. Sexual trafficking is one of the great social evils of our time, and as a Salvation Army, we are committed to abolishing the trade and caring for trafficked people. We believe this can be done through prayer and prevention (making sure that people are aware of the issue), as well as rescue and restoration of trafficked people. The Salvation Army is fighting to release the captives─don’t be left on the sidelines.