Christians Launch Anti-Slavery Efforts for Super Bowl XLV
Cowboys stadium. Troy Polamalu. Black Eyed Peas. Ben Roethlisberger. Sex trafficking of minors. Christina Aguilera. Doritos' controversy-tinged "Crash the Super Bowl" contest. Those irritating Go Daddy commercials.
Which of these things is not like the others? Believe it or not, they all describe the close-at-hand Super Bowl XLV, where cheese heads and yellow-towel touters will cheer on their respective teams, Dallas hotels and airports will receive an estimated 100,000 visitors, with a projected economic impact of $611.7 million on the area, and pimps and traffickers will set up makeshift brothels in hotels and blocks of houses, selling the bodies of vulnerable children and teens. And while major sporting events are well known as seedbeds of sexual exploitation, this year's game might be worse: Texas senator Leticia Van de Putte recently reported that over 20 percent of all trafficking victims into the U.S. come through Texas. And in 2008, reports the Fort Worth Star Telegram, 38 percent of all calls to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hot line were from Texas.
In response, several Christian anti-trafficking ministries are working alongside government officials to curb trafficking at next Sunday's game. Traffick911, a Fort Worth-based nonprofit founded by Deena Graves, has launched the "I'm Not Buying It" ad campaign, featuring singer Natalie Grant and former New England Patriot Devin Wyman, with the tag line, "What would you do if it was your daughter?" The group is petitioning the Super Bowl Host Committee to endorse the campaign and run a 30-second ad during the game, and has received over 65,000 signatures.
Graves told Baptist Press that Super Bowls are notorious as trafficking zones because "you have a large number of male tourists traveling without families. Second, there are large amounts of money at these events. For example, the Super Bowl host committee estimates there will be 40,000 people coming into our area who do not even have tickets to the Super Bowl. They're coming just for the party atmosphere. It's kind of that mindset of 'what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.' "
Love 146, a Christian anti-trafficking group based in Connecticut, is working alongside Dallas-based Irving Bible Church to spread the "It's Not My Fault" awareness campaign and provide other local churches with educational resources and personal prayer guides. (Read this post from Love 146 co-founder Lamont Hiebert for the campaign name's origins.) This past Sunday the group led a prayer walk around the Cowboys Stadium, and has planned an "Anti-Pimp My Ride" flash mob for Super Bowl Sunday, encouraging participants to deck out their cars with magnets and congregate in high-traffic areas.
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Portuguesas Porcas
It is sad to know that even children are forced to sex slavery,this is something that should definitely be looked upon by both the government and the church.
Vanessa S ilverman
Any news about A defector's mystical disappearance?
Marc Azada
It is sad to know that even children are forced to sex slavery,this is something that should definitely be looked upon by both the government and the church.
Rachelle
Dianne's question set me off on a quest that took me straight to Carlson's PR dept. Indeed Carlson Hotels (which own Radisson and others) are currently the ONLY hotel chain in the U.S. who has signed on to TheCode.org, which involves training their staff to spot traffickers and their victims and the process of doing something about it. (It involves more than that. Check it out!) The Carlson Family Foundation is very involved in this issue. This is a place to take your business.
Doreen Ashley
"The problem with this "campaign" is the first word in the title: Christians." I don't think thats a problem at all. Thats doing the Great Commandments in the name of Christ. "I am a Christian, who long ago took the advice of John Stott when he urged us to begin, "Double Listening": Listen to God and Listen to the World." I am a Christian who long ago took the advice of Jesus and the apostles who urged us to love people in the name of Jesus. Even Jesus loved people through the love of the Father. He did not hide his allegiance. "The fact that Christians haven't caught on by now that by labeling their good efforts as "Christian", they turn off at least half of the population who might very well join in their very noble efforts." Actually, its because Christians don't do their efforts in the name of Christ that the general perception of Christians is bigotry and uncaring. Also, I don't think you went to any of those sites, because several of them are secular. I can tell you from working a disaster relief that the biggest help came from Christians, and the last thing on my mind or my secular coworkers minds was complaining that they were religiously affiliated. "In doing so, in insisting that the hotels etc. "join them", they are shooting themselves in the foot and endangering the lives of the very young people they want to help." Well can you give evidence of this? From the information on the sites most hotels are supportive of their efforts... "What if Christians became a part of secular programs to stop Trafficking, or started Secular programs themselves? I can imagine there would be a lot more excitement for the type of involvement they are hoping for. Instead, there is that subtle suspicion that their program "just might" be having a double motive, that of "adding to their numbers"." I don't really think anyone honestly thinks that. Should Compassion International and World Vision stop feeding the children because "its not secular"? They are a witness to the world, a light shinning in the darkness that cannot be overcome. "People in the world are not going to "join" you, you need to get over that mentality and get out there and join them..Jesus did!" Really. Did he? Jesus ministered to the sick, oppressed, and poor, but he certainly didn't do it in the name of secularism. He did it out of love for the Father, that He repeatedly talked about. If you don't want to join efforts that have something to do with "Christianity", you shouldn't be surprised by negative comments people make about Christianity. You also shouldn't be reading a "Christian blog" as I'm sure there are plenty of secular ones out there :)
Doreen Ashley
Is Radisson training the staff at all of their hotels to be aware of sex trafficking or just the ones in the DFW area?
amartinka
Let us pray for an end to this. Prayer is powerful. I never thought of human traficking and the superbowl. How disgusting in the middle of honest people trying to enjoy their families on an innocent occasion such as watching a football game together. Pray. A Martinka
Mary
A problem with this campaign is the quote from Texas senator Leticia Van de Putte. She recently reported that over 20 percent of all trafficking victims into the U.S. come through Texas. Interesting statistic, but senator Van de Putte needs to identify the source of this 20 percent, and the campaign should focus on the source, too!
Mary Perry
"HIDE" our faith under a bushel, NO! I no more advocate hiding our faith than I do failing to witness for our Lord. I'm sorry that you seem to mis-understand my point, which I must not have made clear. We believers are NOT being heard or respected because of the un Christlike reputation that Christians have..for a variety of valid reasons. Jesus IS respected..but Christians for the most part are not well thought of by the world. Why is that? I would suggest you ask a non-Christian what they think of when they think of the word "Christian". Again, John Stott's "double listening". I'm NOT saying we should hide our faith in Christ. That is pretty clear when I imply that we should go out as Jesus went out among people. We as Christians need to get out into the dark world to be lights, not expect the world to come into our light and warmth. Working with non-Christians on a noble project is one great way to do this. That's why I'm saying we Christians would do a greater job if we got out into the world not "hiding" or disguising our faith, but living it fully orbed..for the Glory of Christ working side by side with those in the dark. Can you see what I'm saying?
Ashleigh
Brodie,
I really appreciated your comment on the "for women" issue. I've mentioned that on here before, but nobody seemed to listen. I think Her.meneutics talks about things that are relevant and should be interesting to anyone and everyone. I'd love to promote the idea that women are needed voices for the whole church.
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