When Human Trafficking shows up on your door step...

Hi my friends,

Please share this post with as many people as you can. Please read this and read some of the links. The more knowledge we have the better we can help kids like these. And please never ever let your kid join one of these crews. Just remember, If this was your kid... Wouldn't you want someone to look out for their welfare? 

    There was a knock on the door and I saw the silhouettes of two kids standing out there. I opened the door to their friendly greeting and shook hands with them. The girl immediately went into her up-beat speech on the contest she was in trying to sell magazines for earning points towards a European trip. I chatted with the two kids about the contest because frankly it sounded a bit off. 

She handed me her pamphlet and as I scanned through the actual magazine selections I found I could not find a website or number to call for the business. I decided to ask more about what they were doing and to ask where they were from.

She quickly explained that they were on a traveling sales crew.

Wait… What? Traveling Sales crew? These kids were young. I mean the girl looked anywhere between 14-16 and the boy looked somewhere between 11-13 years old. 

Who lets their kids travel from state to state selling magazines with a company? My parent radar was going off...

“So where have you two been so far?”

There was a moment’s pause as they glanced nervously at each other. The boy finally chimed in revealing how they had been to Indiana and were heading to Ohio soon after their stint in Michigan was over. The girl then chimed in and gave an upbeat spin on how this was an adventure and great opportunity for them to see different areas.

I asked them if they were doing this for just the summer and they quickly dodged the question, instead, telling me more about their dreams of winning the competition with bright smiles on their faces. 

She even asked me if she was doing a good job with her speech because she wanted to work on her public speaking and better herself. I smiled and gave her some encouragement, but something wasn’t right…

My internal "scam" radar had been sounding off for a while now. What was worse though was my concern for these young teens. Too many things were not adding up.

I did not purchase a magazine with them, but as they left I immediately hopped online to try and find the company while calling two more neighbors to see if they would slow the kids down and ask more questions to find out as much as we could about their situation. I could not find the company, but what I did find caused me to call the Human Trafficking hotline immediately.

They immediately instructed me to call the police requesting a welfare check for the kids.

From there it was a tag team effort with another neighbor to talk with the kids and slow them down, but soon after my call their pick-up vehicle arrived. 

My neighbor asked the driver for identification or papers for the company they represented, but she grew angry and refused while quickly herding the kids into the SUV and rushing out our the subdivision.

My neighbor quickly shot a picture of the vehicle and license plate. A minute later the police arrived and we quickly relayed the information to them. 

One officer left in pursuit and after finishing with the first officer I left to check-in with the other neighbors to whom the kids had been seen speaking to.

Ugh.

I am so heartbroken my friends and this is why…   

Most traveling magazine sales crews are a scam. This was obvious to me and my neighbors. Their talk was good, they were clean cut, and sweet faced kids, but the lack of a website and contact number for the company tipped most of us off. The outlandish prices deterred the rest.

                                                                   

My deep issue with this scam is that it involved two under age kids. After researching the articles and information on Traveling Sales Crews and learning about the way they operate it was beyond disturbing.

Hopeful kids signing up for a job promising great pay, adventure, and fun, that may leave them as little more than indentured servants.

Ads similar to this one lure students to call...

Some of these crew managers hook them on drugs and alcohol. They refuse to pay them. They may even beat and abuse them when their sales fall short. There are multiple reports of rape and molestation and quite a few of these kids, as well as, adults are listed as missing people. Some have even been killed.

To put it simply my friends, 

it was 

Human Trafficking 

showing up on my door step. 

These stories have been covered by news groups such as NY Times, ABC, FoxNews, NBC, and more...

So no, I have not lost my mind.

Please read the stories. Please watch the videos.

Most of all, please, the next time one of these kids from a traveling sales group shows up at your door do not purchase from them unless you know the student. 
If you do not know them and they appear under eighteen then call the police and ask for a welfare check for them. (Or follow the BBB's guides and suggestions below.) If they look older ask for their solicitors license and if they refuse to show it call the police.

Here are some quick suggestions from the Better Business Bureau

Click Here

Please don't hesitate to call the National Human Trafficking line they are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at:

1-888-373-7888

This guy captures one of their typical sales pitches on video. This kid's pitch was very close to the young girl who came to our door. (To watch a pitch click here.)

This site shares stories from teens and young adults that have escaped the traveling magazine crew lifestyle. (Click Here)

Here is the deal. If this was your kid... Wouldn't you want someone to look out for their welfare? 

This quick thinking lawyer in Wisconsin did just that.(Click Here) 

Again, I ask for you to share this post with your friends, family, facebook, twitter, and get the word out. Sadly, some of the smaller police forces do not know about this form of child exploitation and trafficking. This can slow down the process when they do not take it seriously.

Please help get the word out to your community and maybe just maybe, we can save a few people from being scammed, but more importantly save some kids as well.

As a friend of mine pointed out. " If these were my kids, I would hope to God, someone out there would go the extra mile to make sure they were okay."

Wonder Woman, Wonder Bras, and the Fight for Justice!

Oh the wonders of Wonder Woman! Between the ages of 5-7 years old, she was who I wanted to grow up to be. She was absolutely amazing with her flashy indestructible bracelets that deflected bullets with a quick flick of her wrists and her magical lasso of truth.

I giggle now as I recall leaping around the yard, swinging from the monkey bars or tree branches in my wonder woman underoos! (Yes! I wore them outside.) 

