advertisement

Human trafficking is fast-growing problem

As National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month comes to a close, we at Church of the Resurrection would like to bring attention to the growing plague of human trafficking and the leadership of Congressman Peter Roskam on this issue.

As the world’s second largest and fastest growing criminal industry, human trafficking has led to the enslavement of nearly 27 million people around the world through coercion, force, or fraud. An estimated 14,500 to 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. each year, and here in Chicago, 16,000 to 25,000 women and girls are involved in the commercial sex trade each year.

At Church of the Resurrection, we’re honored to support and partner with Chicago-based ministries like New Name, Hand & Cloth, and Emmaus that work with victims of sexual trafficking. Through prayer, awareness-raising events, and outreach with these partner ministries, our church and many others are working to end this modern-day slavery.

While we continue our ministry here in the Chicagoland area, we are grateful to have allies like Congressman Roskam. In 2013, the Congressman spoke at a human trafficking awareness event at the University of Chicago, hosted a forum in West Chicago that highlighted the issue, and co-sponsored four bills that combat this crime, including H.R. 2805 the End Sex Trafficking Act of 2013, which targets those that buy sexual acts from trafficking victims. Lastly, the Congressman and his colleagues of the House Ways and Means Committee are working on a bill to prevent sex trafficking in the foster care system.

We encourage the Congressman to continue his leadership in 2014 and beyond. We also call on people of all faiths to bring awareness to the plight of the victims of this crime, so that we might end the plague of human trafficking once and for all.

Matt Woodley, Pastor

Compassion Ministries of Church of the Resurrection

Wheaton

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.