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Pornography. What do you think of when you hear that word? For many wives of pornography addicts, this word sends chills down the spine. In fact, in a recent survey of 63 wives of self-identified sex addicts, 70 percent met most criteria for a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. When you think about porn, we bet you don’t think of PTSD.

Maybe you don’t know that two-thirds of women involved in the pornography industry in the United States also suffer from PTSD. Now, compare that with 11 percent of Vietnam veterans who struggle with the disease.

Contrary to our culture’s belief, pornography is harmful on many levels. For those of you who don’t know, this week is “White Ribbon Week,” raising awareness of pornography and its many facets. This week at WAR, Int’l, we want to draw your attention to pornography as an issue that fuels sex trafficking, child exploitation, and sexual violence.

In the last several years, porn has grown increasingly violent. In fact, 88 percent of all porn videos involve some kind of violence that can include slapping, punching, spanking, or gagging. The same study also showed that 49 percent of scenes contain verbal aggression, including name-calling.

One of the reasons porn flourishes in today’s society is because of its accessibility. Men and women no longer have to go to a store to rent a porn video or buy a copy of Playboy. Twenty years ago, those who bought porn did so by passing the magazine or video through the hands of a sales clerk. Today, this is not the case. The Internet can be a great thing, but with a world of information at our fingertips has also come the ability to bypass the average sales associate when it comes to purchasing porn.

It’s also important to note that 13 percent of all erotic, sexual searches on the internet in 2013 were for child pornography. Pornography is not an issue primarily focused on adult women. While pornography becomes increasingly violent, the desire for young children also grows.

Covenant Eyes, an organization which produces internet accountability software, recently did a study of 13-17 year olds that showed 83 percent of boys and 57 percent of girls have seen group sex online. Sixty-nine percent of boys and 55 percent of girls have seen same-sex intercourse online, and 39 percent of boys and 23 percent of girls have seen sexual bondage online.

This issue goes beyond choosing not to watch pornography. Do you know what your children are looking at online? Do you know who they are talking to? If recent studies show that 92 percent of teens report going online daily, and 24 percent go online “almost constantly,” parents need to become circles of protection around their children.

This week, we want to encourage you to start a conversation about the porn industry. Research this issue more on your own. This is the perfect opportunity to talk with your children about it and start an open conversation among your immediate family members. Being a safe haven for your circle of influence is a powerful thing.

TAKE ACTION:

Here are a few ways to combat the rise of pornography from right where you are.

1. Wear a white ribbon or the color white throughout this week.
2. If you are struggling with your own addiction, we want to encourage you to seek out a local Sexaholics Anonymous group. We want you to know you are not alone and there are people who want to help.
3. If you are the spouse/significant other of an addict, start a support group. You can email info@warinternational.org for a resource guide.
4. Develop rules in your house regarding internet use, and talk to your children and grandchildren about the dangers of pornography.
5. Host a movie night with friends and show a film such as Somebody’s Daughter, The Price of Pleasure, or Nefarious: Merchant of Souls. Start a discussion within your own circle of influence.

GRAND RAPIDS – Lady Godiva’s Showgirls closes in GR

In the dark corners of strip clubs all across the country, traffickers loom. Strip clubs are breeding grounds for trafficking – its disguise even sometimes fools the women working in them. Many of the girls who begin stripping do so through a “boyfriend” who eventually leaves the role of lover to become a master manipulator, taking every cent the woman makes during her ten-hour shift. Violence and criminal action run rampant in strip clubs across the United States.

It’s always bittersweet when a strip club closes for those who understand the pain and depravity the girls face in these dark places. On one hand, there is cause for excitement because many girls have been set free. On the flip side, when a strip club closes, questions like “Where are they now?” begin to emerge. Some of the girls will turn to prostitution. Others will drive farther away to other clubs, either in Grand Rapids or in surrounding cities like Kalamazoo or Lansing. Even fewer will decide to leave the life completely.

Despite the uneasiness that this situation brings, a strip club has officially closed in the city of Grand Rapids. Lady Godiva’s Showgirls, a controversial strip club in Grand Rapids, has been sold to make room for downtown apartments, offices, and retail space. According to Wood TV8, demolition of the building is set to take place this fall to allow for the new developments.

