“Spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like the noonday.” ~ Isaiah 58:10
Today I received one of the best gifts. Kathy, my mother-in-law, gave me what is called a One Girl Bracelet. She bought it from Tiny Hands International, an awesome Christian non-profit organization who are committed to finding the greatest injustices in the world, and works toward relieving them however possible. They are particularly called to orphans, street children, and the victims of the sex-trafficking industry.
My Uncle, Doug Dworak is on staff with Tiny Hands International as the director of Compassion Ministries. The love and dedication he and his wife, Shirley have for this ministry is pretty phenomenal, it has been a pleasure to watch and continue to learn what it looks like to have a heart that breaks for the oppressed, and one that is committed to serving God for His glory, no matter where it takes them.
This bracelet is extremely special to me. Not only because of who gave it to me, but also because of all it represents. It was hand-crafted by a girl residing in Princess Home, a home for girls who have been victim to the Kathmandu sex industry. It is part of the One Girl initiative that Tiny Hands International has recently launched in their fight against sex trafficking in Nepal. 10,000 Nepali girls are trafficked each year into sexual slavery. These girls are taken at a very young age. The average age is fourteen, though some are as young as six. (it makes my stomach churn to even imagine such an atrocity) Tiny Hands International believes that prayer will play a big part in the eradication of sex trafficking in Nepal, and I completely agree.
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Here is part of an email that I received from Doug that tells more about why prayer is the key element in making a difference:
This, we have come to understand, is NOT a battle of flesh and blood but it’s one that is being fought in the heavens. Knowing this is a spiritual battle and a battle that will only be won as we intercede for these girls before the Throne of Grace we are asking each of you to consider becoming a partner with us in ONE GIRL.
ONE GIRL is first and foremost an initiative of prayer. It is our desire to raise up at least 10,000 men and women around the world that would commit to pray for one of these girls throughout the year. For $10 per year you will receive a bracelet made by our girls of Princess Home, which is a home in Nepal for girls that have been trafficked, sexually abused or are vulnerable to sexual abuse. The bracelet is made of black cord representing the darkness these girls find themselves in and a gold stone which represents God’s light of hope. It’s provided to you as a reminder to pray! In addition, your $10 contribution will go directly toward the interception or rescue of one girl this year! For as little as $10 ONE GIRL can be intercepted and avoid the horrors of a life in the brothels which, in most cases, will result in their death.
Now can you see why it is such a special gift? Truly priceless. What a privilege it is to lift one of these precious girls up in prayer, and to know I am praying with other prayer warriors from all over the world. I marvel that a $10 gift can not only rescue a girl from a horrid life that I can’t even imagine, but will also most likely, save her life, and give her an opportunity for rehabilitation.
What is Sex Trafficking and How Do Girls Get Sold?
Sex trafficking is the process of deceitfully transporting people across international borders for the purposes of sex work. It is important to note that in real cases of trafficking the girls do not know what they are getting into. And once they are in their destination country they are completely powerless to seek justice because they don’t know the culture or speak the language. This creates a situation in which innocent girls can be ruthlessly exploited by those seeking pleasure or money at their expense.
Nepali girls are most often tricked by traffickers offering high paying good jobs in India. Often traffickers will also “marry” the girls in order to traffic them, and then abandon them in a brothel. The trafficker will collect a fee from the madame in a brothel, and then the madame will tell the girl that she has been “sold” and she must pay back the price spent to traffic her before she is free. In most cases, this takes many years, and by the time the girl is allowed to leave the brothel, her youth and innocence have been spent, and she may have HIV.
“The Day My God Died”
This movie deals with content only suitable for mature viewers. It is hard to watch, but a very powerful piece of truth that needs to be seen. Even if you only have 5 minutes, it is still worth watching. It is a feature-length documentary that presents the stories of young girls whose lives have been shattered by the child sex trade. They describe the day they were abducted from their village and sold into sexual servitude as, “The Day My God Died.”
The film provides actual footage from the brothels of Bombay, known even to tourists as “The Cages,” captured with “spy camera” technology. It weaves the stories of girls, and their stolen hopes and dreams, into an unforgettable examination of the growing plague of child sex slavery.
Read more about what Tiny Hands International is doing in this fight against Human Trafficking:
“Let us remember, what hurts the victim MOST is not the cruelty of the oppressor, but the silence of the bystander.”