Shining light on the human trafficker

He sits in the lurking places of the villages;
In the hiding places he kills the innocent;
His eyes stealthily watch for the  unfortunate.
He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair;
He lurks to catch the afflicted;
He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net.
He crouches, he bows down,
And the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones.
He says to himself, “God has forgotten;
He has hidden His face; He will never see it.”
-- Psalm 10:8-11

Photo by Kay Chernush for the U.S. State Department

The despicable exploiter portrayed in Psalm 10 counts on God "never seeing" his crimes as he lurks in the shadows. Likewise, today's human traffickers count on health professionals "never seeing" their crimes.
Many health professionals will recall seeing patients who raised red flags. Something about the injuries, the patient's affect or the person accompanying the patient didn't seem right.
In fact, a study of rescued victims revealed that nearly nine in ten victims during their captivity had been taken, typically by a pimp or trafficker, to see a health professional. But researchers found no evidence that any health professional had reported a single one of these victims.
Imagine the difference in the life of a victim—think of her as your own daughter--if just one health professional had asked a probing question or made a phone call to authorities.
Thankfully, awareness campaigns and medical curricula are helping professionals learn to spot the signs and take appropriate action. The Christian Medical Association, for example, has developed ten online training modules with continuing medical education credit to equip health professionals with lifesaving skills.
Alert and action-ready health professionals can shine a light to break through the shadows in which the trafficker lurks. The God who remembers the victim and sees the injustice can use you in His plan to rescue, redeem and restore precious individuals.
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National Human  Trafficking Hotline: 

888-373-7888 

www.acf.hhs.gov/endtrafficking
health and trafficking brochure

Hyatt Hotels nixes on-demand porn

My friend and colleague Dawn Hawkins of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation sends the encouraging news below about weaning individuals and our culture off of soul-sapping and addictive pornography:

I am thrilled to announce that Hyatt Hotel Corporation has changes its policy and will now remove all on-demand pornography from their guestrooms worldwide! This is a major victory for the movement to end sexual exploitation. Hyatt was eager to work with NCOSE (National Center on Sexual Exploitation) after we reached out to them to share our concerns about the neurological and psychological harms of pornography. Without even being placed on our Dirty Dozen list, Hyatt listened to NCOSE's message and worked to change its policy in order to provide a safe and positive environment for its guests. This reveals the greater cultural shift that is on its way. As more individuals and companies refuse to profit from, or facilitate, sexual exploitation, the stronger our movement gets.

PLEASE THANK HYATT Tweet at @HyattTweets and thank Hyatt for their policy change and their commitment to oppose sexual exploitation. When we thank companies that are making the right choices, it gives others more incentive to follow suit and to create a culture of valuing dignity above profits.

Sincerely, Dawn Hawkins VP & Executive Director, National Center on Sexual Exploitation Director, Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation

Protect our children: Censorship is not a bad word

Regarding the rampant profanity, obscenity and violence assaulting children on network television, a USA Today editorial ("Calloff the FCC decency police") naively suggests "there are better ways to protect children than empowering government censors."

When it comes to protecting our children, most parents do not consider "censorship" a bad word. Parents cannot conceivably control every image and idea flashed from the public airwaves into our children's minds.

We the people own the airwaves. Agencies directed by our elected representatives govern how networks may use those public airwaves, enforcing standards that reflect consensus public and community values. Most parents don't want their six-year-old to see graphic sexual encounters or watch bloody severed heads bounce down steps.

Rather than stopping damaging TV content before it infiltrates our homes, USA Today would instead rely on often perplexing v-chip filtering technology. But v-chip technology is only installed in TVs with screens above 13 inches, leaving the smaller sets in many children's bedrooms unprotected.

Studies show that more than 75% of prime-time TV programs present sexual material.[1] Not surprisingly, research also reveals that teenagers with bedroom TVs are more likely to engage in sexual activity.[2]

We parents need every helping hand we can find to guide our children toward decency, civility and moral character. Let the FCC do its job of managing the people's airwaves to uphold the people's values.

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[1] Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media, PEDIATRICS, Vol. 126 No. 3 at 576-77.

[2] Policy Statement, American Academy of Pediatrics, Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media, PEDIATRICS, Vol. 126, No. 3 (Sept. 2010) at 579.