I’ve decided that I’m going to use whatever voice I have to help bring awareness and action to the subject of child sex trafficking.  In this case, it is a horrible act of what I believe is injustice.  Can you read this story (I got from Change.org) and sign the petition?

Sara, who was once her elementary school’s student body president, met the man who would become her pimp when she was just 11. After acting as the father figure she never had for two years, he raped Sara at age 13 and trafficked her into the commercial sex trade.

For the next 3 years, from 6pm to 6am, strangers would pay Sara’s pimp to rape her and other adolescent girls he recruited and preyed upon.

Finally, physically and psychologically traumatized, Sara snapped. She shot and killed her pimp.

Her punishment? Life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The sentence was handed down by a judge in 1994 against the recommendation of the California Youth Authority, and before there was much awareness about the violence of child trafficking or an appreciation for the trauma of adolescent sexual and physical abuse.

The sentence was extreme and unjust. And it can now be overturned by one man: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Governor Schwarzenegger is leaving office at the end of the year, and will soon be considering clemency petitions. In response, there is a grassroots movement building to call on Governor Schwarzenegger to commute Sara’s sentence to time served.

Join the movement to ask Governor Schwarzenegger to free Sara Kruzan now.

Tragically, the sexual exploitation Sara suffered is not unique. But what makes her case especially poignant is not just the injustice of her life sentence, but her response.

Rather than descend in hopelessness, Sara has found redemption in jail and become an inspiration to all those around her. She has graduated from high school, is on her way to completing her college degree, and started the prison’s Committee for Youth to serve as a mentor to younger women. She was recently voted “Woman of the Year” at her prison.

However, without intervention from Governor Schwarzenegger, Sara will likely die in prison.

Don’t let this happen. Sara has more than paid her debt to society with 16 years of incarceration. It’s time to set her free.

Call on Governor Schwarzenegger to free Sara Kruzan now.

I Posted this on CaffeinatedFaith.com back in May. Thought it needed to be revisited.

Your Backyard

When you think of slavery, you probably think of a lot of things.  Shackles, the Civil War, Abe Lincoln, abuse, discrimination, a bad time in American history.   You may even harvest a lot of emotions about it.  maybe your family tree leads back to slavery.  Maybe your family tree leads back to slave owners.  The days of slavery were hurtful.  The days where a human was owned by another human are over, thank God those days are over…. Right!!?

Wrong.

There are more slaves today than ever before in the history of humans.  MORE.  The industry makes an estimated $32 billion a year. That’s more thanStarbucks, Nike and Google combined!

How does this happen?

A lot of different ways.  A woman desperate to escape poverty is promised a new life in America.  She accepts the offer, and next thing she knows she’s in a brothel.  A young man’s parents were killed in a war.  Next thing you know, he’s snorting cocaine and fighting a grown man’s war.  A young lady was proposed to.  She goes to get married, and ends up a slave to her ‘husband’.  A parent, husband or boyfriend, in efforts to make some money sell thier girls into it.  Not just mature grown women.  I’m talking 6-death.  The average age is 12 years old, but can start as young as 6.

A lot of times they will force these women into using drugs, (Which probably isn’t difficult, as it offers some sort of escape) so, when/if someone tries to rescue them, they have withdrawels, and go back to their pimp/drug supplier/the only thing they know.  Women are sold and forced to sleep with men 20 – 60 times a day!  When they’re younger, their hymens are sewed, to remain ‘virgins’ because that brings in more money.

Where in the world does this happen?  All over.  Atlanta is the number 1 city in America.  But sits at #8 for the entire world.  They are kidnapped, and flown to America.  They are kept under the radar in brothels, in your backyard.  This could be happening just five minutes away from your house.  Yet, we sit comfortably by and ignore it.  Knowledge is power, yet we choose ignorance, because it’s bliss.  Now you know.  You can sit on this.  Odds are good, if you live near a major city, or an airport of any kind, this is happening.  What does our country do about this?  Well, typically, instead of going after the big dogs, we arrest the 17/18 year old girl.  Get her bail and fine money, which is chump change to her pimp, and don’t offer her any help, we just send her back out to the street to be raped, beaten, abused, tortured emotionally and physically.

