Today, about the time that this post goes live, I’ll be catching a plane and leaving my family behind for two weeks. I’ve spent the last few months raising awareness about my trip, watching God provide what was needed to cover my expenses, and organising the finer details like vaccinations, visas and meals for my family while I’m away. Although I’m looking forward to this trip with a sense of excitement and wonder, it will not be a holiday.

I’m joining the Amor  and Stop the Traffik Women of Strength trip to India. We’ll be visiting a range of Non Government Organisations involved in fighting and responding to the very real issue of human trafficking. We’ll be visiting rescue homes, training centres, non-formal education settings, slums and villages. We’ll be meeting women who have been rescued from a life of slavery, families struggling under the grip of poverty and children for whom life holds very few options.

The statistics around human trafficking are shocking. Looking at the situation for children alone they make you catch your breath:

* 1.2 million children are trafficked into slavery of one form or another each year.

* 1 child is trafficked every 30 seconds.

And, unfortunately, unless we act  they will continue to grow.

I’m sure I’ll have more to share about the issue when I return from my trip; not just about the intense injustice and sadness of the sale of human beings, but also about the hope and promise when communities work together to fight the trend and protect their families and children.
If you are interested in learning more about human trafficking, here are a few organisations dedicated to the fight against it:

Stop The Traffik – learn more about human trafficking, participate in local anti-trafficking campaigns, learn how to spot the signs of trafficking in your area.

A21 – this group focuses on advocating, educating, prosecuting the traffickers and supporting the rescue and rehabilitation of those sold into slavery.

Destiny Rescue – fights human trafficking by focusing on rescuing children sold into a life of slavery and sexual exploitation.

Penny Reeve is a children’s writer from Australia. For more information about her and her books visit www.pennyreeve.com