Over a third of reported sex trafficking cases involved minors. (Image courtesy Polaris Project)
USA (MNN) — Thanks to a new law, human traffickers in the U.S. will have to finance their victims’ recovery.
Signed into law Friday evening by President Obama, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Law of 2015 achieves two goals: combating traffickers and helping victims.
It achieves the first by teaching those on the “front-lines” (law enforcement officers, healthcare workers, etc.) how to identify trafficking victims, and it imposes harsher punishments on traffickers who are caught.
Trafficking survivors are assisted through the Domestic Trafficking Victims Fund, which is primarily bankrolled by criminal fines imposed on traffickers and money set aside by Congress.
“It moves forward to attack a $9.8 billion industry here in the United States alone that impacts over 300,000 American children–let alone all the others that are trafficked from overseas,” says U.S. Congressman Tim Walburg.
Tim Walberg on the campaign trail in 2014.
(Photo courtesy Walberg For Congress via Facebook)
While domestic in focus, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Law sends a global message.
“It definitely says to the international community that if you come here, we’re going after you,” Walburg states. “And, we’re going after you with greater resources and tools than we’ve ever had before.”
That’s good news to Vision Beyond Borders (VBB) president Patrick Klein.
“It will help set a precedent around the world, [and] hopefully we’ll see more governments saying, ‘You know what? We’re not going to allow this,'” Klein says.
VBB works extensively in Southeast Asia, where roughly 34% of people trafficked to the U.S. between 2010 and 2012 originally call “home.” According to the UN’s 2014 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, over 20% of all foreigners trafficked to the U.S. during that period of time were sexually exploited.
Through their Vision for Women and Vision for Children ministries, VBB constructs and provides support for safe houses and outreach programs to rescue women and children ensnared in human trafficking.
Women rescued from the red light district,
worshiping in the safe house.
(Photo courtesy VBB)
As VBB partners introduce these broken populations to their Savior, Klein says the transformation is indescribable.
“These women are just beautiful,” he says. “They are radiant; they love Jesus.”
By supporting VBB financially, you can help more transformations take place. Or, click here to go on a trip with VBB and see it for yourself.
“The Church, God’s people, [has] an opportunity to minister to these [women], who the world would say [are] throwaways,” says Klein.
“We’re there as ambassadors for Christ and to show them the love of God.”
This reminds me of some wisdom in the Old Testament for such despicable practices that the traffickers do to these women and children:
Exodus 21:16 “And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.”
I have a feeling that if we followed this law today and kill the people who are found trafficking, this would greatly cut down offenders, both by being a warning and cutting down those who are caught. Take a look at Malaysia: they won the war on drugs because the penalty for selling drugs is death! Our God is a loving God, yet a just God. However, as I write this, this comes to mind:
Genesis 50:20 “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”
God can still use the wickedness of people to draw people towards him. And this verse is a comment from Joseph, a man sold into slavery by his own brothers, so it is quite a fitting context!
God does not tolerate it, but he is long suffering with patience that is superhuman. The Father has to be long suffering to see His Son be brutalized on the cross for the sins of the world & not his own sin; we truly have an Almighty God who would be long suffering such as this so that the price would be paid to save those who have put their trust in Him! May we do what we can as the Body of Christ to shut this practice down! And if it keeps going, may we use the power of God to bring these women & children out of the darkness & to Jesus, so that he may restore them to a level far greater than they ever were or ever would be on their own power! Pray for these women & children that are stuck in this, that God will remember them and will not leave them in this miserable state!