Even when my mother caught me and I was forced to cover my fantastic Underoos with normal everyday clothing, I still felt this spark of confidence and a responsibility to fight for justice while secretly wearing those bold red, blue and gold colors. My little eyes were watchful and ready for any forms of injustice to appear, for danger to be lurking around the corner or behind a suspicious tree. I had super powers, I just knew it.

Fast forward to my teen years, my Underoos long since out grown, but this desire to fight for freedom and justice is still burning inside of me. I remember watching documentaries about the 60's and 70's, of women in the streets protesting for equality, and respect. 

I found it exhilarating thinking back on the stories I read about the suffragettes who fought for the right for women to vote. I even cried as I read accounts from former slaves that followed underground rail road to freedom from the slavery and oppression they were facing here in the U.S. Or later as African-Americans fought for the freedom to vote, and for the freedom from segregation laws. They fought to work, eat, attend school, and live where they chose.

Norman Rockwell's depiction of Ruby Bridges as she walked to school.

He called it, "The problem we all deal with."

 I was in awe of this passionate and fierce breed of women and men who were so bold and daring as to fight the mainstream culture for freedom. I remember dreaming of what I could do someday for those in need of freedom. What would be my "cause" to fight for some day? 

Now here I am, a wife, a crazy homeschooling mother of three creative and beautiful children, and I am a christian. What does God want me to do? His cause should be mine as well.

 Today I am writing to you about two of the many ways we can get involved with a call God holds dear to His heart. He calls us to follow Him and to fight for the oppressed, and to bring justice to the hurting. You can see it in the following verses,

Isaiah 58:6-10

verse 6 especially where the Lord says, 

 Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Psalm 10:17-18

Psalm 9:9

Psalm 146:7-9

But...But...What can I do? Have you been there friends? Have you been longing to join an epic battle, to try and save the world from injustice, but to scared, or busy, or overwhelmed to even attempt it? Consider with me for just a moment that you just might be called to don your inner super hero clothes and to fight injustice here or across the world! 

(QUICK! Keep reading before you start listing to yourself all of the reasons for why you cannot possibly do this, I promise it is worth it!)

Today I want to share with you that slavery is still very much alive today. Actually there are more slaves now than in any other time in history. I shared with you last week that I would show you a variety of ways we could get involved in missions. 

Here are 2 avenues you could choose to get involved in that do not cost you a dime, only a little of your time, and you too can be a super hero in the fight for justice for those caught in the grips of Human trafficking.

Human/Sex Trafficking is the fastest growing industry in the world and is second only to the illegal drug industry. Sex trafficking is horrifying and devastating on every level. Sadly, sex trafficking is not a problem that is far away in distant lands, but right here, in our cities, towns, hotels, in our apartment buildings, and in our neighborhoods. (If you do not believe me click here, Trafficked in the US, ABC news, or Human Trafficking in Michigan, MLive)

Right now the International Justice Mission is launching a post card campaign to get the attention of our Federal Congress. Congress has been stalling legislation that would help to protect and defend those that have been forced into this industry.

This will cost you zero dollars, but a little of your time. IJM (The International Justice Mission) will even cover the costs of postage.

Take a moment and check it out. Please consider standing up for the women and children who are being kidnapped and forced into the sex trafficking world with little hope of escape in our very own nation.

http://www.ijm.org/100-postcard-challenge
****Update**** I received my post cards, I will need to cover the postage to mail them back, but that is it. So far it is an easy and powerful way to get the word out while getting signatures. :) **********

With the Free the Girls campaign, you can help provide job opportunities for women who have been rescued or escaped from sexual trafficking just by collecting used braziers.  (Yes, that's right... I just said, "used bras!") 

You can have a party with your friends, your church, or business and collect gently used bras for these women to sell in the used clothing markets of Mozambique. These braziers are a luxury item which means, you are helping these women to not only survive, but thrive! They make 3-5 times the amount of minimum wage doing this, allowing them to provide a safe home for their children, and so on. 

You can watch a video by CNN here, CNN coverage of Free the Girls

Click this link here to learn more about bringing freedom and opportunity to these woman, just by collecting bras.

http://www.freethegirls.com/why-bras/

So what about you? Will you join me in the fight for justice for the oppressed?

Here are a few statistics and facts on Human Trafficking. 

Human Trafficking Facts

$32 BILLION:

The total market value of illicit human trafficking is estimated to be in excess of $32 billion

27 million:

Currently 27 million men, women and children are being held as slaves—more today than in any other time in history

80% women and girls:

Women and girls comprise at least 80% of the world’s trafficking victims, and up to 50% are minors.  They are exploited in fields and brothels, in homes and conflicts, and in factories and fisheries. More women are being pushed out of developing countries due to economic, familial, and societal pressures – becoming ever more vulnerable to modern slavery.

Women continue to be enslaved in commercial sex around the world. They are often arrested for participating in a crime that victimizes them when they should instead be provided with services and benefit from a well-trained police force implementing proven and compassionate victim identification measures.

Women continue to toil in sweatshop factories without food or break, sewing garments, peeling shrimp, and weaving carpets under threat of violence. Bonded by debt and force, they pick cotton, mine conflict minerals, and harvest rice alongside their children. They toil in diplomatic households and suburban residences as domestic workers often without anyone knowing they are there let alone being abused.

2 million:

According to UNICEF, as many as two million children are subjected to prostitution in the global commercial sex trade. Sex trafficking has devastating consequences for minors, including long-lasting physical and psychological trauma, disease (including HIV/AIDS), drug addiction, unwanted pregnancy, malnutrition, social ostracism, and possible death.

(Sources: Trafficking In Persons Report 2010, Kevin Bales, Disposable People,  U.S. State Dept)