Slavery exits in your front yard . Human Trafficking is Modern Day Slavery .  

How equipped are your churches , congregations , pastors, and missionaries  to end  Human  Trafficking ?

A pastor from one of the member churches of NCCI in Delhi shared that his congregation members comprises mainly migrant workers from Jharkhand and other tribal belts in India .  He mentioned many of the young girls in his congregation who migrate to be domestic workers are at high risk of being trafficked.

Revd. Jyoti Samuel Singh an ordained woman minister from Church of North India, former Executive Committee member of NCCI,  while promoting the “365 Days Zero Tolerance to Gender Based Violence: Make it Happen Now!” Campaign of NCCI shared a similar concern regarding the vulnerability of women and children who are members of our congregations and communities. “ We have to take action and do something to end this modern day slavery and we have to do it now.” asserts Revd Samuel.

Facts about Human Trafficking in India 

• Oxytocin injections  which are given by farmers to Cows and buffaloes to increase milk production are given to children trafficked in India and South Asia  to speed up puberty.
• 80% of the human trafficking is related to sexual exploitation, while the rest is bonded labour  organ trade. India is allegedly the hub of these crimes in Asia.
• West Bengal is the hub of human trafficking in India, followed by Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Delhi is the transit point.
• Jharkhand is counted as one of the states most vulnerable for trafficking of women and children according to a report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Much of the trafficking is done by placement agencies that are actually organised crime syndicates.
• As per a report by the National Human Rights Commission of India, only 10% of human trafficking in India is international; the remaining 90% operates inter-state.
• According to government data, every eighth minute, a child goes missing (trafficked) in India.

(cf. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2941836/Red-alert-oxytocin-injections-given-child-prostitutes-speed-puberty.html;  Mohana Basu, “Juvenile Trafficking: Glimpses of Kolkata”, International Research Journal of Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Studies (IRJIMS),Volume-II, Issue-XI, December 2016, Page No. 103-110; accessed on 29th July 2017)

The UN declares World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on 30th July . NCCI invites member Churches, All India Christian Organizations , Related Agencies and Regional Christian Councils to engage in advocacy  and ministry to combat  Human Trafficking and Sexual slavery  and support survivors .   Revd. Dr Roger Gaikwad, General Secretary – NCCI asserts: ” The Nazareth Manifesto is a Biblical Mandate to set captives free.  It is mandatory in today’s context  for prophetic Indian Churches to evolve mission paradigms to  end human trafficking, We are glad that many of our member churches are actively involved in such mission.”

According to Moumita Biswas – Executive Secretary, Women’s Concerns Ministry, NCCI: ” The Women’s Concerns Ministry of NCCI is engaged in a process of publishing a Bible Study Book  to  Intercept Human Trafficking and Sexual Slavery . This book will be  for  pastors and women fellowship leaders to understand various dynamics of human trafficking, biblical mandates and strategies to overcome such violence. Spiritual formation rooted in spirituality of justice, healing , reconciliation is essential to combat human trafficking. This Bible study book can be a good resource for churches.”

NCCI invites member churches to -:

• Talk about Human Trafficking – create awareness, engage in various forms of advocacy in  churches  congregations, and communities .
• Equip pastors, missionaries, teachers, community and church leaders to engage in the mission to end human trafficking, and supporting, healing and rehabilitating   survivors.
• Engage in spiritual formation to end the violence of human trafficking
• Include awareness about human trafficking in Sunday School and Education curriculum.
• Empower and create awareness among children and people at risk.
• Include  World Day Against  Human Trafficking in Persons in Church lectionaries
• Engage in ministry to eradicate poverty
• Strengthen networking to combat human trafficking

NCCI is also networking with Oasis International and  is helping  them to  promote their campaign, ‘The Long Run’  which will be oraganized in November 2017 in different states like West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh. Long distance runs will be organized following international human trafficking routes to raise  awareness about human trafficking . “We are motivating Churches, schools, regional councils to participate in this campaign. Church Heads , leaders and institutional heads are responding positively to support this campaign ” states Ms Biswas.

A Prayer for the End of Human Trafficking
God of freedom, beauty and truth
we believe that your deepest desire,
your most powerful energy,
is that all creation might know abundant life.

We raise our voices in anguished prayer
for our sisters and brothers,
women and girls, men and boys,
who are modern day slaves;
They are your beloved daughters and sons,
exploited sexually or forced to work
because of human violence and greed.

Fill us with your holy anger and your sacred passion
that those who are trafficked might know healing and justice;
that traffickers will come to repentance and conversion;
that all of us might live in such a way
that others are not made to pay the price
for our comfort and convenience.

Hasten the coming of the day when all people
and our precious Earth itself
will be treated, not as a commodity,
but as radiant images of your freedom, beauty and truth.
Amen.

(Prayer  shared by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, N.J. Source :www.chausa.org accessed on 24th July 2017)

Reported by : Moumita Biswas – Executive Secretary – Women’s Concerns Ministry – NCCI