Sex Slaves in the Suburbs

Human trafficking is an American problem too.

Last night I watched one of the most riveting documentaries about teenagers being kidnapped and sold into prostitution. MSNBC's Sex Slaves in the Suburbs centered around the horrific story of Shauna Newell, a then 16-year-old who was tricked into a Florida sex trafficking ring. She was repeatedly drugged, raped and beaten and nearly sold off and lost forever to someone in Texas.



When teens go missing the police often chalk it up to them being runaways but with human trafficking and the sex industry becoming more lucrative there's a great chance that teens are getting sucked into that realm. And when you examine the Red Light hot spots around the world you realize that it's not only teens and adults who get caught in its snares. I've seen several documentaries that show little girls (and boys) being sold to the highest bidder, with some being as young as 7-years-old. Can you even begin to imagine the horrific lifestyle that awaits such a child? They lose themselves and become indoctrinated by their pimps and captors that sex is all they're good for and that their life could be taken away from them at any moment. It's a sad reality for countless youth.

There aren't many songs that deal with this heavy subject but Aly & AJ's "I Am One of Them" talks about their concern to help missing children:

It's hard to look outside my door / with all the news reports and more / yet I will do my part and stay on alert / for all the kids out there who are getting hurt / it could have happened to me / can you make me believe / this could have a happy end / 'cause I am one of them

Every time I listen that song it tugs on my heart so deeply and I've kind of made it my theme song to inspire me to find ways to be active in the cause against human trafficking.

You can check out these sites for more info on how to join the fight:

www.klaaskids.org
www.catwinternational.org
www.stopthetraffik.org

Know of any organizations doing work in this area? Share your links in the comment section.

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[photo: random suburban house]

MSNBC Investigates

One of my favorite TV shows besides Heroes and Smallville is MSNBC Investigates. It's an hour long show hosted by John Seigenthaler that features documentaries on various issues. Two of my favorites are "Hollywood Vice" and "The Runaways". I try to catch the repeats whenever I can. They're real works of art, superb in style, content and depth.

"Hollywood Vice" is about police officers whose job is to get prostitutes off the streets of L.A. and the women who roam them. The documentary profiles this one prostitute named Brandy and one of the most poignant scenes of the piece is when she's in the back of a taxi re-telling the time when she was raped as a young girl. She said she was never the same after that. She was so honest and vulnerable, and as I watched her fighting back tears as she told her story something in my heart broke and whispered, these are the kind of stories I need to capture and share with the world. I wished that she could know Jesus. That somehow, some way, God would sent someone to show her real love and a way out of the sex industry.

Don't let anyone convice you that television a waste of time. There's power in quality programs.

Visit ShellyLubben.com and be inspired by the story of a porn star turned Christian.
Read Donny's Ramblings, the blog of a former porn producer who loves Jesus.
Check out MSNBC.com for upcoming documentary specials.
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