Exodus Cry - The Prayer Movement to End Slavery

Dear Friend,

Five years of your tremendous support and encouragement are about to culminate in a moment we have been anticipating since the beginning – we will soon place Nefarious: Merchant of Souls into your hands. You’ve made this possible, and now we have even more than our heartfelt thanks to give you – we have a powerful tool for raising awareness and action, one we know you will wield with passion.

You’ve supported the creation of Nefarious through every stage of a journey that began in February, 2007, when my wife and I met with a friend who unfolded the horrors of human trafficking to us. As she described young girls being forced into lifestyles of prostitution, we were shocked by the gruesome details. In the following days and weeks I could not escape the overwhelming conviction that I must take a stand against this injustice. The more I uncovered tragic, monstrous stories of such injustice, the greater my burden became. I am deeply passionate about seeing others, like myself, moved from ignorance to action.

I began the conceptual planning for Nefarious in the fall of 2007, a time when information on human trafficking was sparse. In 2008, a team from Exodus Cry took a trip to Southeast Asia to probe the world of sex slavery. We visited dingy karaoke bars, remote villages, massage parlors, and high-end beach destinations, finding one steady consistency—the exploitation of young women. The sights we saw and documented with our cameras stirred us to produce the Nefarious film.

Though I initially set out to document the crisis of human trafficking, I quickly discovered that the issue was broader in scope and complexity than I had thought. In order for people to understand the world of human trafficking, they needed to see all the moving parts and underlying issues that compose this wicked trade. So we shifted focus, deciding to cover the entire spectrum of the global sex industry. We traveled through 19 different countries to gather content for Nefarious, from North and Central America to Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. We recorded over 800 hours of footage and captured over 100 gripping and informative interviews from some of the most knowledgeable people on the subject.

In spite of several setbacks during the production of the film, we celebrated an historic milestone at its release last fall. God has used this documentary in a powerful way since then. Over 40,000 people globally have viewed it through our Incurable Fanatics Tour. We were able to strategically present it to United Nations delegates as well as MPs in the Australian Parliament in preparation for debates over crucial laws. Numerous film festivals have screened Nefarious, and our team has received seven awards for the quality and message of the film. What a privilege it’s been to witness hearts being restored and mindsets changed during these public screenings. And pivotally, over 2,000 of you have become part of the grassroots movement to end slavery as you’ve signed up to be an “Incurable Fanatic” right alongside us. We are so excited by your partnership, and ready for the next lap of the race!

The journey does not stop here.

Here’s where you seize the baton. It will take an army of abolitionists to change the culture of our society. While Exodus Cry will continue screening Nefarious all over the globe, I’m extremely excited to be releasing it on DVD so you can begin using the documentary to evoke change right in your own community. If each person who buys the film screens it in their home for 20 friends and family members, we can generate a ripple effect of awareness at unbelievable rates. 

Because the Lord provided for us tremendously throughout this project, we did not take on any investors and have no debt on the film. This means that all the proceeds can go right into funding the anti-trafficking work of Exodus Cry. We can provide more counseling sessions, build more lighthouses, create more awareness, and rescue more of the enslaved!

Nefarious is not a professional achievement for me. This is all very personal. I approached this issue with a desire for justice, not credentials or fame. The journey that ensued has forever changed my life. Statistics became faces. Information became real stories. Injustices became an opportunity to effect change. Not a day goes by that I am not mindful of the horrific tragedies we uncovered. However, I have also become anchored in a profound sense of hope as I’ve seen the authentic transformation of some of the most broken people on earth. Amidst the dark abyss of abuse and exploitation, I encountered a God of emancipation and salvation.
Through Nefarious, we want to see people ignited with a passion for human dignity, for the sanctity of life, and the conviction that no human being should be bought or sold. For us, this movie is about a movement as much as it is about the film. Your partnership has been vital – thank you! You’ve walked alongside us through Nefarious’ creation. We’re excited to get it into each of your hands, and watch you run!

