Summer has arrived, my friends. I can tell because all the windows in my house are open, my garden is growing, and I've spent the last, oh, four hours on the internet without feeling at all guilty. Don't worry--I wasn't playing Facebook games or anything. (Not that I couldn't, if I wanted.) No, I was doing serious research.

Really.

Did you know that Portland has the second-highest rate of human trafficking of all cities in the US? And that half of the victims are children? We all know that the I-5 corridor is a huge pipeline for drugs, but it also enables the sale of women and children from Seattle to LA. And that makes me feel just a little less warm and fuzzy about this beautiful valley I live in.

Apparently people are trying to build a shelter for victims in Portland, and there was a campaign earlier this year to educate people at gas stations and rest stops on how to identify and report trafficking victims. It's weird, though. This is happening so close to where I live, and yet it seems so far out of my range of influence--we might as well be in different worlds.

And I can't help wondering how to respond Christianly to this new knowledge. It doesn't seem like enough to just stop using Craigslist or donate to one of the (admittedly great) abolitionist organizations. This isn't Thailand or Somalia, it's the Willamette Valley. I live here. I should be able to do something.

Thoughts?

Labels: news, Oregon

4 comments

I wondered where you've been!

I certainly didn't know any of that about Portland. How heartbreaking.

To get involved, the only idea that comes to my mind is volunteering at a homeless shelter, soup kitchen, or something similar. The homeless are especially vulnerable to becoming victims of human trafficking.

Thanks for pointing out the Christianity Today blog.

By  Kelly, at 6:43 am  

Wow, I was super excited to see you blogging again and after reading the blog and checking out the links I am especially glad. This issue is one that has been on Steen and I's hearts for the last year. It is particularly cutting when I teach the Slave Narratives unit for Junior English. We seem to think slavery is a dead issue but that is not the case.

Thanks for the thought provoking blog entry.

By  Shelli Bunn-Petterson, at 2:15 pm  

Devon this is so upsetting! I had a student a few years ago who made this the topic of her senior project. She worked with a group based in Washington D.C. who work on getting information out to people and trying to get the government more involved in helping to stop it. I believe the group mainly focused on the problem in other specific countries, not so much within our own country. I could ask her the name of the group and contact info if you want.

I agree with Kelly too. Perhaps volunteering with various groups who may have more face time with the victims. Are there any counseling/therapy groups who may work with the aftermath element? That might be an area where you could be proactive. While it may not be a way to help prevent it (though I could certainly see it having that effect later), it would certainly be a way of sharing God's love and compassion in a very meaningful way to people who would really need to know about it.

On a side note, I do know that in Carson recently, there was a Craigslist ad for 18 year old prostitution that was actually a sting operation the sheriff's department used. Not that that negates what is being done, but perhaps it could be a method used to help stop it too. Just a thought.

Praying for you and Portland!

By  notforthelifeofme, at 2:14 am  

Devon, I know what you mean about not knowing what to do or if there is anything you can do about it. Idk if you remember, but I did my Jr. paper on this. It's absolutely heartbreaking. I ran across this on "The Book" and although I'm not quite sure about what it's going to be, but it sounds like a good start:

http://www.recyclelovefestival.com/

By  cmb, at 7:34 am  

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