Do you watch porn?  Did you know that over half of the porn on the internet today is actually a guy with a video camera and a hundred bucks to buy this girl?  Did you know that he’s recording these slaves, and then charging you to watch them on the internet.   Did you know, that your hunger for porn is helping fund the demand for sex slavery?  My guess is you had never thought about that.

There are thousands of places you can go to help fight this.  There are places all over the internet.   Please think about this, and spread the word.  The world needs to know about the biggest slave trade in history happening right behind our backs.

Learn More:

http://www.callandresponse.com/
http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/
http://www.innocenceatlanta.org/
http://www.humantrafficking.org/

Good Morning guys.  It’s Thursday.  You know what that means.  Today we have Sergio.  He seriously needs your help.  Seriously.  Today could be the day that Sergio gets told that he’s been sponsored.  I know times are tough, and you may have even had to unsubscribe from your netflix.  Consider cutting back on something else to provide so much to this young man.  Including a relationship and the knowledge that people do care.  Click on the image, right here, or Sergio’s name above to go find out more about him.   If you do decide to sponsor him, leave a comment and let us know! 

Personal and Family Information:
Sergio lives with his father and his mother. His father is sometimes employed and his mother maintains the home. Sergio works at home running errands. There are 3 children in the family.

Sergio is not attending school because he is too young. Playing with cars, playing ball games and hide-and-seek are his favorite activities. He also attends church activities regularly.

My mom and I fought a lot.  I mean…. A LOT.  When I was 17, I found out that my dad was not my ‘bio-dad’.  It didn’t seem to effect me too much. 

One day, my mom and I got in a huge fight.  Typically when we did this, my dad would drag me to his Jeep, and he would drive around and tell me some story that he felt made sense to the situation.  I hated it- looking back – I loved it.  On this particular day, my dad took me, we got into his jeep and started driving.  The drive started off rather silent. 

My dad said to me, “What are you thinking?”

I said very angrily,”I’m thinking you’re an IDIOT!.  Mom is cheating on you!  Everyone knows it!  And you’re so stupid, you sit by, and let it happen.  The guy is living with us!  You’re so stupid you don’t even realize it!”

My dad was quiet for a minute and I couldn’t believe it.  I thought I had silenced my dad.  I was beside myself.

“Son.”

Oh boy.  Here we go.  All of his long talks started off with, “Son.” I guess I hadn’t silenced him after all.  And then, he said something that has stuck with me forever.

“Son.  I’m not an idiot. I know what’s happening.  BUT. When you were a baby I looked you in the eyes, and I made a promise.  I promised that no matter what happened, I would never leave.  I promised that I would take care of you until the day I die.  If I leave, I have no legal rights to you, and that would be breaking my promise.”

Wow.  Wow.  That’s the day I learned what I man is. 

Now. Things are a bit different.  My mom is dead.  My dad is crippled, and for all intents and purposes, cannot take care of himself.  I have to do a lot of things for him.  He’s pretty demanding.  He needs stuff, and a lot of the time I have to help.  To be perfectly honest, a lot of times it’s frustrating and inconvenient. 

I’m sure a lot of people don’t get it.  Why I drop what i’m doing to go help.  And I understand that.  On the surface, it doesn’t make sense.  But, the thing is.  No one else was in that white jeep that day.  No one heard the raw, honest emotion in his voice.  At that moment, I knew that no matter what happened, I would be safe.  Not by someone who ’had’ to say that, but by someone who loved me so much he made a promise to never leave, and kept that promise.

There has not  been once sentence that has effected me, or stuck with me more than that in my entire life.

It’s time again kids.  As you know, every Thursday, a blogger in our little circle picks a child who has been waiting for longer than 6 months.  We talk about it all over the web until some nice woman or man comes along and sponsors the kid.  Have you, or someone you know been looking for a way to change the world?  Today, you can change these kids’ world.  Is this week your week?

Meet Manjit:

Personal and Family Information:
Manjit lives with his father. At home, duties include carrying water, caring for children and caring for animals. His father is sometimes employed as a laborer. There are 4 children in the family.

Playing with marbles, walking and running are Manjit’s favorite activities. In kindergarten his performance is average and he also regularly attends church activities.

We’re not done though. Meander on over to my wife’s blog and take a look at Christian.  He’s been waiting on her blog for 2 weeks. Have you, or someone you know been looking for a way to change the world?  Today, you can change these children’s world.