There were only three strip clubs in Grand Rapids, which is quite a small number considering the population density of this city as a whole. One of the two left, Sensations, is also owned by the same woman who owned Lady Godiva’s, raising questions about whether or not the second location will also eventually close.

Lady Godiva’s has a shady past marred with the death of several strippers, shootings in the parking lot, and mafia activity. A WAR, Int’l partner has tried to go into this particular club to minister to the girls with no avail – even being banned from the premises because she came without a male escort.

So while the questions arise in the midst of this news, WAR Int’l realizes the closing of this strip club could be one step closer to ending human trafficking in West Michigan – and sharing the love of Christ with the girls who now have to search for employment elsewhere.

Please join us in prayer as we lift up the girls who formerly worked at Lady Godiva’s. Pray that God would lead them to places of joy and peace – out of the sex industry. Pray for the ones who do turn to other strip clubs or pimps in Grand Rapids – for their safety and protection in these dark times. Pray that they would find an alternate way out of the sex industry.

If you would like more information about this strip club closing, or the development that will take its place, you can visit WOOD TV8’s website that includes their article on this issue at http://woodtv.com/2015/06/30/arena-district-to-expand-with-sale-of-gr-strip-club.

A look at hope & healing

Fluorescent light bathes the room, spilling onto the black tables and empty, cushioned, swivel chairs. The tables are laden with plastic organizers, boxes, and a metal basket stuffed with scissors, pliers, glue, pens, and a few pieces of candy. Shelves and cabinets line the perimeter of the room, filled with beads, spools of ribbon, wicker baskets, and more. A quilt and other decorations adorn the walls. One is a slip of paper, upon which a Psalm of longing and invocation is handwritten.

This is the U.S. Training Center within WAR, Int’l, and the strong, brave women who sew, fashion jewelry, and concoct spa products here are survivors of sexual exploitation—a horror that many of us can’t fully grasp; we can only brush our fingers against it, feel the dips and grooves of the scars it leaves on flesh and soul. The women may be free from their abusers, but they are not yet free from the burdens of their dark pasts. Yet strangely enough, they have an advantage that non-victims do not: they know—truly know—what it’s like to wear a price tag, what it’s like to be used, what it’s like to be abused again and again and feel helpless to stop it. And their experiences can galvanize them to take action against the risk of trafficking and exploitation.

Before that happens, however, healing of all sorts needs to take place. First, caring people need to clean and bandage their physical wounds. The meaning of this may be literal; victims are often physically abused and beaten. But they also need to be treated for other physical problems: dangerous pregnancy, STDs, and malnutrition, among other things.

The body often heals more quickly than the mind, so psychological issues may linger long after the wounds have scabbed and the infections have cleared. This is because women in the sex industry have experienced a great deal of trauma. They have most likely been raped. Clients have stripped away their humanity, turning them into objects for their own personal pleasure. Pimps have threatened and abused them. So it’s no wonder that they suffer from PTSD, substance abuse, dissociative disorders, anxiety, depression, and thoughts of suicide. One can understand why they feel worthless, helpless, and ashamed (though they are, in reality, strong, beloved, and blameless). It’s no surprise that they must renew their lost sense of identity.

The healing process can span for years. Take Theresa Flores, the founder of Traffickfree. She still experiences nightmares about the times she was trafficked as a teenager. But recovery can and does take place. One woman in the U.S. Training Center, Monique, is steadily heading in that direction. Once a victim of the sex industry, she now aspires to open her own jewelry-making business. She is currently honing her skills in preparation for that day, designing and repairing gorgeous jewelry for WAR Chest Boutique.

