Wheel Of Risk Archives - Women At Risk, International

The girl in the little red dress…

Author: Liz, a survivor

The girl in the little red dress…
(Circle Tour 2026)

In Thailand there is a place that is much talked about but rarely known.

A place where love comes at a cost and where the heart of a man is truly shown.

A place for searching, by those purchasing, by the ones who will pay and those on display…

Many there by being missed, stripped or tricked.

This place is called “The red light district”…

As I walked through the sea of faces the smell of street food and all the dark spaces

I prayed in my head God would give me divine appointments

I half-heartedly thought it would happen again, from years of disappointment….

You see years ago my heart had been broken

from a calling I received in the same red light district I spoke in
a little girl that forever changed my life in an instant, led me to adopt years later

that would inevitably be ripped from my hands by the same trauma that was greater
than what led me to adopt in the first place…

Nonetheless I walked never knowing I’d meet a girl in a red dress this night

I walked with confidence as if somehow I could radiate the light within me from the freedom I felt no longer in that life

and there she was blank stare to the world stick-straight hair tall heels and legs that were bare.

Tattoo on her back, fake smile attached, while in a marketplace mess there she stood the girl in a little red dress…

as I walked by I did a double take of a girl standing outside a bar door

I couldn’t stop looking as I noticed her dress because it’s the exact one I once wore….

I turned around and blinked a few times.

She looked at me with confusion on her face, cocked her head sideways, what was I looking at in that place.

For a moment I saw myself, like looking in a mirror but the mirror of my past that was becoming less clear

I was no longer the girl on the street, on the corner in the heels.

I had been rescued, restored, and healed.

So why did this girl catch my heart like it did.

I think because God knew I needed to see this girl felt hid.

Walking far past this girl on the street we had other partners we needed to meet.

For an hour I prayed I would find her again,

I didn’t know how and I didn’t know when, didn’t know when God would cross our paths again.

And with every closed eye and every bowed head all I could see was the girl in the dress that was red

God took me to a peaceful place far away from here where there was no trafficking prostitution or fear.

It was just God and me on a bus in Thailand.

Nobody else just God sitting there holding my hand.

We rode around the city God showing me his people.

Him pointing out how he made each one on purpose and for a reason

As I turned around what I saw was a girl in a dark shade of deep threads of red sheer eyes begging to be held..

tugging at the bottom edges of her dress for fear of being disrespectful wanting a way out of this mess a life she walked into but nobody saw through the dress that showed so much to men, it was a dress that showed her body, curves, and figure to them

but beyond that dress was a little girl once free to be anything she wanted that girl was once me…

me and her are so alike I didn’t see if before

we both hid behind the dress so nobody had to look at our soul

You came to our banquet with your blazer and high-waisted pants not your red dress that you wore when you danced you looked comfortable, you looked beautiful, you had no idea the prayers I prayed to get you there.

Everyone knew I had met the girl in red and desperately wanted you to attend.

That night I did a dance representing freedom and rescue but that last dance I danced it for you

I danced with my husband and I jumped off the stage

into his arms for every church that closed their doors in my face

he stood there with open arms to catch me every time

after I was caught and knew I was safe

I gave him a lipstick kiss and felt like I could walk away..

I found you in the audience and pulled you on stage

When I met you in the bar we pulled you from the stage you danced on

but tonight I pulled you up to the stage I danced on

and I bowed to you low to show the ultimate sign of respect

because you were worth every sacrifice every dollar to fundraise

every prayer every thought every napkin that was folded

for in that moment I got to be with the girl in the little red dress, who that night became a princess….

Liz is a survivor of human sex trafficking. She was groomed and trafficked by a fake boyfriend in her teens. Thankfully, she escaped and is now married to a wonderful man, and they have 2 young boys.

Over 150 Years Later

January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month

“That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State…shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.”

In 1863 in the midst of the brutal Civil War, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million slaves in the United States with the bold words of the Emancipation Proclamation.

A century and a half later, slavery is not effectively abolished in the United States, nor in any other nation of the world. An estimated 50 million people live in bondage worldwide. The United States is among the top three countries of origin of victims of human trafficking. Forced labor, sex trafficking, child marriage, organ trafficking—human trafficking comes in many forms, but in the end, it means the oppression and exploitation of another.

In 2010, as awareness of human trafficking grew, and the crime itself increasingly penetrated homes and U.S. neighborhoods, President Obama dedicated the month of January to raising awareness about trafficking and providing educational resources to the public, with the intent of leveraging the average civilian in the fight against modern slavery.

The month also brings attention to the governments, organizations, law enforcement, advocates, and other entities that provide a voice and resistance to trafficking.

Women At Risk, International (WAR, Int’l) proudly joins this civilian force, lending our hands, voice, hearts, and resources to liberating and protecting wounded and vulnerable women, men, and children. Joining with partners worldwide we reach out to those entrapped; we offer paths to hope, healing, and dignity to survivors; and we teach and train at-risk and rescued women, empowering them to provide for themselves and their families.

