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October 19, 2012 by SHI Staff

Brianna’s Story of Hope

Brianna was a “good girl” from a stable, two-parent home.
And yet the three men watching her saw her as an ideal candidate. She had a dream to get out of her small town … needed to make money for college tuition. She was vulnerable and innocent.

And they took advantage of her in the worst possible way.

Naively, she was lured away from family and friends … and into a strip club, She quickly realized she was required to do more than just dance.

Thankfully, Brianna’s family did not give up on her. They enlisted the help of a local police officer who understood sex trafficking, and who, in turn, enlisted Shared Hope’s help to extract her from the situation.

Brianna was rescued!

Today, Brianna still has nightmares that “they” have found her again … but she has become an outspoken activist, sharing her personal experience to save others. She recently even allowed her story to be told on a billboard in Times Square, desperately hoping her warnings will be heeded.

THANK YOU for doing your part to rescue and restore girls like Brianna. Unknowingly, she was trapped … and almost lost forever. There are so many other girls just like her!

As you give generously today, you will help us continue to reach out with the love of God to rescue the enslaved and restore their once shattered lives. You will also help us reach others before they fall into a trap, preventing abuse and victimization before it happens!

You are so vital to this work. Your faithful giving makes an impact! God bless you for what you’ll do today to carry it forward.

September 25, 2012 by SHI Staff

Story of a New Defender

Hello, Defenders! Thanks for checking out our blog.

My name is Ethan Morrow, and I am a fellow Defender. I became a Defender about one month ago, and my life hasn’t been the same since. I learned about the Defenders through my school, Warner Pacific College, and since then the Defenders has become a huge part of my life. In fact, I recently signed on to become a Defenders intern, where I will be offering my experience to help get Defenders active, educated, and encouraged.

Part of my background involves working as a computer teacher for the past four years, engaging students with the ever-changing technological world. I also spend a good amount of my time creating an online presence that inspires others to follow their dreams and discover their passions. I make an effort to live my life passionately, share my heart openly with others (through social media and personal interaction), and hopefully inspire others to do the same.

I am very excited about the launch of our new Defenders video, and the relaunch of our “Take the Pledge” campaign. To me, pledging to be a Defender is more than just a pledge. When you pledge, you are becoming a hero. You are standing up for the injustices of this world. You are caring for the broken, and you are changing the world one promise at a time.

The world of the commercial sex industry is filled with pain and abuse. I believe it objectifies women, and it turns them into animals for the sick pleasure of men. Not only that, but its proven through studies that the commercial sex industry slowly changes your mind, both chemically and emotionally; it lowers your respect for women, increases your sex drive (in a negative way), and slowly disfigures your understanding of love and what a true relationship with a woman looks like. This isn’t a myth. Indulging in the commercial sex industry changes your brain chemistry, and completely degrades women.

But hope isn’t completely lost. Restoration can happen, and prevention can happen. Ultimately, this industry can be eliminated. By taking the pledge, you are committing to change your life. You are committing to take a stand against the violation of women. You are committing to spread love and care.

Through the Defenders Facebook page, our blog, our twitter feed, and other social media, I’m excited that we can create a community of support for guys who have taken the pledge. We can educate each other, share stories, and fight against the violation of women. So, I encourage you to have your friends take the pledge. Support each other. Meet with each other and educate each other. Care for your family.

Let’s be heroes—let’s be Defenders.

[youtuber vimeo=’https://vimeo.com/48097600′]

September 25, 2012 by SHI Staff

Return to India: A Warm Welcome at the Brothel

The oppression of the brothel is palpable, assaulting all the senses in unison. The stench of the street mingles with the sickening sweet mask of incense, the dank narrow staircases feel like upward winding tunnels, each floor reveals clusters of women—lovely, dressed for work, bejeweled bodies, empty gazes staring. Quiet, there is no chatter. They languish. It’s hot; it is the slow season.

Each floor is owned by a separate brothel owner and we wind our way to the topmost floor where Reshma is the brothel owner. Timothy is welcome there, a rare visitor gaining entrance through trust. Like many of the brothel owners, Reshma herself was trafficked and her only memories are contained there. She wanted her own children to have a life away from that place, so entrusted them to Sparsh’s care. Two years ago along with Reshma we met one of her ladies, a very beautiful and sad Rekah, who also had given her two children into Sparsh’s care. Later that day at Sparsh we see Rekah again—now a transformed woman! She smiles broadly as she describes her new life reunited with her children, helping in the home and going to cosmetology school.

