a. WAR, Int’l takes a multi-pronged approach to rescuing women.

• Our preferred method is outreach. In this way, WAR, Int’l staff form a relationship with the woman and are able to use that relationship to offer her a way to work with dignity. We give her a description of the job, the education, health care, and child care that she can receive through our program, as well as tell her the salary she will earn. We have found that by using this method, the percentage of women who return to the streets is much lower because of the trust and relationship formed. This method puts the emphasis on the woman, offering her a safe place to come when she is ready to make that decision. Typically, rescuing a woman is the easiest task we face while job training and healing are the long-term goals that are more difficult to achieve.

• WAR, Int’l will also do emergency interventions. This was the case with a one month old baby rescued by a partnering safe house and now being adopted into a safe home. The Emergency 911 fund was established for this reason. Through the use of this fund, we can assist women and children in imminent danger.

• Another way that women are rescued is through police raids. The advantages of a police raid are that it is a more effective way to rescue women or underage children who may be chained or closely guarded by their traffickers, and a raid has the goal of apprehending and prosecuting the trafficker. However, while a police raid may deal with the trafficker, it does not ensure that the victims will receive post traumatic care. Given the choice, we prefer to focus on the method that gives the victim the greatest care and attention.

• Prevention is another method used by WAR, Int’l. WAR is involved in many preventive programs, such as orphanages, micro-loans, scholarships, etc. These programs allow women to support themselves with dignity before being tricked into slavery or resorting to prostitution to support themselves and/or their family. These programs support women or girls with the greatest risk of being scammed, such as those who have been raped, abandoned, orphaned or widowed, those whose sibling has already been sold, those who are orphans or widows, etc.

b. Rescue is absolutely NOT enough. Statistics out of Cambodia indicate that ninety percent of women rescued but who do not receive job training are re-sold. Rescuing a woman is invaluable, but many questions follow it. What can I do? Where can I go? Who can I trust? Who will help me? The women have an incredible amount of healing to do as they struggle with issues such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, AIDS/HIV, STDs, or injuries from physical assault. Rescue is not enough. The women must have holistic healing and support. The biggest challenge is to add value to the way they view themselves and the way they are viewed in their culture.

• The number of women helped each year changes constantly. Safe houses range from ten to two hundred women each at any given time.

• A safe house is just that—a safe house. The safe houses that WAR, Int’l partners with provide job training, education, counseling, therapy, employment, discipleship, medical services, and spiritual mentoring for the women. A safe house is a place where women can heal, have their lives restored, and reclaim their dignity. The safe houses that WAR, Int’l partner with are both residential and non-residential.

• The safe houses are generally very safe. We have a male presence at every home to meet men visiting for the wrong reasons and to give a visible male authority presence in mostly male cultures. Our homes blend in with their surroundings and do not have signs making them known as safe houses. Sometimes, they are seen as businesses that help women, and a woman may be referred by locals who know that she is in trouble.

• Whether a woman goes directly to a safe house depends on the situation of the woman running. If her trafficker is looking for her, she will be hidden in a separate safe home for a few weeks before starting work at the main safe house facility.

• WAR, Int’l does not list the names of our partners in writing for their protection and at their request. The safe houses are advertised as “businesses” to the local community, which is essentially what they are—businesses that exist to help women regain their lives, heal, and work with dignity.

Preventive Product: These products are made or sold by vulnerable women to help them support themselves and safeguard them against trafficking. Generally, our preventive programs focus on women who are targeted by traffickers, such as widows, orphans, and girls who have been abandoned, raped, or have had a sibling sold. Pearls of Hope is one of our preventive programs.

Curative product: WAR, Int’l also carries curative products, made by women rescued from a trafficking situation and now employed with dignity. For example, in Thailand, safe houses train rescued women in jewelry or card making or sewing. Their products are sold in the United States, allowing them an alternative way to earn an income.

Supportive Product: Some of WAR, Int’l’s products are sold to support and expand WAR, Int’l’s projects, allowing us to reach more women worldwide. The money raised is used in the area of greatest need: new programs, emergency funds, etc. An example of supportive products would be the sale of books or donated goods.

Trafficking does occur in the United States. The U. S. State Department says that 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year. The CIA estimates a larger number of people trafficked into the USA each year, between 40-50,000 people each year, or about one person every ten minutes (Hylands, 2001). These numbers do not include intra-national trafficking. A 2001 study (Estes and Wiener) states that 250,000 children are sexually exploited in the USA annually. There are 100,000 teens trafficked in the USA between the ages of nine and nineteen (FBI).

The face of trafficking in the USA is children. Cybersex sells children as young as six weeks old to customers in the USA for sex. MSNBC aired “Sexual Slavery in the Suburbs” telling of a 16 year-old girl sold on Craig’s List for $300,000 as a virgin after going to a “harmless” sleepover. There are 300 children a month commercially exploited in Atlanta, Georgia, alone.

The U.S. government signed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000 and reauthorized it in 2003. This act emphasizes the prevention of human trafficking through education and awareness; the prosecution of traffickers through increased legal enforcements; and the protection of victims by providing more services, creating a special T-visa for them. However, these services are dependent on the victim’s cooperation with law enforcement to prosecute the trafficker. The Dept. of Health and Human Services launched the Rescue and Restore campaign, which distributes materials in order to raise awareness of trafficking and supports various local anti-trafficking coalitions. Homeland Security also works closely with our office to follow up on leads, tips, and evidence that come to our attention through a number of ways.

Outside of government activity, there are 30-40 national coalitions that are teaming up to fight trafficking in their community. The Polaris Project, the Salvation Army, Shared Hope International, Standing Against Global Exploitation, and WAR, Int’l are a few examples.

b. There are a number of ways that businesses can get involved in this fight. If the business has storefront, consider hosting some of our product made by rescued women. Doctor’s offices, spas, school stories, summer camps, etc. have also hosted our product. We have done this on a consignment or wholesale basis. Other businesses or individuals have contributed a portion of their profits to WAR, Int’l. Or, consider donating your professional skill—we have drawn upon businessmen and women to help make business plans for WAR, Int’l’s projects, or have brought a variety of professionals to help assist overseas including lawyers, medical professionals, teachers, jewelry designers, cake decorators, photographers, videographers, writers, etc.

During the holiday season, your business can host a Christmas tree with WAR, Int’l’s hand-blown glass ornaments. We make it easy on the host, providing the tree, set-up, ornaments, order forms, etc. Please contact Jen McDonald for more information at jmcdonald@warinternational.org.

Some of the ministries that are beginning to form for men include men ministering to men who are victims of trafficking; raising awareness of the issues to other men who may be involved in the sex industry; and providing support for men as they leave the bondage of trafficking. Another important piece of the puzzle that men can be involved in is forming prayer groups to pray for the victims, perpetrators, and those who are in bondage to the sex industry.