Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. It's sad we need to have a day like this in 2023, but unfortunately the sale and exploitation of human beings is still alive and well. Too many people, specifically women and children, are bought and sold every day in countries, including the United States.
It wasn't until writing Slave (Finding Anna, Book, 1) that I realized how oblivious many were to this sad reality. I got reviews saying this type of thing didn't happen in America.
But it does happen in the United States. It's not only a third world problem. It doesn't only happen in other countries.
The inspiration for my Finding Anna series was a woman who was rescued after being held as a sex slave for almost 20 years. This happened in the US. She wasn't trafficked in the traditional sense. She was kidnapped and held captive.
As I listened to this woman's story as it unfolded on the news, I thought about the trauma and trust issues she would obviously, and rightfully, have. How would this affect her relationships going forward? Especially those with the opposite sex.
Just like Brianna in my Finding Anna series, the people rescued from these horrific situations need support. While researching my story, I came across an organization called The Polaris Project. They are working to try and stop human trafficking at its source.
"Human trafficking is the business of stealing freedom for profit. In some cases, traffickers trick, defraud or physically force victims into selling sex. In others, victims are lied to, assaulted, threatened or manipulated into working under inhumane, illegal or otherwise unacceptable conditions. It is a multi-billion dollar criminal industry that denies freedom to 24.9 million people around the world." ~The Polaris Project
Those individuals being trafficked are trapped. When I wrote Brianna's story, I wanted to given a realistic insight to what it would feel like for someone who'd had their humanity stripped from them. These people are no longer human beings with rights, needs, and desires. They are a commodity to be used for convenience and profit.
Brianna's story wasn't typical. She was only held captive ten months before she was rescued by Stephan. Many are trapped for years or decades.
I pray for a day when we no longer need to talk about this. One where using and abusing human beings is a thing we only learn about in history books.
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