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Kay Warren

Seriously Disturbed

Joining the Resistance

It took seeing seven-year-old prostitutes to jolt me out of my apathy.

The person who invented the TV remote control deserves some kind of award. From my comfy recliner, I can cruise through a hundred channels in seconds.

See something unpleasant? Click. Change the channel. See a disturbing image on a newscast? Click. Change the channel. Avoiding any contact with suffering is as easy as touching a button. For a long time, I lived my life the way I watch TV: I ignored upsetting images by changing the channel. I rationalized my trigger finger on the remote control, thinking, It's just too painful to look at. But a shocking encounter with suffering jerked me out of my apathy, so that changing the channel was no longer an option.

Some friends and I were traveling in Cambodia and were told that we needed to visit a tiny area outside the city limits of Phnom Penh called Svey Pak. It's famous: all the cab and motorbike drivers know exactly how to get there. Without hesitation, they turn their vehicles toward "the Street of the Little Flowers." A street with such a sweet name surely held gardens, genteel folks sipping elegant libations, and children playing silly games while the adults smile indulgently.

Unfortunately, the lovely street name belied the wickedness that occurs there all day, 365 days a year. The dirt road was narrow, and only scraggly weeds and a few trees managed to survive the heat. We saw middle-aged Western men wearing sandals, oversized sunglasses, and ball caps sitting in the shade of small bars as they swilled beer after beer. Children were present, but they were locked behind large iron gates padlocked shut. The adults were smiling indulgently, but it was the self-indulgent smile of a predator waiting patiently for its prey.

This was a street where child prostitutes as young as seven ...

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Seriously Disturbed

Kay Warren

Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church with her husband, Rick, is an international speaker and Bible teacher especially known for her work with those living with HIV and AIDS. She is the author of several books, including Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn't Enough and Dangerous Surrender (revised and republished as Say Yes to God). Her column on international social issues ran from 2008 to 2009.


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Comments

Displaying 1–3 of 29 comments

Joan

August 19, 2008  3:17pm

As I wrote to Kay more than a year ago (without any response) about her call to action in AIDS work, missionaries and national churches have been on the front lines for years, physically rescuing the innocents who are forced to participate in sex-slavery/trafficking. I'm glad that she is finally seeing the need but like Julie above, wonder what she will do to participate in bringing justice to these children. I urge you, Kay, to contact International Justice Mission or the Remember Nhu ministry, both of which help with the rescue and rehabilitation of these girls. Remember Nhu is affiliated with a home that takes in the girls, giving them unconditional love and helping them to adjust to life of freedom in Christ. Put your money where your mouth is. Many of us have been doing it for years!

Mark A.

August 15, 2008  10:23am

In answer to those who want to act, please check out Justice for Children International, on the Web at www.jfci.org. It is an organization created specifically to bring an end to child sex slavery.

Mark A.

August 15, 2008  10:23am

In answer to those who want to act, please check out Justice for Children International, on the Web at www.jfci.org. It is an organization created specifically to bring an end to child sex slavery.

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