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To the Editor:
Most people wrongly think slavery ended in America. They believe the work of Abe Lincoln ended slavery. Sadly, the institution of slavery is still alive, it just goes by a new name: Human Trafficking. Human trafficking includes both labor and sex trafficking. Every day, millions of victims mostly women (one-third children) are bought and sold around the world. Human trafficking is the abuse of children, women and men for their bodies or labor and is modern-day slavery.
There are over 40 million people enslaved around the world. There are more enslaved today than any time in history! The most upsetting fact is one-third of all sex trafficking is of children.
Christian Josh Peck won awards for a documentary called, “Silent Cry, The Darker Side of Trafficking” and found a high amount of child sex trafficking is demonic people using and abusing the children for occult purposes.
The United States is ranked as one of the worst countries in the world for human trafficking. America’s dirty little secret is the United States is the number one consumer of paid sex worldwide. So America is driving the demand as a society. Tennessee and Florida are the best states in the nation for their response to the threat of human trafficking according to the nation’s leading experts who gave Tennessee and Florida a grade of “B.” Shared Hope International grades and ranks every state in the nation annually assessing law enforcement approaches, legislation and survivor services. Tennessee has room for improvement. Sadly, most states are doing little or nothing to stop human trafficking. A total of 37 states received a failing grade of “F” according to www.sharedhope.org! Homeless, runaways and kidnapped children are forced into the sex trade. It isn’t safe for children to walk home from school even in Elizabethton. Amanda Berry from Elizabethton was kidnapped and was a sex slave for over 10 years before escaping in 2013. Every year over 500,000 Americans go missing. Traffickers love America’s open borders as they can easily kidnap children and women coming across the border. Our government doesn’t know where 85,000 children are that came across the border. Where pimps find victims are foster care, social networks, home neighborhoods, clubs, bars, internet and school. Christians need to do more for those in foster care. Those with an average age of 14 are trafficked it’s estimated. Abuse of children causes revulsion if anyone has a heart at all for God, His Word, the Bible, or the children who are being victimized. Pray that God will pour out His justice and pray for mercy and healing for the victims of abuse. Jesus said, “It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he be thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” Porn consumption is contributing to the child sex trafficking epidemic. People viewing porn don’t know if those they are viewing are consenting adults or even if they are adults. The internet and TikTok is full of porn. Anyone who buys porn or even views porn online is hurting children. Also, those who view porn open themselves to demons. There’s growing evil and demonic activity in these end days before Jesus raptures Christians, then the seven-year tribulation happens. There is a fact based Christian movie I recommend coming out in theatres the first week of July 2023. It’s called, “Sound of Freedom.” This movie could bring awareness to the great evil of trafficking. God’s people need to let the world know, God’s children aren’t for sell!
Sometimes the truth is very unpleasant. The Bible in Ephesians says do not only shun the “unfruitful works of darkness, but even expose them.” There is evil in the world and getting worse. We can’t close our eyes and pretend it doesn’t exist, and we can’t fight it with our heads in the sand, thinking happy thoughts. “You can ignore reality but you can’t ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.” Be sure you know who your children are talking to on the phone or internet and teach them to never give their home address. It’s important to be a voice for the voiceless and for victims. Victims have said abuse negatively affected them for decades after the abuse ended. Christian victims said only after they gave their life and past to Jesus, Jesus strengthened them, and delivered them from shame, suicidal thoughts, depression, bitterness and despair. Pain and heartache is real but Jesus with us in our pain and heartache is more real. The Bible says Jesus is near to the brokenhearted! Only Jesus can bring beauty from ashes. However, you will never know what beauty Jesus can make from your ashes or messed up life until you give it to him!

D.D. Nave
Elizabethton