When I think of teenage and adolescent girls here in the United States, I think of a few things: opportunity, education, social lives including shopping, text messaging, movies and boys. That seems to be the case with most girls, whether lower, middle or upper class. Sure, they have their share of problems to deal with. They have broken families, broken lives, addictions and peer pressure into lifestyles including drugs, alcohol and sexual promiscuity. For the most part, however, these young girls are not in danger, nor are they scared for, their lives.
I've been doing a little bit of reading as well as watching documentaries on the horror of the sex trafficking industry that is happening all over in India. Girls as young as nine years old are being sold into the brothels of sexual slavery by parents, siblings and other relatives who trick them into being pulled from their family with the promise of education.
India has the largest population of child laborers in the world, with 60 million children being bought, traded and sold into sexual or domestic slavery, half of them being young girls. With 65 million adults in India jobless, this opens the door wide for girls, in particular, to be sold into slavery. Girls are preferred because they are a cheaper source of labor, they are physically and mentally vulnerable and they can be exploited in many ways, including sexual exploitation and abuse.
It is common in most parts of India, particularly in the cities, for girls to work illegally as private slaves. Moreso, many of the people genuinely believe they are "helping" the girls by employing them. I read about one story of two girls, ages 9 and 14, who were brought to their "employers", telling them he would study and get an education. Instead, she cared tirelessly for a little baby, would cook and clean for the family, serve their meals. They were often beat, scolded, slapped, and even threatened with death. If it wasn't physical abuse, the father of the house would sexually abuse the girls while the mother would watch and do nothing.
Over 500,000 girls are trapped in India as sex slaves, working in the country's red light districts. Parents of the girls are often duped into believing their girls will be offered domestic jobs in the city. Instead, they are sold into the brothels, where the average age of a prostitute is 14 years old. Each year, at least 10,000 girls are trafficked into this trade of prostitution and sex. Girls can be sold for as little as $1 and girls 11 years old will have several clients in one night, sometimes against her will. Younger girls are often preferred by buyers due to the lower risk of disease.
Within the horror of the lives these girls lead and the daunting future that lies ahead of them, I can't help but think of how blessed we are in this country, how much we complain about, and how much I feel a pull to somehow get involved. This has been an issue on my mind and that I have been reading about and researching for several months now and one of which, I feel the definite need to help do something about. I'm not sure on what level yet, but I do know the need is there and the passion for it in my heart is not diminishing.
I ask for your prayers as God leads me, and Paul as well, in getting involved in a ministry that helps assist in this area. Pray for guidance and most of all, for protection for these very young and frightened girls.
Information taken from a variety of sources: www.tinyhandsinternational.org, "India's Shame: Sexual Slavery and Political Corruption Are Leading to an AIDS Catastrophe", and SACCS (South Asia Coalition on Child Servitude).
No comments:
Post a Comment