27 million.

That is the estimated number of people who are slaves in the world today.  Yes, slaves.

Human trafficking was something that I heard quite a bit about during my last couple of years at college.  I have lots of friends who are passionate about this serious social issue, and who are quick to share their hearts with others for the millions that are oppressed.  So, I cannot say that I was not aware that it existed before I came to Thailand...

But I can honestly say that it did not seem real to me.

And I confess that the main reason for my ignorance was because I chose to make it something small.

Maybe you can identify with me a little...  If I chose to perceive the issue as being far removed from my own life, I could listen to my friends on the subject with compassion, and still feel absolutely no responsibility or obligation whatsoever.  As long as the issue felt far away, it felt small.  And if the issue was small, how could it be that my clothes were stitched by slaves, my electronics were assembled by slaves, and in my city lived women and children who were forced into prostitution against their will?  No, no, no... A small issue certainly cannot be so pervasive...

But 27 million is no small number.

It is the entire state of Texas.  It is the entire country of Nepal.  It is almost 7 times the number of slaves that existed in America at the time of the Civil War.  It is about 3 times the number of the victims of the Holocaust.  It is more than 3 times the number of people that die from cancer each year.

Slavery is not legal in any country in the world.  And yet, modern day slavery is a $30+ billion a year criminal industry that stretches across every single national border.  Trafficked human beings can be found in every major city in the world.  This is no exaggeration, and this is no small issue.

Believe me, I understand that out of sight equals out of mind far too often for us humans.  I have heard all of my life that there are starving children in Africa, but it was not real to me until I saw it with my own eyes.  And it is not just children that are starving-- it is the parents and grandparents as well.  Entire families, entire communities, entire slums full of people.  The thing about global poverty, though, is that although it is huge and devastating, it is not invisible.  It is possible for poverty to be isolated and ignored, but it cannot truly be hidden.  The modern day slave trade, on the other hand, is not isolated, and thrives precisely because it is hidden.  Human trafficking lurks and lives in every shadow, just out of sight-- and most certainly out of mind.  It is like a pandemic, fatal disease that everyone has, but no one seems to have figured out the symptoms for.

The United States wages war against terrorism, war against drugs... but the "war against slavery" is considered long over to most Americans.   The too-little-known truth, though, is that there are slaves still, in places like San Fransisco, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City...  That was hard to swallow for me.

And who are these slaves, you may be wondering?

They are 13 year old girls from Thailand and Cambodia whose parents sell them to pimps so that they can feed the rest of the family.

They are entire families in India who are abducted under the pretense of false debt and forced to work long, brutal hours at brick kilns or carpet factories for no pay.

They are child soldiers in war-stricken Uganda, as young as 7 years old, who are forced to kill or to be killed, to rape or to be raped.

They are young European women who are tricked into traveling to distant countries under the lure of a good paying job, but instead are raped upon arrival and forced into prostitution.

They are the street children of South America, who have no other option than to become house servants, laborers, and sex slaves to the wealthy.

They are Chinese women brought to the Unites States, working 17- hour days at massage parlors, unable to speak the language, and unable to escape.

They are men.  They are women.  They are children.    They are oppressed.  They are powerless.

They are REAL.

During my past few months here in Thailand, human trafficking and the modern day slave trade has become real to me.  But I must emphasize my regret that it took being in Thailand for my eyes to be opened.  I could have just as easily chosen to see it in the United States.  Because although modern day slavery lies just below the threshold of sight, it only takes a scratch to be able to see in.  Much of my passion for this social atrocity was ignited when I happened upon a book called Not For Sale-- which does NOT require being in Thailand. You (yes, YOU) should buy it, read it, and share it with others.  This book paints a picture of the issue in a way that helped me realize the enormity of it, and it tells in harsh truth the reality of what slavery looks like today.

Also, due to an interesting series of events (which I believe to be none other than the hand of God in my life), I have been introduced to a ministry here in Bangkok called Nightlight which ministers to women who are forced into prostitution.  In my few nights of volunteering with them on outreach, I have seen first hand a portion of the faces that make up the 27 million.  They are real people, and the darkness that has them trapped is a real darkness.

I am sharing all of this with you here because it is something that the Lord is teaching me to be passionate about.  Knowing what I know now, I can't not do anything.  I can no longer choose not to see or to feel for these 27 million people.  I hope that you, also, will scratch at the surface and allow yourself to see what lies beneath.