Pain and Hope in India

Human trafficking remains a global scourge. According to the U.S. State Department’s 2013 report, “social scientists estimate that as many as 27 million men, women, and children are trafficking victims at any given time.”

27 million people.

And while we have come a long way in combating trafficking, the report estimates that only around 40,000 victims have been identified in the last year. In other words, we are barely making a dent in the problem.

Closer to home, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services estimates that California is one of the top three states in the nation for human trafficking (here). Just last month, the FBI recovered 105 sexually exploited children in this country, including several in this state.

Today allow me to share with you this photo essay. For me it’s equal parts pain and hope. Pain, in the sense that girls and women have to endure this in today’s world. Hope, in the sense that there are people who are doing something about the pain.

I recommend slowly experiencing the photo essay in an attitude of prayer.

Lord have mercy.

I’ve blogged before on these issues here, here, and here.