January in National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.  Human trafficking is recognized as one of the largest criminal industries in the world, stealing the freedom and dignity of millions.  You can introduce your church to this social issue through WMU’s resources Trafficked: Fighting to Be Free, an hour-long simulation, and Human Trafficking: The Church’s Response, an online course, and WMU Compassion Ministries.

Trafficked: Fighting to Be Free is designed to help older students and adults experience the realities surrounding human trafficking.  During the simulation, each participant follows a scenario card describing a human trafficking victim and his or her progressive story.  The story leads participants through stations representing common traps into human trafficking, including a modeling agency, a party, a home, and a social networking area.  A Bible study and a debriefing for self-reflection are also included.  Participants leave the simulation with a personal understanding or what it might be like to be forced into a lifestyle they did not choose, as well as practical information about how to identify and help possible human trafficking victims.

“Through Trafficked: Fighting to Be Free, simulation participants gain a glimpse into the difficult realities of human trafficking and the impact it has on the lives of many,” said Lena Plunk, ministry consultant with WMU.  “Those participating in the simulation will gain insight on how the church can respond and engage with those impacted by human trafficking.”

Human Trafficking: The Church’s Response is a self-guided, online minicourse that explains how WMU Compassion Ministries address the issue of human trafficking and defend the voice of the voiceless.  It includes stories of rescued victims and provides materials for leading training conferences.  Participants learn how to join the fight against human trafficking and raise awareness of exploitation.

WMU Compassion Ministries address the issues surrounding human trafficking through Christian Women’s Job Corps / Christian Men’s Job Corps (CWJC/CMJC) and WorldCrafts.  CWJC/CMJC help women and men freed from trafficking in the United States and globally by providing job training and education in a Christian context.  WorldCrafts provides artisans a living wage so poverty does not force them into bonded labor or sexual exploitation.  The WorldCrafts’ Support Freedom Campaign highlights WorldCrafts artisan groups working to free women involved in or at risk of human exploitation.  To make a purchase to help empower Support Freedom artisan groups or learn more, visit worldcrafts.org/support-freedom-campaign.

If you believe you have information about a potential trafficking situation, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.  If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911.

For more information on how WMU Compassion Ministries address human trafficking and exploitation, visit wmu.com/compassion-ministries/social-issues.

Reprinted from the January 2021 issue of Missions Mosaic, Woman’s Missionary Union, Birmingham, Alabama. Used by permission. To receive this issue, or subscribe to Missions Mosaic, call 1-800-968-7301.