End sex trafficking in two steps!

The Center for Disease Control talks about Sex Trafficking and states that if we want to end this atrocity we should...

1.) Raise the status of women and,
2.) Eliminate the entitlement of men.

James Pond (founder of Transitions Global) quotes this all the time. But for several reasons I have had this two part solution rolling around in my head for the last couple of weeks.

Raise the status of women! (I will blog about the entitlement of men soon, two part answer=two part blog)

This is such an intense statement! Why do we have to raise the status of women? Why was their status ever lowered? When was their status lowered? How do we raise their status now that it has been lowered? I have 3 daughters and a wife... How do I make sure that their status is raised? I have a Mom, a sister, female in-laws, I work with almost all women, I volunteer with almost all women, there is a house, half way across the world with 20 women that are survivors of sex trafficking who I would give up just about anything for... How do I make sure that their status is raised? Is it my responsibility to worry about any of this? Why should I worry about a woman's status, I am a man? Am I more of a man if I worry about the status of a woman or less of a man?

As all of these questions are swirling (some of these are theoretical... I do believe that a woman's status should be raised and it is all of our responsibility) I have been thinking about an excerpt from a book that I read. The book is "Captivating" by John Eldredge and his wife Stasi. It has been a while since I read it, but there is this passage that I remember every time I think about raising the status of women.

John talks about the day that God made woman (if you don't believe in the creation story.. just humor me and put your attitude on hold for a sec and try to get the point of what I am trying to illustrate). So... God made woman... when did he make her? Last! Not because that is her place in line but because He was saving the best for last. John Eldredge points out that God had created all of these amazing things and yet it was incomplete. It was missing one more thing. John says that, "Woman is the zenith of God's creation"! What a powerful statement! The creation of woman is God's work of art! She is His master piece! (BTW John does this way more eloquently than I just did... you should get the book, it is a good read)

And yet.... Look at the state of women today.... It is, for the most part, despicable.

Here in the States we have grown leaps and bounds in the area of "Women's Rights" but there is still the "glass ceiling" and I think that some of it is out of kilter and off balance. Not to mention 300,000 American girls that are trafficked for sex every year within our borders. Even still we have, I think..., progressed further than other parts of the globe.

Even in our own churches, women are not taught to be captivating creatures who are God's masterpiece. They are taught to behave properly and to take care of the children and their men. They come home to men who do not know how to be men... these men in turn do not know how to show these women that they delight in them, and that they have captured their heart.

Overseas the status of women is also despicable! In India, according to Siddarth Kara author of "Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Day Slavery", 500,000 babies have been aborted over the last decade simply because they were girls. China has the one child policy which has led to lots of unwanted daughters. In fact, some religions teach that if you were born a woman it was because you did something wrong in your previous life, and maybe if you are good in this life then next time you will be born a man.

I am not naive enough to think that I can solve all of the problems (or ask all the questions) pertaining to the status of women in one blog (or in one lifetime for that matter) but these are just some of my thoughts over recent weeks.

Feel free to comment and participate in the discussion!

An average girl who is not so average...

Angel Daniels is a fellow abolitionist that I have had the privilege of talking to a couple of times via email and Facebook.

It is amazing to me how unassuming her website and blog are. I am absolutely amazed at the work she is doing.

It is people like her that inspire me to keep going even when I am sick, working in the middle of the night, the car needs work, bills need to be paid, there are tivo'd episodes of Lost and 24 that need to be watched, my wife needs a date, my girls need to go to the park, I need to workout, homework is due.... you get the point. :-)

Currently, Angel is working on her PhD in Clinical Psychology, with a focus on the effects of human trafficking, prostitution, slavery, and exploitation.


She has already been to Cambodia. While she was there she met with Transitions Global and was so impressed she wanted to continue the relationship with them especially in the area of Trafficking as it relates to the States.

She states on her own blog, "I became more and more intent on working with Transitions somehow, and it was at that time that I discovered that James and his wife, Athena, were expanding Transitions Cambodia into a global operation, and were starting a shelter in Portland, Oregon, for survivors of trafficking and slavery in the US! Can you imagine how thrilling that is?! It has been my goal to figure out how to help these survivors, and to start some sort of a program for the enslaved in our very own country - and now the hardest part (the getting it started part) is already being done! And by two of the people I most respect, using the most effective model of recovery worldwide! Eek!"

This summer, she will be traveling to Uganda, Africa, to study the reality of slavery and exploitation that occurs there on a massive scale. In order to fund this research, 100% of the proceeds from her art sales will be going directly to the Uganda trip.

U of O Students take action!!

Last year students at the University of Oregon held a week long event called Slavery Still Exists. These are some photos from last years event.

The event was so successful that they are doing it again this year!

The week of April 18-26 will be dedicated to raising awareness about human trafficking globally and locally.

Students and community members will learn about human trafficking and go door to door to raise awareness and support for Transitions Global’s Portland Shelter Project, a secure aftercare facility for survivors of sex trafficking.

The event is sponsored by ASUO Executive Office, the Substance Abuse Prevention Program, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Oregon Human Trafficking Task Force, University of Oregon Philosophy Department, and Transitions Global.

“Slavery Still Exists” week is going to engage the campus community and the city of Eugene to become aware of the issue and to do something about it.

The week will begin with an installation of 27,000 flags on the campus quads to represent the 27,000,000 people in modern day slavery.

In addition to the lawn project, and the lecture night, students will campaign door to door across Eugene to educate people about sex trafficking in Oregon and to raise support for Transitions Global as part of their "Buck Up Campaign".


The "Buck Up Campaign" is an initiative started by Transitions Global that organizes University and High School students around the issue in an effort to raise awareness for their Portland Shelter Project. Transitions Global needs to raise 1.2 million dollars to cover the capitals costs for the shelter. They have successfully raised half of these costs already, and are hoping that public support will build momentum towards the completion of the project.


On April 23rd The University of Oregon will host Bill Hillar, SAPP instructor, human trafficking expert, and father of sex trafficking victim; and James Pond, founder and executive director of Transitions Global.

"We know that when students are in engaged in issues of social justice, they feel more connected, they feel better, and they do better in the classroom. I am pleased that this group is bringing awareness to human trafficking on campus, says Dr. Robin Holmes, Vice President for Student Affairs. "This university is creating global citizens, and if students aren't engaged in making the world a better place, this will not be a dynamic campus.