How many of you are aware of the fact that human trafficking is a $32 billion annual industry. According to the United Nations recent statistics, more than 2.5 billion people around the world are ensnared in this evil industry. This is modern-day slavery. The majority of the victims are underprivileged children and women. Poor children are getting trafficked into beggar mafia hands, terrorist groups, Maoist/Naxal activities. Women and girls are typically trafficked into the commercial sex industry. Some of the human traffickings are highly visible however the majority is not visible and not easy to track down. No child wants to end their life in that society, they want to escape. However, physical needs(need for food, shelter, clothes, or other family needs) give temptation to try the bait once or twice. When they realize the strongholds of it, they are already trapped in this evil act and can’t escape. Sooner or later they accept themselves as bad people and stay there because of mainly three reasons. 1) they can’t escape from the trap, 2) society will not accept them as good citizens anymore 3) their physical needs are met on a daily basis by their contractors wherever they are, fear of losing this will discourage them from escaping.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the greatest numbers of traffickers are from Asia. INDIA, being the most populated country, is a major destination for finding the recruits for this industry. Recruiters target the victim in the remote villages where education rate and awareness is very low.
Child Development Center (CDC) projects are an answer to this problem. Child Development Center projects in the remote village help children get daily nutritional needs, school education help, skill training, biblical values and exposure to social evilness. In a regular day, children come to the CDC facility in the morning. After breakfast, they head to schools. When they come back they have their physical training and exercise, evening tutors help them on academic lessons and home works, and then daily devotional followed by dinner. Every year these children get school supplies, clothes, blankets, and sandals. Annual medical camps and physical health check-up to make them aware of their health issues and the need for healthy life styles. Periodically these children are taken to field trips where they get to see modern industries, higher study colleges, and metro city lifestyles. I am so proud of the fact that Mar Thoma Church has several compassion projects all over INDIA. Mar Thoma Church Hoskote Medical Mission Center and KNS Mission center host more than 1000 children in their CDC projects. There are other CDC projects in Mar Thoma church mission fields in other parts of the country(INDIA).
Result of this CDC projects in the remote village is encouraging. I would like to mention about a child in Chinthamani project of KNS mission field of Mar Thoma church. His name is Maruthi. Maruthi is from a slum area of Chinthamani town. Living in a small hut in a rented room, when he was a 2 years old, he lost his father. His father was a loading and unloading (coolie) man in the market place. One early morning he met with an accident and died on the spot. Maruthi is the only child for his mother. Even with her struggles and bitter experiences in life she trying to provide the best for him. She works in construction sites as a day labor. She brought up this child up to this level with her limited income. Maruthi joined Light the Candle project in Chinthamani project (Home of Faith Bala Vikas Kendra) in the year 2011. The project and its staff has played a great role in his growth, personality development and his achievements and his 10th Grade reflects their dedication and guidance. He did all his class work and studies with determination, hard work and commitment. Even though he is from a Hindu background he believes in Jesus Christ. He is very regular in all spiritual programs of the church and BVK project at Chinthamani. He graduated with 83.36% marks in 10th grade.
As a christian you are “Lighted to Lighten” others, this also means to reflect your “faith in Christ” in your action. Your responses to social needs is what makes us a different Christian community. As it is written in James 2:14 “What is the benefit, my fellow believers, if someone claims to have faith but has no [good] works [as evidence]? Can that [kind of] faith save him? [No, a mere claim of faith is not sufficient—genuine faith produces good works.] 15 If a brother or sister is without [adequate] clothing and lacks [enough] food for each day, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace [with my blessing], [keep] warm and feed yourselves,” but he does not give them the necessities for the body, what good does that do? 17 So too, faith, if it does not have works [to back it up], is by itself dead [inoperative and ineffective].”
God has placed us in the United States of America. The most affluent country on earth. Some of us are in the Silicon Valley the most influential place on earth due to the IT industry presence in Silicon Valley. When God has given us such a good life environment, it calls us to respond to God’s calling upon us to respond to social needs such as fighting against social evils such as human trafficking. Lets join hands together to spread education, healthy life styles and christian values in the remote villages to save these children from evil hands and set them free from the bondages of sins.