Love 146 raises awareness
Posted by The Skyliner on October 21st, 2009Leasy Sandal
Staff Writer
When asked about the origins of sex trafficking, the average American responds by mentioning China, Thailand or the Philippines. Americans rarely realize that sex trafficking hits close to home.
Just ask Thomas McAuliff, junior elementary education. McAuliff is passionate about Love 146, an organization formed to end sex trafficking.
“One of the big things Love 146 does is task force—campus coalition. As students, we have limited resources, but over 100 different campuses are involved with Love 146,” McAuliff said.
Love 146 was founded in 2002 by Rob Morris, Desirea Rodgers, Lamont Hiebert and Caroline Hahm. The four traveled to Asia and first discovered sex slavery and exploitation as they went undercover with professional investigators to a brothel.
“[There were] little girls standing behind a wall of glass, and each wore a matching dress with a number pinned to her chest; they were watching children’s cartoons,” Love146.org says.
“Men were purchasing these girls by the number pinned to her dress… and then there was number 146. The only one not watching cartoons, she was staring back through the glass with fire and fight left in her eyes, there was still life there. In her eyes we found our calling. In her number we found our name.”
Love 146 has since dedicated its resources to abolish child slavery and sex trafficking.
In a year’s time, 100,000 young girls are kidnapped, lured or coerced into the world of sex trafficking in America. Men and young boys are also susceptible, but the most common sufferers are young women.
“Sex trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act is under the age of 18 years,” the Department of Health and Human Services said.
More often than not, the young girls are not runaways or abandoned children. Most of the girls are kidnapped or forced. The traffickers threaten the girls, their families and their friends in order to gain control of their lives.
In America, most of the children are kidnapped right outside their homes. Traffickers have been known to convince young girls to leave with them to pursue the idea of a new career or relationship.
Once the girls are far from home, the traffickers “condition” the children. This includes starvation, physical and mental abuse, rape, imprisonment and forced drug usage.
The girls are under constant surveillance and their lives are threatened by their captors. Many are too afraid to leave, even if given the opportunity.
Most of the young women are between the ages of 11 and 19, the most common age being 13.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the children face numerous health risks.
“Physical risks include drug and alcohol addiction, physical injuries, traumatic brain injury, sexually transmitted diseases and forced or coerced abortions.”
The biggest issue that faces the nation is those that are ignorant of the severity of sex trafficking in America.
Jared Snead, senior media ministry, suggests that students build awareness by watching films, such as the movie Taken.
“It really shows how terrible trafficking is. First, though, students need to pray. It is an issue that doesn’t really come into our everyday prayer requests,” Snead said.
McAuliff agrees that prayer is priority. As the main campus advocate for Love 146 this year, his desire is to see students become more involved.
“You can’t say, ‘we maybe can stop it.’ You’re already defeated. You have to know that we can and will stop this. We want a Greenville task force that involves the community, parents, all citizens in working together,” McAuliff said.
BSU is beginning to go through paperwork to become more involved with the Love 146 movement.
We must inform ourselves of the dangers our nation is facing. Awareness is key to building a better future for our children.
Tags: Fall 2009, Vol. 109 - Issue 6