This movie seemed to be a seminal moment in the fight against human trafficking. Millions of people were taken by the fact that sexual slavery and kidnapping was happening in our world today. Documentaries like Nefarious: Merchant of Souls were produced and distributed, Passion 2013 saw college students raise over $3 million to fight this evil, police upped their efforts to the catch criminals involved. Overall I believe that this movie, though it misses a lot of marks, was important in catching the public's attention and casting it toward a horrific problem.
Yet some things haven't changed.
Billionaire owner of the New England Patriots Robert Kraft was involved in a sting that involved a "day spa". The business was really a brothel where foreign women were tricked into sexual exploitation in exchange for passage to the U.S. The women lived trapped in this "massage parlor". More than 100 people were linked to this crime by the sting operation.
Recently Mr. Kraft and 24 other men were offered a plea deal. The misdemeanor charges would be dropped in exchange for an Alford plea (not acknowledging guilt but that a jury would find you guilty in court), community service and a fine. Kraft has turned down that deal and will fight the charge in court. Perhaps he is innocent. I don't know about him nor will I pretend to know, but the whole thing stinks.
Using and abusing enslaved women and girls is a weak misdemeanor. Late night comedians respond to Kraft's charges with low hanging sex and happy ending jokes. People talk about the case jokingly as if it wasn't a big deal.
I host a morning radio show and we've talked about this subject and I'll write here what I've said on air. If you cheered Liam Neeson throat punching people in Taken then you should realize this is what he was throat punching people for. Do we not care because the girls and women in these situations are often Asian? Do we not care because we honestly don't see this for what it is? Do we not care because we find more guilt in the women than the men purchasing their bodies? Or have we bought into the idea that it is normal behavior to abuse women?
I'm not calling for violence against men who exploit our daughters like this. Please, no throat punching. What I am asking for is for justice to do its job. I'm asking for the law to curb demand for sexual exploitation instead of putting most of its weight on the victims. I am asking for us to not call evil good and to not call a mountain a mole hill.
"Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter." Isaiah 5:20
We need to take these issues seriously. I know great progress has been made in recent years, but we mustn't mislabel this issue. This isn't someone caught in a "boys will be boys" situation. This is an ancient sin that must be fought against.
Grace is infinitely available to men and women who abuse people in this regard. It is. God's grace isn't beyond anyone. There is no sin that Jesus didn't die for. But Jesus has a special love for the victims. Christ was friend to many prostitutes. When the world saw them as evil and the men as simply "meeting a need", Jesus loved the prostituted women and spoke words of warning to the lusting men.
The Church must be like Jesus.
Being like Jesus in this I believe starts with our tongue. We have to talk about stories like this the right way. Our language must show that this is serious. That the using and abusing of the least of these for the sexual pleasure of others is an abomination. We can't call evil good or light dark or bitter sweet. Words matter. I'm not asking late night comedians to be the answer because they likely won't be. But the Church is supposed be be the voice in the wilderness. We are supposed to let our light shine and light exposes darkness.
Let your tongue speak truth today.
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