Nefarious Merchant of Souls

Last night was a powerful night. I felt sick, weepy, empowered, inspired, angry, blessed, happy, and overwhelmed all in a couple hours. I went to a screening of Nefarious Merchant of Souls at Union Church in Seattle. It was a documentary on the global sex trade aka human trafficking. Iv'e always had a special place in my heart for this issue, but until last night never understood the vastness of it. The US Department of Heath and Human Services calls it "The fastest growing criminal industry in the world". That to me is shocking, because very few even know or realize that its going on! Even in your hometown. Seattle is considered a "hub" for sex slavery. It makes me sick to think that while I get dressed up and go downtown for a night on the town, there are woman being tormented and sold like merchandise right down the street. This film turned a light bulb on in my mind, and I'm sure just about everyone who saw this film.

Many girls and woman who find themselves in this industry, were abducted and "beaten down" physically and mentally so they are "ready and equipped" to do the work they were taken to do. This documentary showed it from so many angles. In eastern Europe in hard times, parents will leave their children in orphanages to go find work, traffickers prey on these young children, since no one will know their gone. They take them sometimes locally, sometimes far away and sell them. Many traffickers are ex drug dealers, but change to the sex industry when they see how much money they can make. The explain it this way: "When you see drugs, you only sell it once and its gone, a woman you can sell over and over, one woman can guarantee 7 years of income minimum."

In Southeast Asia parents will even sell their own daughters daily to make enough money to live. I am not a parent but I can't even imagine sending your sweet, trusting little child out into the hands of some corrupt man for a loaf of bread. I know most people looking in on that situation would agree.

I could go on for ever about the different real life HAPPENING stories that are going on, but honestly it just makes me fill with emotion.  The fact that there is only a small percentage of people who know about this issue, let alone doing something about it, is heart wrenching. I will not be a interested observer of this issue. It is SO EASY to feel something and then go back to your regular life, because its simple, comfortable, and theres no hurt. But the reality is this, there are woman, young children, and men out there who are living a life worse than a farm animal. They are beaten, abused, assaulted every single day. It certainly makes the complications in my day pathetic. I want to make a difference in these valuable human beings lives.
There are select screenings of this documentary all over the country, for people located in Washington there is one tonight and also tomorrow night in Kirkland. I encourage anyone reading this to take time out of there day to be aware of how you can help in this world. It can be stopped and I believe that transformation is going to happen in that industry. I hope I have some believers in that, to come along side me and make a difference.

Check out www.nefariousdocumentary.com for screening and information on this issue, as well as how you can help.

God Bless,
Tiffany