by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service
On Sunday, Jan. 11, congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) will observe National Human Trafficking
Awareness Day, a day committed to raising awareness and fostering
action against commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor or
slavery. Some congregations are observing the day by studying
the ELCA Message on Commercial Sexual Exploitation and
participating in the efforts of Cherish Our Children, a ministry
of the ELCA dedicated to preventing the sexual exploitation of
children through prayer and action.
The ELCA Justice for Women program offers resources on commercial
sexual exploitation, violence against women and more. "Human
trafficking grosses almost as much revenue as the illegal drug
industry, and it occurs in obvious places, such as brothels that
skirt major sporting events worldwide, and in not-so-obvious
places, such as local malls in the United States. Human
Trafficking Awareness Day allows members and congregations of the
ELCA to learn more about their local communities and to protest
this egregious negation of human dignity and human rights," said
Dr. Mary J. Streufert, director, justice for women program, ELCA
Church in Society. "We do not belong to each other as slaves for
labor or sexual service, two central reasons humans are
trafficked," she said.
The 2005 convention of Women of the ELCA resolved to provide
information and promote resources that help combat commercial
sexual exploitation domestically and globally. "Many Women of
the ELCA participants are actively engaged in addressing a
variety of issues related to commercial sexual exploitation and
human trafficking," said Inez Torres Davis, associate for
programs, Women of the ELCA. "Most women in prostitution are
trafficked into the sex industry as children. Poverty is the
precondition that makes it easier for traffickers to operate.
The greatest factor in promoting child sex trafficking and child
sexual exploitation is the demand for younger and younger victims
worldwide. This demand comes from mostly white male buyers who
become the customers in the growing global sex industry. Women
of the ELCA seeks to be a part of curbing this growth," she said.
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