To give a glimpse into the scope of what we face, here are a few statistics:

· Human trafficking is estimated to be the third largest criminal enterprise in the world.

· Worldwide, forced labor generates an estimated $236 billion annually. Forced commercial sexual exploitation accounts for about $173 billion.

· In 2021, G20 countries imported $468 billion worth of goods potentially produced using modern slavery.

· Global challenges such as conflict, drought, disease, and climate change create significant risk factors for human trafficking.

· Sexual exploitation accounts for 79% of human trafficking.

· Almost 20% of trafficking victims worldwide are children.

Numbers such as these should not coexist with ignorance or apathy. While there are many organizations that exist to tackle one aspect or another of modern slavery, the need far, far outweighs the resources. What can one person do? Plenty. One person may not solve the global issue, but one person can change lives forever. So what can one person reading this blog do?

Start with one of these options:

· Take WAR, Int’l’s Civilian First Responder Training Course, online or in-person. These courses teach you how to recognize signs of trafficking in your community, how to respond to and report suspicious activity, how to create a circle of protection around the vulnerable, and how to spread awareness.

· Sponsor a Rose | This Galentine’s season, honor a woman’s courage and resilience by sponsoring a rose in support of the 911 Rescue Fund at Women At Risk, International. Learn more here.

Each sponsored rose represents a life being rescued from exploitation and a step toward freedom, healing, and hope. Your gift helps provide emergency care, shelter, transportation and other immediate needs for women and children escaping crisis situations around the world.

· Volunteer with WAR, Int’l. Last year volunteers donated 5,122 hours of service, allowing $61,464 to go back to the organization’s mission.

· Host a Shop with Purpose Boutique. $300 supports a woman in one of our international safehouses for one month. These boutiques are an important means of raising this money.

· Donate to WAR, Int’l, to a fund of your choosing or where it is needed most.

· Visit our website to find more ideas. There are many ways to get involved with WAR, Int’l in our fight against human trafficking, and our war for the precious lives at stake.

As she wrote in her journal watching the world as she knew it crumble under evil, and uncertain whether she would survive the dark time, Anne Frank wrote, “Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.”

The darkness is heavy, but you can be a light in your community. And, if you choose, the world.

Why are they important?

Pop-Up Boutiques: Why are they important?

Here are three important responses to that question:

(1) $300 in sales hosts a woman in one of our international safehouses for a month.
(2) Rescue has happened at them, read below.
(3) Product sales mean empowerment providing income to rescued & at-risk women.

WAR, Int’l events are more than shopping at our pop-up boutiques to empower at-risk and rescued individuals or presentations to learn ways to fight trafficking. They have birthed stories of rescue. Here are two of those stories.

A Little Girl Saved

Our hostess shared the following story: “Pamela, an event attendee, came up to me tonight at our meeting and told me that she is an officer of the court. Pamela said that after our WAR, Int’l presentation, she remembered the signs of trafficking discussed and she remembered a man with a young girl in court. The man had the passport and did all the talking while the girl held her head down the entire time. Pamela was able to get a message to the judge. After questioning them, the court confirmed the girl was being trafficked. Your presentation was used to save someone! Thank you for all you do!”

A Pop-Up turns into a Rescue

At WAR, Int’l we often say, “one call can save a life.” While this usually brings to mind emergency calls or hotline tips, sometimes a simple call about hosting an event can also lead to rescue.

Valerie from Atlanta made such a call. Many years ago, she attended a women’s conference where WAR, Int’l Founder and President Rebecca McDonald spoke about Atlanta’s trafficking crisis. Inspired, Valerie kept a WAR, Int’l brochure tucked in a book & forgotten… until six years later, when she rediscovered it. Feeling prompted to act, she contacted her women’s ministry leader and arranged to sell WAR, Int’l products at a retreat.

When asked to speak about trafficking at the event, Valerie agreed. She also sponsored a young woman who couldn’t afford to attend. During Valerie’s talk, the sponsored woman bravely shared her ongoing story of abuse, addiction, and exploitation. She confessed she was being trafficked and used to recruit others—and she wanted out.

The women surrounded her with prayer, hope, and practical help. Ministry leaders found her a safe place to stay and connected her with resources for her journey to freedom.

In rehab, supported by Valerie and others, the survivor thrived in the program, even expressing a desire to help others escape exploitation someday.

Contact us today at 616-855-0796 or Party@WARInternational.org to host a pop-up boutique!

From the Desk of the Founder: Juneteenth

From the desk of Rebecca McDonald, founder & president of Women At Risk, International (WAR, Int’l):

WAR, Int’l and our nation observe Juneteenth to celebrate the end of legal slavery in our great nation. Brother took up weapons under Abraham Lincoln’s direction against brother. In fact, my husband’s family did just that. A northern soldier took up arms against a southern brother. Years ago, we took a Bengali man to see Gettysburg. He was stunned that brothers fought brothers for those neither was related to. In Islam and Asia, families disagree, but for a family to fight family for non-family was stunning. It was interesting to see our civil war through his eyes.

