The Invisible Bend
In my post , Why the World Needs Strong Women, I mentioned the horrific, growing epidemic of human trafficking and how we can counteract its effects. This global war for the lives and well-being of girls, women, and young boys, is invisible but very, very real. It happens in our own cities and regions, though we may not recognize it.
Human trafficking is an intricate and complicated form of organized crime. Perpetrators prey on the vulnerabilities of social inequality and widespread poverty. These two issues plague parts of North America, but are more common in sexual exploit centers like Thailand and Greece. By working to decrease – and hopefully one day eliminate – these two factors, we can help reduce the reasons many are forced to enter the sex trade.
For those of you looking for more information, or ways to get involved, try these websites:
The A21 Campaign – have produced an eye-opening video available on you tube here, and has a page of excellent suggestions on how to help here.
International Justice Mission – IJM is coming to Abbotsford in October to host training workshops for those who want to become involved in their work. This is a fascinating organization led by highly-trained professionals. Their efforts concentrate on the analytical, political, and strategic factors leading to the practice of human slavery. Compelling anecdotes of their work are shared in David Batstone’s, Not For Sale.
Maiti Nepal – a rescue shelter for women in South Asia organized by Anuradha Koirala, CNN’s Woman of the Year. I blogged about her amazing work here.
For those of you in the Vancouver area, check out these groups working as ordinary heroes in our own city:
PEERS Vancouver – working to help women exit the sex trade
Covenant House Vancouver – providing love and hope to Vancouver’s street youth
If any of you have any extra suggestions, ideas, or questions for me, please leave a comment, or contact me by email (lana.meredith4@gmail.com) or on Twitter (@lana_meredith).
Blessings on all of us as we work to eradicate this awful reality.
Lana Meredith 
Lana, I have had the pleasure of getting to know you a little through your blog, which, and I hope you know this, can be life changing for the reader. I am one of those people. My best friend died of cancer at the age of 36. I was right by her side for 4 years, but I couldn’t help her. She wrote me letter once and said, you know, it doesn’t matter how much time I have left in my life on this earth, only the quality is important. And I’m getting married on New Years Day!
She had two beautiful years with her new husband. What more can you ask for? It seemed to me she was never happier.
Thank you for opening the lines of communication for every one of us who don’t know what to do with our fears, and having a place to connect to.
Ann
Ann, What beautiful words you’ve chosen to leave me! Thank you for taking the time to stop in and say hello. So glad to hear you’ve found something helpful in the pages of this blog.
I completely agree with your friend… the quantity of time left is uncertain and less relevant than the quality of our time left. Bravo to your friend and her courage for recognizing that. Bravo to YOU for supporting her through it.
I hope you come back. Would love to hear more.
Blessings,
Lana