For justice,
Benjamin Nolot
Director/Producer/Writer
Nefarious: Merchant of Souls

Buy Nefarious: Merchant of Souls on DVD here: http://nefariousdocumentary.com/store/ 

rip·ple ef·fect:  The repercussions of an event or situation experienced far beyond its immediate location.

Israel is a small geographical place around the size of New Jersey, yet the eyes of the world are upon her. The “Apple of God’s Eye,” He looks upon Israel and sees her significance. He has given her a mandate to be a blessing to the nations. With a call to be a template and the sending place of the Word, the stance Israel takes for purity and righteousness has the potential to be an effective influence that ripples out to the world (Isaiah 2:3).

Exodus Cry recently took a team to Israel, as the nation is in a Kairos moment regarding their stance on prostitution. We wanted to witness firsthand what was happening in the nation related to the issue of sexual exploitation, to offer support to those laboring for justice and change, and above all else, pray. The act of prostitution is currently legal in Israel. It is estimated that the industry generates over 2.4 billion NIS annually, most of which goes directly into the pockets of organized crime syndicates. With one million visits monthly to those exploited, and an estimated 15,000 in prostitution, the heartbreaking effects could be seen — drug use, homelessness, disease and despair were evident.  It does not take one long to be confronted with the easy accessibility of lives for sale on the streets of Tel Aviv. Passing cars and cyclists drop call girl cards, littering the streets with their advertisements.

In the midst of a nation that fuels such a high demand for prostitution, arising simultaneously is a generation of advocates for justice and righteousness. Emerging in positions of influence in media, social work and government, their voices and prayers have caused movement in the waters and a ripple has begun. Within the past six months films like Zona, created by Project NOA (Not Objects Anymore), which reveals the devastating effects of prostitution, was shown to the Knesset. Collaborative efforts of Knesset member, Mk. Orit Zuaretz, and advocates such as Jerusalem Institute of Justice, have worked to bring awareness to both Knesset members and the Israeli public.  Due to the media attention given to the issue of sexual exploitation and prostitution, there was a rapid decrease in the purchase of sexual services. Through these efforts, along with the powerful prayers given to see the eradication of prostitution in Israel, the Knesset committee voted unanimously in favor of “The Prohibition of the Purchase of Sexual Services” bill to make the purchase of sexual services illegal and the first official voting rounds in the Knesset were also in favor of the passing of the bill. Yet, opposing voices are arising. A total of three votes are necessary, so it is important that we pray. The Knesset will be in discussion and review the bill to prepare for a second vote during the summer session. Economics play a large role in this as the cost to build shelters, rehabs, recovery programs, as well as job training and welfare for 15,000 women is vital.

It is critical that we continue to stand with Israel to see the bill passed. This bill sets the criminal responsibility on the client, thus attempting to eliminate the demand for purchasing sexual services. Isaiah 2:3 declares, “For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” In order for a law to go forth, it must first be established. Israel is on the verge of a watershed moment that could set a precedent for the nations.  If passed, this law will be a quantum leap in ethical legislation.  Let us contend for Israel during this critical moment in time to take her place in regards to prostitution and sexual exploitation. Breakthrough has taken place with the passing of the bill in its first official voting rounds. Let us pray for breakthrough again, that ultimately, the purchase of sex would be deemed illegal in the nation of Israel. Let us stand for justice to see the historic event and the rippling of righteous law go forth from this place to all the nations.

For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. -Isaiah 2:3 

Israel needs your help to see righteous legislation go forth from Zion.  Israel has been entrusted with a mandate to bless the nations and there is an opportunity in the coming weeks for the passage of an important anti-prostitution bill in the Knesset translated as “The Prohibition of the Purchase of Sexual Services”. This bill criminalizes the client and can set a precedent for purity, creating a ripple effect in the nations of the earth. There is a strong correlation between prostitution and trafficking. The passage of this bill would be a significant blow to the lucrative trafficking industry in Israel which generates an estimated one billion dollars annually. It would hinder both the cover and ease which enable the oppression of women to operate freely. 

Prostitution is currently legal in Israel. It is estimated that there are one million visits to 10,000 prostituted women in Israel every month. This is in a country with a population of only seven million. Many of these clients “visit” more than once a month. 

Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute; lest the land fall into prostitution and the land become full of wickedness.-Leviticus 19:29

The Israeli government stands on the threshold of a historic opportunity, an opportunity to close the door to wickedness and bring a blessing to the nation of Israel. Your involvement is crucial.  On February 12^th, the bill will be presented to the Israeli Ministerial Committee, known as the Knesset Committee.  The decisions and recommendations of this committee have profound influence on the vote of the full Knesset.   Israel’s democracy is extraordinarily responsive to their citizens and the concerns of the global community; your voice is crucial.  Your impact will be most effective by joining us in the following three initiatives. 

Pray: Cover the ministers and 119 Knesset members in prayer, that they may defend the cause of victims who are being exploited and oppressed. We are asking you to mobilize prayer for this issue as it is the only foundation for justice to be established upon.

Social Network: spread the word. Raise awareness concerning Israel’s opportunity to address and effectively combat trafficking through the passage of this bill. Please tweet, Facebook or repost this blog and the link below.

Write: Israel takes human rights issues very seriously; therefore it is essential for public support to be raised on behalf of this issue.  For this purpose a petition has been drafted to be sent to the Knesset Committee. Your voice can play a significant role in the debate and vote of the Committee on February 12th.

If you would like to join us in this endeavor please read and sign the petition below:

Catherine’s Story

The current trend towards pervasive hyper-sexualized behavior has flown under the banner of progress and freedom. Our western society has cast off conservative values to embrace a new expression of sexuality and freedom. Traditional views of purity are considered prudish while promiscuity is heralded as achievement. The rhetoric surrounding this movement beckons us to be open-minded, experimental, and tolerant. The pressure to conformity preys upon our most vulnerable primordial instincts – the desire for love and pleasure.

I find it interesting that people in our society wish to talk about dignity without morality; when in fact, no such thing exists. Freedom without morality is simply anarchy.

The torrent of injustice that cascades through the global sex industry threatens the very substance of our humanity. Veiled by seduction and masquerading as freedom, the injustice of sexual exploitation has become deeply entrenched within our world. Little by little, our sanctity and solidarity are breached. Little by little, our decency and dignity are shredded like a cheap cloth. This pervasive sexual brokenness exposes the depth of humanity’s wound like perhaps no other issue. The gaping sore of our sexual abscess requires healing that is beyond humanistic solutions.

A girl caught in the vortex of today’s sex industry faces challenges that are insurmountable in the natural. On the outside she has been ostracized from friends, family, and community. In most cases she has no education and cannot just pull herself up by the bootstraps. Emotionally, she suffers from a deep sense of personal shame and self-hatred. She has become psychologically ensnared in a pattern of thinking that alienates her from her true self and prevents her from experiencing love. Spiritually, she is oppressed and plagued with an inner barrenness. Freedom for these girls is much more than being rescued off the streets, or out of a strip club, brothel, or cage. Restoration in the lives of these broken individuals is ultimately not about human perseverance, but about God’s relentless love.

Tantamount to the tragedy suffered by women whose innocence is stolen from them is the tragedy suffered by the men who steal it. The men in the sex industry are the gatekeepers. They are the owners of the strip clubs, brothels, karaoke clubs, girly bars, and massage parlors. They are the bouncers, managers, pimps, and traffickers. They are the johns who drive the demand for sex that fuels the industry. And they are an emasculated representation of the male race. Blinded by their own lust for sex, money, and power, their lives are reduced to the basest form of cowardice. Strutting about as studs, pimps, and players, they ignore the overt exploitation of the girls they seek to dominate, unaware of their own sickness. One simply cannot purchase happiness from another’s misery.

Men must rise above the egocentric rationalization of their sexual dominance over women. A redeemed masculinity begins with a sacrificial love that doesn’t seek its own interests, but the interest of others. Our sexuality is something to be guided with discretion and great respect for our female counterparts. Dominating a women and exposing her economic inequality is not macho and does nothing to demonstrate manhood. Jesus set forth the kind of masculinity that is honorable—love expressed in humility and servanthood. As desperately as women must be freed from brothels, karaoke clubs, and cages, men must be freed from the self-centered lust that parades as manhood.