Juneteenth is a powerful reminder of how far our nation has come.

That is the good news….now the bad news. Today, we still have staggering illegal slavery. We got rid of legal slavery. We did not get rid of racism. We still have a long way to go on that. But today we have an illegal slavery, human trafficking, that is the fastest growing crime in our nation. Our children, minors, are the primary target, with the government estimating (pre-2020) that we have up to 300,000 American minors (not over 18…not foreigners in this count) at risk annually. These are your daughters and sons, my grandbabies, with constitutional rights. Yet, we rarely talk about this.

So, this Juneteenth, I personally am calling for both a Lament and a Hope.

We are called to “rejoice with those who rejoice” and “mourn with those who mourn.” Juneteenth invites us to do both. Lament is not despair. It is a form of prayer against injustice. We are called to honestly grieve the staggering evil of slavery and its lasting impact. We lament the reality that the promise of freedom was and is destroyed for so many. We bring this sorrow to mind, heart, meditation, and prayer. We acknowledge the brokenness of both the past and the present.

Lament and Hope lead to action and a path to unity.

Holding both Lament and Hope moves us to act. It is a call looking back to listen to the stories of our Black brothers and sisters, to see if we need to repent of our own biases we may not even be aware of, and to actively build bridges of understanding that reflect a heart of love. Our Hope is anchored in the character of a good God who delivered His people from Egypt, proclaiming freedom.

On Juneteenth, we celebrate the incredible faith and resilience of those who endured.

We find hope in the truth that the broken can find healing. To practice Lament and Hope, we commit to pursue justice, love mercy, and walk humbly to set captives free. WAR, Int’l openly celebrates freedom and quietly salutes the thousands of men, women, and children who find freedom through our efforts and those of our partners. Their stories of rescue are sacred and confidential. We have set free those as young as three-weeks-old, one-month-old, seventeen-years-old, and countless others set free to heal, hope, and rebuild their lives one day at a time in their own way and with a circle of protection around them.

This Juneteenth, I embrace both the grief of lament and the joy of hope.

Equip Yourself to Recognize and Respond to Human Trafficking

Be the One Who Knows: Equip Yourself to Recognize and Respond to Human Trafficking

Women At Risk, International (WAR, Int’l) invites you to attend our upcoming Civilian First Responder (CFR) Training Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday, October 25, 2025. This essential, one-day training is designed to equip everyday individuals with the tools to identify, understand, and respond to human trafficking within their communities.
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Why Attend the CFR Training Conference?

Human trafficking is a pervasive crime, often hidden in plain sight. Traffickers prey on the vulnerable, manipulating their needs and circumstances for exploitation. At WAR, Int’l, we believe that awareness is the first step to action. This conference will help participants “see the unseen,” understand the complex nature of trafficking, and learn how to be a voice of protection and restoration.

By attending, you become part of a broader movement to prevent exploitation and support survivors in meaningful, life-changing ways.
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Conference Highlights

● Date & Time: Saturday, October 25, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST

● Location: WAR, Int’l Headquarters – 2790 44th St SW, Wyoming, MI 49519

● Registration Fee: $35 (includes lunch and training materials)

● Registration Deadline: October 22, 2025

● Register Here
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What to Expect

The day is carefully structured to maximize both learning and impact. Sessions will be led by Rebecca McDonald, founder and president of WAR, Int’l, along with law enforcement professionals, survivor leaders, and other subject- matter experts.

Session One | This opening session introduces the current reality of trafficking in the United States. Participants will learn why it is critical for all civilians to understand what trafficking looks like and how it functions in our communities. The session includes a survivor testimony that brings this issue into sharp, personal focus.

Session Two | This session will examine the 22 lures commonly used by predators and 21 trafficking flashpoints. Participants will also explore demographic patterns specific to Western Michigan and review Homeland Security’s guidelines for civilian responders. Stories shared in this session include interviews with law enforcement, Homeland Security, and survivor accounts, including a case in which a single phone call led to a woman’s rescue.

Lunch Break | A catered lunch is included with registration.

Breakout Sessions | Attendees will choose from various focused breakout sessions led by professionals who work directly in anti-trafficking efforts.

Session Three | This session focuses on practical application—what to do when trafficking is suspected, how to have safe and appropriate conversations with children, and how to serve as a trustworthy advocate for the vulnerable. It concludes with participant-submitted questions collected throughout the day.

Q&A Panel | The conference concludes with a live Q&A session featuring a panel of speakers, survivors, and subject- matter experts. Questions gathered throughout the day will be addressed, allowing for deeper insight and direct engagement with the presenters.

TAKE ACTION

Attending the CFR Training Conference is more than an educational opportunity—it is a tangible step toward protecting the vulnerable and preventing exploitation. You will leave not only informed but also empowered to respond with confidence, compassion, and clarity.

If you cannot attend in person, consider exploring our Digital Civilian First Responder Program to access training on your own schedule.

Together, we can stand as a circle of protection around those at risk. Join us as we bring awareness, prevention, and hope to our communities.