Stats

If you know me or you've visited this blog before, then you know that I am currently in the process of moving to Fort Myers, Florida to begin a year long internship with Beauty From Ashes Ministries (BFA) where I be working to rescue women and children in the sex industry.

 When the founder of BFA, Julie Shematz, first began doing strip club OutREACHes in 2002, there were less than 5 ministries doing this specialized type of outREACH in the United States and zero in the rest of the world.

You may wonder why this is such a problem. Well, here are a few statistics that were releases in 2008.

1.  Human Trafficking is now considered the 2nd largest and fastest growing illegal trafficking activity in the world. (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2008)
  
2. The United Nations estimates the total market value of human trafficking at $32+ billion-a-year. (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2008)
  
3. 80% of victims are women. Out of those women, 50% are children (under 18).
(Trafficking in Persons Report 2007 U.S. Department of State)
  
4. A prostituted child is forced to serve between 100 to 1500 clients per year.
(Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 2007)
  
5. One million children are forced to work in the sex industry every year. Between 100,000 and 300,000 children in America are at risk for sex trafficking each year.
(Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 2007)
  
6.  Among the millions trafficked each year, hundreds of thousands are teenage girls, and others as young as 5, who fall victim to the sex trade.
(Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 2007)
  
7. Child pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry and among the fastest growing criminal segments on the Internet. (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)

8. As many as 2.8 million children live on the streets, a third of whom are lured into prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home. (Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 2007)

9. The average age of entry into prostitution in U.S. is 13 years old.
(Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 2007)

Now, as of June 2013, there are over 180 ministries doing strip club/sex industry outREACH in the United States and worldwide. And I am looking forward to being a part of it.

However, in order to take part, I need a total of $18,000 to cover the cost of housing, food, transportation and ministry supplies for a year in Fort Myers. This will enable me to devote an entire year to ministering to women in the sex industry and introducing them to the God who desperately wants to bestow upon them a crown of beauty instead of ashes.

If you would like to take part and join the fight to help put an end to Human Trafficking and Sex Slavery, please check out my campaign at: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/rescuing-women-from-the-sex-trade/x/956254 and considering giving a financial donation to make this possible :D Thank you so much for your support!!