Life may never be the same for survivors, but this is not always a bad thing. Sometimes those who were formerly voiceless become powerful vessels for change. They share their stories in front of audiences, build organizations that advocate on behalf of victims, and work to rescue those who are still trapped. Theresa Flores founded the S.O.A.P. program, a clever and effective way to reach trafficked women and girls. This initiative labels bars of soap with the Human Trafficking Hotline. Before large-scale events, the soaps are distributed to hotels and motels, where trafficked individuals can find them and seek help. Anny Donewald—a former exotic dancer and prostitute—founded Eve’s Angels. Among other things, this organization reaches out to women in the sex industry by visiting them in their places of employment. They show women the love of Jesus and offer them a way out. WAR, Int’l’s very own Rhoda Kershaw—another survivor of sex trafficking—is a powerful advocate and dear friend of ours. She also uses her experiences for good, sharing her story and speaking out against the crime of human trafficking at our Civilian First Responder conferences. Though Monique is still involved in our program, she is already using her experiences to spark change; she recruits other women into the U.S. Training Center, inviting them to join her on the road to healing.

You can help these advocates and promote change alongside of them. Get involved with organizations founded by human trafficking survivors. Volunteer to label bars of soap with Theresa Flores. Show sex workers the love of Christ with Anny Donewald. Stand up with Rhoda Kershaw and speak out against the injustices that are perpetrated against millions of people worldwide. Join Monique and search for women to rescue. It doesn’t matter where or how you help. Every second of time you give makes a difference.

You can also walk with rescued women on the path to healing by purchasing the work of their hands. This gives them a livelihood, a positive way to support themselves, a means of escape from traffickers. When you wear or use their products, you share their story and give them a renewed sense of dignity.

Finally, treat everyone you meet with love and respect. Unless you are told, you have no way of knowing what another person’s life looks like. Physical wounds may be covered with clothing, and emotional wounds can be concealed with fake smiles. The worst case scenario may not be true, but act as if it is. After all, everyone struggles with something and needs compassion. Your kindness alleviates pain and gives strength to those who feel weak—whether they are trafficking victims or not.

Summer blesses us with a renewed sense of freedom. We dust off our shorts and flip flops, swing open the prison doors of home, and venture into the warm sunlight to eat barbecue, go swimming, and dangle marshmallows over roaring bonfires. For many of us, this time of year is filled with life, joy, and memory-making.

Yet the season can be a challenge for rescued women and children. During Christmas, hordes of shoppers stream into WAR Chest Boutique to purchase products. In February, boyfriends, husbands, and fiancés scramble to find their significant others the perfect Valentine’s Day gift. Children pool their money together in May to buy their mom a pretty piece of jewelry for Mother’s Day. But after that, a lull in sales strikes, and life gets a bit trickier for women and children in our safehouses.

But you can make a difference in their lives this season: encourage your community to shop with a purpose by rallying in your local Fourth of July parade! Whether you belong to a group like Boy Scouts, or whether you simply have a passion for empowerment, you can take part.

Don’t know where to start? Here are some steps and ideas to get you going!

1. Snag a spot. Complete an application to participate. To do this, contact the Parade Association or your city’s Chamber of Commerce. Parade spots often fill up fast, so sign up today!
2. Find your people. Grab your friends, family, church, neighbors, or anyone else you can find to join you on the March for Freedom!
3. Make a scene. Stroll down your streets with WAR, Int’l banners and signs lifted high. Sit in style on a fancy float adorned with red, gold, and black trim. Sing, dance, shout, play an instrument, make some noise. Your march can be as simple or elaborate as you want; no matter what you do, your presence will raise awareness and stir the audience to take action!
4. Let us help you. WAR, Int’l can provide you with materials to make your march awesome. Email us at volunteer@warinternational.org to receive printable images for signs and banners. If your local parade will allow it, shoot us another email for coupons and pass them out at the event.
5. Become a model. Adorn yourself with jewelry, clothing, purses, and more from WAR Chest Boutique. You’ll support a woman with your purchase, as well as advertise the beautiful products they make.
6. Embrace other cultures. Check out the different countries that WAR, Int’l supports and don the clothes that they might wear during festivals and special events. Declare that freedom and justice is for all—no matter where they live or work!
7. Don’t forget to snap some pictures! We’ll post them on our website for all to see.
8. Have any other brilliant ideas? Let us know at volunteer@warinternational.org.

If you’d like to know more, call our office to receive an informational packet about this great opportunity. Parades can be a powerful mechanism for change, and on a day when we already celebrate our country’s liberty, you can help make freedom a reality for everyone—both nationally and internationally.