We heard this story of a four-year-old girl who was kidnapped from the bus driver who brought us to our game. Trafficking of women and children is so prevalent right now, it comes up almost everywhere we go.

Trafficking and The World Cup from Tom Davis on Vimeo.

This excellent video features kids from South Africa sharing the statistics and real life impact of sex slavery and human trafficking.

Despite our advances toward human rights and individual freedoms, over 27 million human beings are forced to work as slaves. Right now. Today.

The kids in the video got it right. That’s more slaves than at any other point in history. And unlike other “commodities” like guns or drugs–people can be used again and again. Sold over and over.

I have witnessed the horrors of sex trafficking in both Russia and Moldova–places where orphans are specifically targeted.  It happened exactly has the video described…

One of the girls we work with moved outside the city, and found it difficult to find a job. One day she was approached by a nicely dressed woman who introduced her to some men who owned a hotel and sauna.

Night after night, she was provided with food and clothing by these men. After a few weeks, they handed her a bill, and instructed her to go to the sauna and have sex with the men there.

When she refused, she was beaten for five hours, and at one point had an axe held to her throat.

During a break in the beating, she managed to escape. And she ran for help. Not to the police. Not to her orphanage. She ran right to the Children’s HopeChest Ministry Center where she knew our staff would protect her.

Stories like this became the inspiration for many of our programs in Russia, and also for Priceless, my latest novel about the sex trafficking of orphans in Russia. Right now Priceless is sold out at Amazon, so head to Barnes & Noble.