Building a better world
This Lent we're praying for an end to violence against women in all its forms.
Trafficking disproportionately affects women and girls. Join us this week as we pray for an end to women and girls being trafficked.
Kashi's story
'Will you listen to me?'
Kashi was only five years old when she was enslaved by strangers, before being sold on to a brothel. She is one of many hundreds of thousands of women that are sexually exploited every year. Listen to her story and join us in praying for Kashi and others like her that have yet to be set free.
The scale of the problem
Facts are no substitute for stories - it can be so hard to get your head around this scale of problem - but we share these to help fuel your prayers.
- Women and girls are 80% of the estimated 800,000 people trafficked across national borders annually, with the majority (79%) trafficked for sexual exploitation - UN Women. 2014. Fast Facts: Statistics on Violence Against Women and Girls.
- 3.8 million adults were victims of forced sexual exploitation and 1 million children were victims of commercial sexual exploitation in 2016. The vast majority of victims of sexual exploitation (99%) were women and girls – Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage. A partnership between ILO, Walk Free Foundation, and IOM. 2016
- Women and girls account for 71% of victims of modern slavery – Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage. A partnership between ILO, Walk Free Foundation, and IOM. 2016
- Human trafficking generates about $150 billion a year—two-thirds from commercial sexual exploitation – International Labour Organization. 2014. Profits and Poverty: The Economics of Forced Labour. pp.13.
Join us in prayer
You might like to use this prayer in your own devotions, or share it with your church family.
What more can I do?
There are 25 million people held in forced labour slavery today. Many are making the products we buy and use every day. But it doesn't have to be that way. We can build a better world. This Lent, IJM is inviting your community to take part in Making #SlaveFree Normal. Its six-week video course will feature expert guest speakers, alongside discipleship and prayer resources to help equip your community to take practical action in the fight to stop slavery at source – works for small groups and/or individuals.