Everyday Abolitionists

All these people have full-time jobs in other professions, but they’re using their God-given gifts to make a difference and help stop the traffic.

• Lucy Ann Moll hosts “Save the Girls” yard sales to raise money for anti-trafficking organizations. To help others do the same, she posted how-to information on her blog, including signs, promotional material, news releases, and so on (lucyannmoll.com).

• Marlene Hoenig started a ministry to pray for and counsel adult victims of human trafficking (cinderella released.blogspot.com).

• Eric Proffitt (left), a singer and homeschooling father, ran 500 miles—in chains—to draw attention to child trafficking and raise funds to fight it (run4therescue.com).

• Emily Bain Murphy launched a blog to promote awareness about human trafficking and share information and resources (seasonoflight.blogspot.com).

• Stephanie Hamilton also started a blog, where she raises awareness about human trafficking and networks with other abolitionists (nowhere2hide.org). She also volunteers as a justice advocate with International Justice Mission, connecting with churches and other organizations to move people toward action.

• Art students from Florida State University taught art therapy to rescued victims, who used visual art to express their experiences.

In addition, these two ministries exist to help fight human trafficking.

Handbags for Justice

I first encountered human trafficking on a mission trip to Thailand,” says Emily Hill, founder of Stop Traffick Fashion. “I visited a home for young girls rescued from child prostitution. It struck me as horrifying that those sweet, exuberant girls, aged 7 to 14, had once been forced into prostitution.”

Hill knew her life would never be the same. She refused to become paralyzed by the overwhelming need and instead channeled her outrage into a response—launching a company called Stop Traffick Fashion (stoptraffickfashion.com).

The online company sells handbags and jewelry made by trafficking survivors in Nepal, India, Thailand and elsewhere.

Hill has a full-time job and decided to start the boutique on the side to help the victims of human trafficking.

“Anyone can take their individual skills and gifts to make a difference,” she says.

A One-Woman Crusade

Diana Scimone, who wrote this article, has been writing for Charisma for nearly 20 years. Her stories have taken readers to Sudan, China, the Philippines, Thailand and other places where she’s seen the devastation that many of the world’s children face.

Scimone’s heart was particularly broken by kids trapped in the child sex trade. “I kept hearing that children get lured into sex slavery because they don’t know the deceptive tactics of traffickers,” Scimone says.

To respond to this need, she launched a nonprofit organization and started writing awareness materials to educate kids, parents and teachers about the dangers of child trafficking. The Born to Fly Project (born2fly.org) hopes to distribute the materials this winter to at-risk kids all over the world.

“Just by educating kids and their parents,” Scimone says, “we can dramatically cut the rate of trafficking and save literally millions of kids from ever enduring this nightmare.”