Human Trafficking Awareness

Did you know that January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and January 11th, 2021 is Human Trafficking Awareness Day? Human trafficking is defined as “the action or practice of illegally transporting people from one country or area to another, typically for the purposes of forced labor or sexual exploitation” (Oxford). According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, this act of crime denies freedom to over 24.9 million people across the globe.

On Sunday, January 17th, we are having Deidre Pujols with us for an interview! Deidre founded Open Gate International in 2016, an organization that teaches culinary skills and provides invaluable job training to survivors of human trafficking, while also helping them get into the workforce. Open Gate not only operates in the United States, but is also expanding to other areas of the world. Don’t miss this impactful interview! You can watch by going to sgp.live at 9 am that Sunday!

What You Can Do to Help

While human trafficking may seem like a problem too large to solve, there are steps we can all take to start making a change. Something we all can do is raise awareness of this societal issue and encourage others to join our efforts. While the resources below help raise awareness during January, it’s important to remember that we can always be working to prevent human trafficking by promoting equality and lifting up those who are in less privileged positions in society (National Sexual Violence Resource Center). You can also help as a church family by supporting organizations that fight Human Trafficking! Our SHEPHERD’SGROVE Missions Team’s focus for this quarter is Human Trafficking, so be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay in-the-know of all the events we have going on this month and through March!

You can also learn about what efforts to prevent and respond to human trafficking are happening locally by reaching out to your state anti-sexual violence coalition.