Exodus Cry - The Prayer Movement to End Slavery

Sex slavery is as grisly a reality as anyone could imagine. But, believe it or not, it can be exaggerated.
by, JB Mavrich

When it comes to commercial sex trade, the church is extremely vulnerable to sensationalism. Sensationalism is when we take the most scintillating aspects of sex trade-- the stuff that would make for a really good movie-- and present it out of proportion to other facts. In this three part series, I want to address some of the distortions that keep us from really feeling the Lord's heart for victims in the commercial sex trade. I asked Annie Dieselberg, CEO of NightLight ministries, what are some of the worst misconceptions that the church has about the the commercial sex trade in Bangkok. After all, she's on the front lines, walking the streets of Bangkok's sex-tourism districts (namely, Nana Sukhumvit) and reaching out to some of the most forgotten and marginalized women in the world.

MISCONCEPTION #1 Bangkok is full of trafficked children in cages.

The image of Bangkok in the minds of most people is a cinematic-mix that consists of unforgettable pictures and rumored unspeakable crimes. Everyone has seen the pictures of western men approaching teenage Thai girls on neon-lit avenues; and everyone has heard about the children kept in cages. But neither of these images-- even taken together-- forms a full picture of the industry, which is complex and has many layers. Most of the women Annie ministers to are somewhere in between. They are adult women who have been in the industry for years and who are not physically held captive.

Its not a bad thing that these images are prominent. They do reflect reality; just not all of it. But why is it that it takes the worst story imaginable to move Christians to compassion? "Unfortunately," Annie said, "the best way to raise funds for this kind of work is to tell a sensational story. So you get a picture of young girls locked up taking 30 customers a night-- that does happen, but that is a small percentage of trafficking and prostitution." To the degree we're disappointed to hear that is the degree to which have a sensational understanding of the issues at work in Bangkok. But to partner with Jesus in prayer, we have to let the Spirit define the scope of the problem.

"The problem is that children locked in cages has become the standard for what is a victim," Annie said. "The world has a quick sympathy for children. Now, I love children; I have a degree in elementary ed. But very often the church is looking for that sensational image. People come over and ask, where is the place where there are 500 children locked up; we want to rescue those. But when they hear about women who are "choosing" to live in prostitution, their sympathy flickers. They think that choice means people want to do it. But choice in this context is, If i don't sell my body, my family will starve. And that's not a choice. That's bondage by another name." So many times what we judge as an act of a woman's free will cannot really be called that. "The pain of a woman who has to sell her body to man after man every night is real; she is not relieved by the fact that she is not in a child's body. She is still a victim." Of course; that's obvious, and I feel silly that someone had to tell me that. But what this information makes me realize is that this journey of intercession with the Lord is a systematic dismantling of my own prejudice, misconceptions, and sentimentality, to make way for the true Burden of the Lord.

We must truly get the Lord's heart, and not settle for a sentimental-substitute. Our solution must be to see all the victims at all the levels and to feel the impossibility of the situation. When we see that, the only true solution presents itself: intercession.