Neighbor News
Human Trafficking Is Fastest Growing Crime
Spreading awareness of modern slavery and how you can help to stop it.
Human Trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. This is the sale of humans for the purpose of forced labor and sexual exploitation, with 21 million people currently enslaved. Traffickers often target vulnerable children in unstable households.
Organizations focus on different aspects of assisting these victims out of their horrendous situations, through Prevention, Rescue, Restoration, and Reintegration. Safe Families For Children is a ministry where families voluntarily offer temporary housing to children whose parents are in crisis due to homelessness, unemployment, illness, rehabilitation, etc. By assisting parents in crisis, children need not be removed from their homes and are able to remain in their families. This prevents parents from becoming desperate and leaving their children vulnerable.
Testimonies from the Inland Empire
- Recently, a homeless mom with an 8-month-old baby girl and a two-year-old boy was desperately looking for work and shelter when she heard about Safe Families for Children. She was doing everything she could to care for her children, but she needed a little help. She was able to get into a domestic violence shelter to find safety from her current situation and was open to having her children be hosted by a sweet family. It’s awesome that Mom doesn’t have to jump through hoops or qualify for anything, she's just receiving the help she needs during this difficult time. It's such a joy to see SFFC and the Church fulfilling its mission.
- Last week a call came in from a hospital who had a patient that had an emergency C-section. She has four other children who had been living with her in a homeless shelter after leaving a domestic violence situation in another state. The kids had no one to look after them and neither the hospital nor the shelter could be responsible for them. The hospital would have called Social Services to intervene. Thankfully, a caseworker at the shelter found the hotline number for Safe Families and called immediately. Host families stepped up to be available to have the children in homes by bedtime that same night! Their quick, compassionate response prevented children from having to enter the foster care system during what would normally be a celebratory event of bringing a new baby into the family. The children got to go home to be with their mom and new baby when they were released two days later!
This is the impact of Safe Families in our valley. They focus on the next generation of Americans and give children a chance to grow up without trauma.
How can you help?
You can become a Host Family and provide shelter, support, and love to children.
You can become a Family Friend, supporting Host Families by providing meals, needed items, or transportation.
You can learn more at www.safe-families.org
You can also provide donations for an upcoming charity stream at www.twitch.tv/spanglypigman on Saturday, February 17th from 2-4pm.
You can learn more about Human Trafficking at www.justice-matters.com. This website has all the resources needed to learn the truth and scope of Human Trafficking. By staying informed and helping one of several ministries, you can stand up with others and say: Justice Matters.
