Picture this:

12.3 million people grasp hands and form a human chain that stretches halfway around the world.

12.3 million individuals – that’s roughly the population of Pennsylvania.

It’s also the number of people who are trafficked – the verb now used to describe the act of holding a modern-day slave in some sort of involuntary bondage, be it forced labor to sexual exploitation.

12.3 million men, women, and children who are coerced, forced, or deceived into the most exploitative situations. Their chains may not be physical – but they are shackled by fear, shame, abuse, and debts of their own or others.

Over the course of this week, we want to make you aware of two things:

1) Human trafficking is a very real and present danger. In fact, it’s a $32 billion dollar industry.
2) You can do something to combat it. Really.

In upcoming posts we'll explore the driving forces behind this malicious problem, where Mission of Mercy stands in the necessary battle against this evil, and how you can make a difference.

Because One Child Matters.

[photo credit: City Community Church Mission Group]