(Photo courtesy ReachGlobal)
Bulgaria (MNN/EFCA) — The United Nations estimates that there are 27 million slaves today used for sex and labor.
The reality is that human trafficking is an answer to a demand. It’s hard to stop because it is a broad, complex issue with devastating effects.
Trafficking’s specific definition, according to ReachGlobal (of the Evangelical Free Church of America or the EFCA), includes recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing, or obtaining a person for labor or commercial sex acts through force, fraud, or coercion.
The big question is: how can believers be part of the solution? Answer: get in front of the problem. The foundation of all anti-trafficking efforts is prevention. That means ReachGlobal is active in raising awareness, recognizing critical points of intervention, and fighting the many facets of human trafficking.
(Screen capture courtesy EFCA)
How does that look? Intervention, through ReachGlobal in three ways: prosecution, protection, and prevention.
For this story, the focus will be on the Prevention aspect. It works in the context of community development. It’s a long, messy process. You meet people where they are, and many live in broken communities and broken relationships. They need Jesus in their lives and the impact of His love, and the Church is uniquely gifted to answer the questions asked in a broken world.
As ReachGlobal responds to the needs created by trafficking, they focus on a couple of areas known as source countries. Bulgaria remains one of the primary source countries for trafficked persons in Europe.
(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)
The Sofia City Team is looking for a self-starter interested in networking with area churches and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) involved in or interested in fighting human trafficking in all of its forms. They’re looking for someone to access specific areas of need and gaps in current services provided in Sofia and the surrounding area by talking with many who are currently engaged in the fight. If you’re interested in exploring this avenue further, click here.
One last thought: while the issue of human trafficking can be overwhelming, it’s important that we remember that God has designed the church to play an essential role in this fight for redemption. You can make a critical difference.
