Today, many organizations are holding rallies around the World to bring awareness to human trafficking. Did you know that human trafficking (including sex trafficking of young children and infants) is the largest growing criminal enterprise in the world? Here are some harrowing statistics:
- The United States of America is the largest consumer of infant and child rape videos and images in the world. Let that sink in for a second. It literally makes me angry and want to vomit at the same time.
- During the last 6 months, the BBC reported a 50% increase in downloads of infant and child rape photos and videos. Infant rape videos and photos earn the most profit.
- Pedophiles are being sentenced to mere days in prison for horrific abuses on innocent babies.
- Every 30 seconds a child is sold for sex, labor, or organ harvesting.
Sex offenses on children are not new to me. When I was a social worker, my caseload was mostly victims of horrific sexual abuse. As I moved into law enforcement I took countless reports of child sex offenses. One stands out vividly in my mind, and I am still saddened by it:
A father would use his children to get other children to sleepover in their home. He abused several young pre-pubescent females inside the house and vehicle. He threatened them so they wouldn’t talk. But when they grew into teenagers, these kids rebelled because of their struggles with emotions and holding this huge secret. One of the victims finally told a counselor, who then made the report to me.
Sadly this victim was in such a bad place that she didn’t want to cooperate fully at that time. It was my hope that with continued counseling she would come forward with how she had been violated so the suspect could be prosecuted. She had disclosed other names of family members and friends who had also been victimized during sleepovers and car rides with the suspect.
I will never forget the day that I was working and heard a call of a young mother (early 20’s) who had committed suicide. It was one of his victims that was so haunted that she ended her life. I was so saddened for her and her family. I will never forget them. They deserve to be remembered and honored.
Operation Underground Railroad
Sex offenses occur in every city across the US and world. It is a huge problem. A problem that so many are trying to silence – including famous actors and politicians. The silence is deafening.
In 2016, I got to hear Tim Ballard speak and was very impressed. He had been in the CIA and saw sex trafficking crimes go down but couldn’t do anything because he had no legal authority. As a father, this devastated him and gave him the courage to quit the CIA and start-up Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R). OUR is an organization that trains police and works with officers in the US and around the world to arrest sex traffickers and rescue the victims.
CNN even aired a rescue in Columbia where Tim pretended to be a male interested in purchasing children for sex. Once the transaction was made, the traffickers were arrested and many children were rescued.
Check out that news clip here: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/one-mans-mission-to-rescue-child-sex-trafficking-victims/
There’s also a documentary on Amazon Prime called Operation Toussiant, where cameras follow Tim, his foundation employees, and local police on a raid. Children are rescued and traffickers arrested. GO WATCH IT! Open your eyes to what is happening EVERYWHERE and learn about a fabulous organization that rescues these children.
In the past six years of existence, O.U.R. has rescued 3,800 victims and assisted in the arrests of more than 2,100 traffickers around the world. The partners we are empowering have collectively helped rescue the lives of more than 10,000 survivors who were enslaved, exploited, or at risk.
Bulgaria and the Orphanages
I traveled to Bulgaria to do service work at an orphanage with doTERRA. Bulgaria is the poorest country in the European Union. In Bulgaria, there are beautiful lavender fields as well as many other oils that doTERRA purchases. doTERRA built a distillery in the community so the plants could be distilled right there, giving jobs to community members who didn’t have any. Providing them with meals while they worked as well as providing full medical and dental benefits. It was so awesome to witness.
doTERRA gives back to the communities they purchase essential oils. They ask community leaders what’s most needed and they do what they can to help. One of the needs was assistance in the orphanages.
In Bulgaria, they don’t have foster homes as we do in the States. Only infants and toddlers are in foster homes until they turn three, then they are sent to orphanages. And sex offenses are high in these overfilled orphanages. Older children take care of the little ones who come in at age 3. There are typically no girls in the orphanage once they reach the age of 11 or 12 because traffickers get to them. Making them believe they can give them a better life when in reality when they run away from the orphanage they are then sold into the sex industry. One victim can be sold up to a dozen times a day by her trafficker (pimp).
All these girls wanted was love and attention. It is so sad that this is happening. These kids are not free. They are abused from the beginning of their life.
While traveling on a bus in Bulgaria I noticed two very young girls, maybe 13, dressed in very revealing clothing. They were being dropped off and talked to by a man who then got in his car and drove away. I knew he was their pimp and he had just dropped them off to sell themselves. I was disgusted and wanted the bus to stop so I could tell those girls they were worth so much more. It saddened me and angered me at the same time.
While there, I saw the fruits of years of donations. doTERRA paid for an overhaul of the orphanage through their Healing Hands Foundation. There was raw sewage leaking down the walls and onto the bottom floor of the building. No working washers for clothes. It was horrific and not a place dozens of children should have lived. Yet, it happens all over that area. I am so thankful for this company and how they use 100% of the donations they receive for projects like this. They did a complete remodel on all the bathrooms, got rid of the sewage, built numerous showers in each bathroom, new toilets, sinks, and even washing machines.
The kids were ecstatic! It is humbling to know so many in our world get so excited about a clean place to bathe and use the toilet. We are blessed. Our problems are small. We have so much to be thankful for and way more to give.
The Social Tea House
Thankfully there are people who care, like Stoyana Stoeva, who started The Social Teahouse not far from the orphanage. She works to provide job training as well as hygiene and emotional skills to these kids. They are definitely not taught much in the orphanage and kids struggle to find a job and survive once they are released on their 18th birthday. Most end up living on the streets, abusing drugs, and having children they cannot care for – who end up in an orphanage. A vicious cycle.
Stoyan explained how her work starts in the orphanages at the age of 6 to begin teaching girls their worth. She helps them find things they thrive at and provide them with necessary life skills. She also said she has just as much work teaching boys that girls are worth more than just sex.
It was a humbling conversation and made me realize we still have so much work to do to free girls and women around the world. You can learn more about her organization here: http://thesocialteahouse.bg/en/
Ways To Get Involved
There are so many ways to get involved!
- Text HELPTHEM to 51555 where you will be connected to Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) and be given tips on bringing awareness to this cause.
- Purchase doTERRA’s Hope oil. Hope is an essential oil blend created to provide funding to OUR. 100% of the purchase price is donated to OUR and the aftercare rehabilitation homes where the children are cared for after they are rescued. It smells divine and you’ll be rolling it all over you – for a great cause. Grab one for you and as gifts! http://www.doterra.com/US/en/create-cart/retail?OwnerID=84298&salesOrg=USOTG&60200879=1
- Donate directly to doTERRA’s Healing Hands Foundation where 100% of your donations are used for projects in the US and around the world. Just like the orphanage remodel. Or you can grab a Rose Lotion where 100% of your purchase price is given to the Healing Hands Foundation. http://www.doterra.com/US/en/create-cart/retail?OwnerID=84298&salesOrg=USOTG&37520001=1&2002=1
How do you get involved with causes that speak to your heart?
