Four people have been arrested on charges of human trafficking in Florida.  Find out more here.

Here’s more from Disposable People by Kevin Bales. This section was about Mauritania. I’m going to post it in four sections over the next few days. At the end of part four there are a specific things to pray for about human trafficking in Mauritania.

Mauritania

Slavery in Mauritania is driven by a history and culture of poverty and racism and by the apathy and chosen ignorance of foreign countries like France and the United States.
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Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times gives a glimpse into underage prostitution and trafficking in Atlanta.

“The business model of pimping is remarkably similar whether in Atlanta or Calcutta: take vulnerable, disposable girls whom nobody cares about, use a mix of ‘friendship,’ humiliation, beatings, narcotics and threats to break the girls and induce 100 percent compliance, and then rent out their body parts.”

He emphasizes that the problem is perpetuated by ignorance and apathy in society and law enforcement. One key to solving this destructive issue is focusing on prosecuting pimps and clients rather than the girls.

Somaly Mam has been named to Time’s 100 list for 2009. Somaly  was sold into slavery as a child in Cambodia.  Finally, in 1993 she was able to escape slavery and leave Cambodia.  But she didn’t stop there.  She returned to Cambodia and became an activist to help those still in slavery.  I highly recommend her book, The Road of Lost Innocence, which tells her story—it will be a distressing, but inspiring wake up call.

This new video from Not for Sale should get your attention.

Set your DVR on Tuesday May 5th for Frontline on PBS.  They will be airing a special on sex slaves.

During the month of May, Storyville Coffee Company is giving 100% of their revenue (up to a million dollars) to International Justice Mission. Find out more about what they’re doing and buy some coffee.

Slaves were freed after trafficking rings were broken up this week in Scotland.  The women were being forced into prostitution and trafficked around the UK.  This could be the first time police there have a successful prosecution against human trafficking.

A soldier in Maryland has been charged with two counts of human trafficking - including a 17 year old girl from Ohio.  When his apartment was raided in relation to a suspected prostitution ring, police found a missing girl from Ohio.  The girl claims she was lured away to go to a party and then forced into prostitution.

The prostitution ring was being advertised on Craigslist.

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Our congressional representatives only care about the issues we care about.  If we don’t tell them, they won’t know.  Email the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to encourage the confirmation of Lou de Baca as Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Human trafficking in Persons at the State Department.

In other political news, the new goodwill ambassador for the United Nations is Ross Bleckner.  Mr. Bleckner uses art to raise awareness about Human Trafficking and has used art to work with freed child soldiers in Uganda.  According to a NY Times article, “What this mission accomplished is what I call microcreativity,” Mr. Bleckner wrote in a catalog of the children’s work. “It is a personal interaction which gives someone the tools to create something that they can be proud of, and which can help them on the arduous path to restoring their dignity and sense of self-worth.”