Cross posted from The Sanctuary Vineyard Church website

Susi Childers came and spoke at Capital Vineyard Church this morning. She works with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) as a missionary photographer. Her and her husband have published a book called Voice for the Voiceless. As she spoke I felt my heart breaking, as it has when I have seriously allowed myself to be confronted by the global industry of exploitation of women and children. And I had nothing on how broken Natalya was. So it begins. I am going to pray through the book, I am going to allow the full weight of these things to confront and upset me. For this is the heart of God.

The first day is on Child Prostitution.

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Definition
"It is the sexual exploitation of a child for remuneration in cash or kind, usually but not always organised by an intermeiary (parent, family member, procurer or teacher).(1)

"10 million children worldwide are engaged in some facet of the sex industry. Eachyear at least one million children, mostly girls, become prostitutes." (2)

"In Thailand, 10 -12 year old girls service men in the sex industry. They typically have sex with men 10 - 15 times daily and sometimes as many as 20-30." (3)

"In South Africa there are 40,000 child prostitutes." (4)

"Children are more susceptible to HIV and other STDs." (5)

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Before getting into this, lets not forget that the US State Department, in it's annual report on Child Prostitution, said New Zealand has a significant problem with child prostitution. (I can't find this report, but I remember there being a stink about it about a year ago).

I feel sick.

When I was in Thailand about 8 years ago now we worked with a bunch of orphan girls in the slums of Bangkok. Even in such difficult surroundings they were so wonderful and full of life. I was told then that the government would sponsor orphans until they are 13, sending them to school, clothing and feeding them. After that all support is withdrawn.

There is an extremely good chances that some or all of those girls have been working as prostitutes for some or all of the last 8 years. 10 - 15 men a day.

We once thought of trying to raise funds to open an orphanage for these kids, to get them through the rest of their education and get them into jobs outside the sex trade. I find myself returning to those thoughts now. I wish we had.

I feel sick. I can feel my heart breaking in my chest. I have an 8 year old girl. So precious and full of life and hope. To think that a parent could sell their kids into sex slavery staggers me. But then the parents are just as often seriously imprisoned by poverty and the like. They are often victims as much as the kids.

Today Susi told a story of a girl she met in a slum in Mumbai who was sold into slavery. Apparently the girls parents worshipped a particular Hindu goddess whose doctrines demanded that the first born girl be sold into prostitution.

From the moment that girl was born she had a destiny. She was born into prostitution and will die into it. When Susi when to the brothel to talk to this girl she saw that the upper floor had heaps of kids in it. These are the women's children. They sleep under their mothers beds. Let that sink in. No child should be forced to sleep in such an environment. How are these kids not doomed to join their mothers?

The particular slum had 100,000 women enslaved in prostitution in it. Consigned to a living hell by the lust and greed of their fellow humans.

Rob Bell wrote something to the effect of 'we know that we see Hell on Earth', so too we can see heaven on earth'(6). If ever anyone needed the Gospel it is these women. If ever anyone needed to see God's love in action it is these women. If ever anyone needed the Church to rise up for them it is these women.

Jesus came to put an end to all of this. I believe that with all my heart. And one day and end will come. In the meantime he chooses to use me, and others, as the instruments of his will on this earth.

I am not articulating this well. Fundamentally I believe the Church, the Body of Christ, exists to go to people like this and work to bring a stop to their suffering. To serve them. To save them. To rise up in their defense. That so many Christians and so many churches do not do this breaks my heart even further.

Moses once went into the court of the Pharoah and said: "Let my people go." Who will go for the millions of children forced into prostition?

What will I do? What will you do? Whether you believe in God or not, can you sit by and do nothing? I know people whose biggest concern in life is their mortgage. I am one of those people. It's time to get some perspective.

If you do want to do something, here is a good place to start The child sex tourism prevention project. Google "stop child prostitution" and you'll find other options too.

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All references taken from the "A voice for the voiceless" booklet
(1)http://www.polity.org/govdocs/white_papers/social97gloss.html
(2)http://www.globalfundforchildren.org/pdfs/GFC_childtraffic_prost.pdf
(3)Pusurinkham, Sirirat: "A Globe of Witnesses"
(4)Bolowana, ANgela. 2004. The Mercury "40,000 Child Prostitutes 'Street Children Vulnerable to Sex Trade'" Edition 1
(5)http://www.ecpstusa.org/travel_tourism.asp
(6) My paraphrase of a section of his book The Velvet Elvis.