While the lamp of liberty wanes in the winds of change, we must not remain silent. We must arise and fight to recover a freedom in society that is worthy of its citizens. The global swell of unrestrained perversity necessitates a wholesale countercultural revolution to invoke the kind of widespread change that restores our dignity and expunges every counterfeit. Amidst the fog of social corruption we must regain a moral compass to navigate our way to a new day—a day where a young woman is valued not just for her body, but for her humanity.

The official Nefarious: Merchant of Souls screening tour began July, 28 2011 and will end November, 11 2011.

The Kansas City showings will take place August, 12–14.

For a list screening locations and times visit nefariousdocumentary.com.

FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN (July 6th-13th)

10 Days to raise $10,000 to send our Incurable Fanatics screening teams on the road! We are still in need of finances in order to send out our teams.

REWARDS

Top 5 givers will receive a Nefarious: Merchant of Souls merchandise packet which includes:

• Nefarious: Merchant of Souls DVD signed by director and producer Benji Nolot
• “Hold On: Music Inspired by the Nefarious Documentary” CD
• Nefarious/Exodus Cry t-shirt or sweatshirt

Single Item rewards given based on random name selection:

Quis est Veritas: Who is truth; what is in a lie? A theatrical presentation of scripture exploring how slavery and human trafficking was and is synthesized through the first and last lie in human history. Raw, sobering and beautiful, Quis est Veritas is the latest creation of Christian Gonzalez, national award winning off-Broadway writer, director and actor. Featuring Natalie Wenninger (actress from 22 Weeks), Marianne Kim, Anthony Sung, Christian Gonzalez, Christine Don, Jonathan Garofalo, and Deyvid Lam.

Showings June 9th and 10th at 7:30pm, in the Forerunner Arts building, on Main Street! Seating is limited.

The third way we must respond to the human trafficking crisis is by taking a stand for purity.  Sex trafficking is fueled by the demand for illicit sex. To combat this root cause, we must win the battle for our own personal sanctity.

We live in a hyper-sexualized world––the very atmosphere is charged by a spirit of lust, which is driving unprecedented numbers of men to sex markets around the world in search of a body to rent.

The onslaught of sexualized imagery that objectifies women and aims to arouse men has left us gasping for purity in a pornified world.  But purity is exactly the antidote needed to quell the uprising of men who demand sex at a price.

If, through my solidarity with God and also the victims of human sex trafficking, I am able to overcome the spirit of lust that is fueling this industry, I have made one giant step towards emancipating those enslaved.

Women are purchased one, by one, by one.  They are bought by one man, after another, after another.  What is desperately needed is for the dominoes of men who have lined up to buy women to begin to fall––for the demand to literally cease.

Much awareness is now being raised about human trafficking, but unless we connect the injustice of this issue with the spirit of lust and license that is fueling it we will be powerless to stop it.  It is time for men from every walk of life and every corner of the earth to take a unified stand against the purchase of women and children for sex.

*A practical way to stand in purity is by taking The Purity Covenant, which consists of three main commitments:

1) Purity

I commit to guard my eyes, ears, and speech from defiling images or conversations.

2) Accountability

I commit to find an accountability partner who agrees with the purity covenant.  I will confess to this individual each time I cross a boundary of sexual compromise in any area including: what I look at, say, and listen to.

3) Software

I commit to download software onto my computer that prohibits sexually explicit images from appearing including all pornographic websites. Exodus Cry recommends X3watch and SafeEyes.

**More from the 10 Ways To Respond To Human Trafficking series:

Intro
1. Prayer
2. Compassion

Go to NefariousDocumentary.com for more information

The federal government of the U.S. became seriously engaged in the fight against human sex trafficking in 2000 with the passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA); a federal effort that was and still is focused on the 50,000, (a vastly conservative figure), or more victims who come each year to the United States from other countries. Sadly, many victims of sex trafficking in the United States are our own kids.  Under federal law, any aggrieved child sexually exploited by way of the Internet is defined as a victim of sex trafficking because posting pornography or selling sex using this medium crosses state lines.  To date, the lack of systematic data puts this number at 250,000 per year.

