Monday, 19 January 2009

Human Trafficking & Teenage Rape

I've just been watching a movie on Human Trafficking, the largest growing crime in the world and it just makes so much anger burn up inside me. Last week just over 600 young people from around Australia and New Zealand gathered together in Melbourne for a huge youth event called 'Insane'.

A part of Insane was a huge silent protest in Federation Square against this vile crime where around the number of around a jumbo jet full of mostly of women and children go 'missing' everyday and are sold into sexual slavery. There are way too many stories I've heard from individuals that have been involved in this and it really breaks my heart.

We keep telling ourselves that this only happens in far away lands and that it's doesn't really effect us so why do anything?! I want to change the focus slightly to right here on our shores of Australia, slightly different from sexual trafficking, but still sexual victims.

I've been having a few girls coming to me regularly now for months with stories and experiences of young teenage girls mostly getting drugged and raped here in Australia from every corner of the continent and they really develop a sense of self hate and depression. As these girls talk to me, it makes my heart break and I just wish I could really do something to stop this. The part that makes me the most angry is that nearly 100% of these go unnoticed and unpunished. One example I know of is a 26 year old raping a 15 year old girl who was drunk!!! How can we allow this to happen!

I've been told I'm too protective of our young girls, but I want to be a father one day, and this scares the hell out of me when my daughter will become a teenager. Is it culture we need to change or teachings that our children get from tv shows and songs.

We need to start doing something now, something needs to change now!

One life at a time

Break my heart for what breaks Yours God! I promise to do all I can in my power God so just give me access and Your anointing

"He [the wicked man] lies in wait like a lion in cover;
he lies in wait to catch the helpless;
he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. "
Psalm 10:9

1 comment:

Kathleen Pearce said...

Sime,

Have these girls who have been speaking to you taken their cases to authorities (police/DCP)?

And have there been appropriate women around in supporting roles for these girls?

It's really nice that they've been able to open up to you about their struggles, especially when you clearly already carry a righteous anger for the injustice, but I'd encourage you to direct these girls, under the guidance of some older female friends of yours to seek some professional/pastoral counseling and report the crimes.

You're saying that these things go unnoticed or unpunished. I imagine that in some cases this might be because the girls aren't given the opportunity to talk to the right people.