Reshma is more compassionate than most brothel owners and says she will come out as soon as her debts are paid. On this day we visit with four ladies that work for her. Haseena looks very downcast and holds her naked nine month baby boy as she pours water into his bird mouth from a plastic bottle top . How will baby Imran grow up there? What chance does he have? Rupa tells us she worked in a sari factory very long hours and made $2 or $3 for a 12 hour day; when she was offered the opportunity for similar work at higher pay in Pune she seized the moment… that ended up here. She will stay, she says, because she cannot read or write and she has three children somewhere.

Is there something you would like to do if you were freed from this place? Rupa and another girl giggle nervously. Puzzled by a question that called for a vision of a future beyond these walls, Rupa asks us how learning to read and write could help someone. Each of the ladies’ stories were the similar—they were tricked or sold into this life. Now here, with children to care for, with no education, they are trapped. We look on as Reshma helps dress Rupa for work, carefully folding the beautiful sequined sari and fastening a sparkling necklace. They urge Elizabeth to try on a sari—turquoise to match her t-shirt…everyone laughs and takes pictures of Rupa and Elizabeth together. But Elizabeth gets to leave.

To view the complete facebook photo album, click here.

September 19, 2012 by Guest

Survivor Panel Informs and Educates at Awareness Event

On Thursday, August 30, concerned citizens and activists in D.C. learned about sex trafficking from a survivor perspective. Policy Assistant at Shared Hope International, Shamere McKenzie, moderated a panel discussion that allowed the audience to ask questions and discuss pressing issues in the fight to end sex trafficking. The event took place at Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse in Washington, D.C. and was hosted by DC Stop Modern Slavery (DC SMS), a D.C.-based grassroots organization that works to raise awareness of modern-day slavery.

DC SMS will be hosting the 2012 Stop Modern Slavery Annual Walk at the National Mall on Saturday, September 29, from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM. Hundreds of advocates and concerned citizens along with numerous anti-trafficking organizations will make the mile-long walk in unity to express their support for eradicating child sex trafficking NOW! The event includes live entertainment, speakers and resources.

The night began with Bethany and the Guitar rocking the house, supporting the eradication of trafficking through their indie beats. The music was uplifting and lyrics beautifully written. McKenzie then moderated the panel discussion, which consisted of remarks by survivors Barbara Amaya and Stacey Lewis.

Amaya spoke about the stigma of criminal convictions on victims of sex trafficking in the United States. Currently, only 7 states allow survivors to clear their record of convictions gained during their time in trafficking. In most states victims are burdened with convictions on their permanent records, which follow them into and throughout adulthood. Amaya recommends citizens make a difference on this issue by writing their legislators and demanding new laws and policies be implemented.

Lewis is a playwright and actor who uses her skills to incorporate anti-trafficking messages into her work. Lewis spoke about the role of media in both promoting and preventing sex trafficking, and said that certain media exposure is important for educating the public about the issue so that they can take action. She ended the evening with a moving and powerful spoken word piece on her experience in the sex trade.

The event was a powerful reminder of the importance of this movement to address the sexual exploitation of women and children in the sex trade. If you are interested in getting involved, come out and walk towards freedom with team Shared Hope International on September 29! Follow this link to register for our team.

To learn more about DC Stop Modern Slavery and the walk, visit www.smswalk.org and www.stopmodernslavery.org

For more information on the women who participated in the panel, visit www.survivorsofslavery.org

September 15, 2012 by SHI Staff

A Personal Experience with the Defender’s Pledge

I am deeply passionate about this issue of sex slavery. I have three little girls of my own and I cannot imagine any of them going through what many of the girls saved by Shared Hope have gone through. I am so grateful for the work that Shared Hope is doing and I want to thank you for taking a strong stand as a man to see this horrible injustice come to an end.

As for how the pledge is working out in my daily life, I can say that I am doing my best. I have abstained from pornography, prostitution and any form of commercial sex . . . to the point that I hardly even watch television or movies any longer. Sex is used in almost every form of commercial entertainment and marketing, it is almost inescapable, but we must try to avoid it at all costs—even if that means canceling our cable, passing on the latest movie and choosing to skip the magazine aisle in the grocery store, whatever it takes.

I could do a better job of holding my friends accountable for their actions toward women and children. I know everyone around me knows where I stand on the issue, but I wish I were more outspokenon the issue. I am continuing to pray for boldness in that area.

I feel I am taking action to protect those I love from this market. I am trying to instill in my little girls an understanding that they are beautiful because they are created in the image of God, not because the culture or anyone else tells them so. I don’t want them to ever fall into the trap of being more concerned with their outside beauty than what is on the inside. I know that sounds like a cliché but I believe that is one of the fundamental lies that lead girls and young women into the commercial sex lifestyle.

Aaron