It is amazing how powerful a picture can be and these two take the cake. Who can look at these photos and do anything else except smile.

“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky”  Buddha

These two pictures are in stark contrast to the lecture I went to yesterday about childhood slavery. It was sponsored by  World Vision – a humanitarian organization dedicated to tackling poverty and injustice. The lecture was about childhood slavery and given by Jesse Evans.

In his introduction he talked about a boy names Masood.

Masood was physically, verbally and emotionally abused in his own home. At age 14 he stole money from his step-mother and bought a bus ticket and left his home. He shows up in a big city. All alone. No money. No contacts. No job.  He goes to a hotel asking for work in return for a place to sleep. The manager took him upstairs to a room filled with kids of all ages. Masood looked around, was happy to see other kids and went to sleep.

That night the door opened and the manager and another man came into the room. The manager told the man to choose. The man pointed to Masood, took him to a small, dingy room next door and raped him. He raped him that night and every night thereafter. Masood tried to tell others, but he was beaten when he opened his mouth. During the day he washed dishes, cleaned rooms and at night he lived a living hell.

Masood is a slave. He can not get out of his situation.

Human trafficking, exploitation for profit, brings in $32B per year, right behind drugs. The world must take notice and do something for all the Masoods of the world.

Jesse Evans ended his lecture with a silent room and he told everyone in the room just how important it was to take some kind of action. Most importantly calling your state senator to ask them to vote yes to the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (S.1301). The bill has always been renewed and funds efforts to stop human trafficking. This year it is stalled – stalled because of politics. If there ever was an issue not to play politics with, this is it.

I was so moved by the presentation and immediately went to call both of our senators. Both senators phone numbers were disconnected. I tried another senator. Luckily, I got into that mailbox, but wouldn’t you know it, the mailbox was full. So, the old fashioned way of writing a letter is still the way to go.

Pick up a pen and write your state senator  – Masood and all those trapped in his situation deserve to dance and laugh.

xoxo