Throughout this unprecedented time in history we have been encouraged to hear about the many people and churches serving and supporting one another, and we hope that in the end this global crisis will bring our communities, nation, and world even closer together.
Realistically, we also recognize that there are those who would take advantage of the chaos and intentionally target families and individuals who find themselves in a vulnerable state. We are now seeing that sex traffickers are taking advantage of this situation to entrap more people with false promises. But the more we stay informed and connected to one another, the more we can expose traffickers and their tactics.
In this time when “business as usual” has been temporarily suspended and quarantine is the norm, our prayer is that God would abundantly provide and identify creative opportunities for our volunteers, partners, and wider communities to continue fighting human trafficking through compassionate service. The following are some resources and ideas to help you prevent trafficking from your couch!
1.) Advocate for Kids’ Safe Internet Practices-
Because most children are now out of school and are likely spending more time on the Internet than during a normal school week, Shared Hope International is providing their Internet Safety Video Series for free. This is a great tool to share with the young people in your life!
2.) Brush Up On Awareness-
Get Informed on sexual exploitation by visiting our Abolition Now Resource Website and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation
3.) Refuse to Click-
Know porn’s harmful links to human trafficking and other forms of oppression, and refuse to click! Porn companies are offering free viewing of their content in select countries as a marketing strategy. According to Google Analytics, porn searches skyrocket by 4700% when kids are out of school.
4.) Tips for Mentors or Those Who Have A Youth In Their Life:
- Meet virtually: FaceTime, Skype, Messenger, etc.
- Play online games together (iPhone Games such as “Game Pigeon” are great)
- Ask how you can pray for them and their family
- Encourage them to be especially careful of online predators during this time, as companies are offering free porn to customers and sex traffickers are taking advantage of kids’ increased screen time.
Okay so technically these ones aren’t from your couch but are still great ideas!
- Take one of your youth on a walk (with the new “stay home, save lives” order, we are able to go outside and on a walk, while keeping a 6 foot distance)
- Drop off a goodie bag/care package to their doorstep
- Offer to shop for their family
- Drop off craft supplies at their door & do them together virtually
5.) Share With Others-
We put together shareable social media graphics (Facebook and Instagram) with some of these creative ideas to fight human trafficking from your couch. Feel free to share them and the link to this blog post with your networks!
Thank you so much for considering how you can step into the gaps and help prevent human trafficking in the time of Coronavirus. We are so thankful for you!
Some more articles from our blog on human trafficking awareness and prevention:
- A Look Inside the “Confidence Game”
- Survivors Agree Decriminalizing the Sex Trade Would Be a Mistake
- Trafficking Awareness: Does It Make a Difference?