Weeks ago, in my continued quest to abolish child sex trafficking in America and in research for my upcoming book on the same subject, Patrick Trueman introduced me to Steve Wagner in D.C.

Steve Wagner, President and Founder of the Renewal Forum, former Director of the Human Trafficking Program under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services along with Patrick Trueman, former Chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section Criminal Division under the U. S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., are two of the great leaders driving the fight to stop child sex trafficking in America.  Read Huff Post blog “Internet pornography is the ‘Sexual Revolution’ on Speed” posted on April 21, 2010.

Like most of us, Trueman and Wagner are on the hunt for a perfect model city in which to create the foundation for an “anti-exploitation community.” What can be better than this? Meeting a desperate need with a viable solution.

On March 15 and 16, 2010, at the Kansas City (MO) Police Academy, the Renewal Forum convened the “Call for Community Action Conference” to plan the abolition of the sexual exploitation of juveniles in Kansas and Missouri. This event, cosponsored by the Attorney-General of Kansas, the Kansas City (MO) Police Department, the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, and the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families, was a triumph in several regards.

Two hundred and fifty attended (versus an initial projection of 100), of whom a quarter were police officers. Senator Sam Brownback, now running for Governor of Kansas, delivered an inspiring keynote address.  The conference brought together police officers and representatives of non-government organizations to discuss how to work together to end exploitation in and around Kansas City. The conference also elicited many excellent suggestions for additional elements to a strategy of abolition.

The mission of the Renewal Forum is to end the pandemic of exploitation. Given the limited resources and urgent challenges facing today’s administration, the people of America cannot leave this problem to the federal government alone.  State and local government agencies need to be actively involved which means that we need good laws in place at the state and local levels. It also means that local law enforcement agencies need to start working with community organizations to find and protect the victims.

Sex trafficking is a crime in which most of the victims will not report what is being perpetrated against him or her, a situation which is taxing to the normal practices of law enforcement. Because of this challenge, we need to create models of collaboration between community organizations and law enforcement agencies; often community organizations are better able to find victims than are the police.

According to The Renewal Forum, each year 2300 American  children fall victim to commercial sexual exploitation in Kansas, and 4700 are victimized in Missouri, with nearly a quarter of this total (1650) being victimized in the Kansas City Metropolitan area. Those numbers conservatively represent one of a million communities across the country. It is not the Forum’s contention that Kansas City has a particular problem of juvenile exploitation; rather, Kansas City’s problem is typical for a metropolitan area of its size (U.S. Census estimate over 2,000,000 population), and that Kansas City characteristics, make it an advantageous place to implement a model.

To date there is no single community that has organized all of the necessary anti-exploitation programs and activities; although there are many interesting initiatives in the United States. The concept of a “model city” comes out of the realization that there is no “silver bullet” for the abolition of sexual exploitation in a community.

Wagner stated, “the abolition of human exploitation requires a community-wide continuum of response, consisting of a number of distinct yet mutually supportive activities and institutions.” Putting in place a continuum of response in one center is the purpose behind establishing a model city. The Forum’s goal is to create an environment in a single community that is so inhospitable to exploitation that the crime withers away. Once they achieve an empirical demonstration of success, the model will be replicated in other communities.

Five key elements make up this model:

1. Identifying and rescuing victims

2. Restoration of victims

3. Demand reduction

4. Local government action

5. Research on the nature and extent of the problem in the community

In a nutshell, employing this methodology to contact the victims, ask the right questions, work with the community and local law enforcement, as well as to make use of the information will build the protective and prosecutorial mechanisms that could prevent further child sex trafficking within our communities and across our Nation. Steve Wagner can be reached at The Renewal Forum: Wagner@renewalforum.org.

via Conchita Sarnoff: Kansas to Become First Anti-Sex Trafficking Model City in America.