Sara (name changed), age 18, was arrested for prostitution a month after giving birth to her third child. She didn’t know who the father was, but did know the ugly path that led her to that moment. It all started when she was 12 and left her family home. Her parents were fighting and she was tired of the screaming.

Her older boyfriend suggested someone who could help her. While they were waiting in an apartment, her boyfriend offered her something to drink. It was Hennessy Cognac – A drink that quickly made her drunk.

She watched as her boyfriend left the room. Sara tried to sit up, but she was too drunk to move. She then watched as another man entered the room and took advantage of her. When she sobered, she found a pile of cash lying next to her along with her new pimp and some “medication” to help her get past the experience. She had been victimized and recruited with no way out.

The average age of girls entering the sex trafficking trade in Chicago is 12 – 14. The vast majority never gave their consent, but was drugged into participation. Most girls were also forced to watch hours and hours of Internet porn to help their performance and attitudes.

Unfortunately, Sara was never able to get out until she was arrested and treated like a tramp by the arresting officers. She had attempted to escape numerous times when she was a victimized minor, but her attempts were futile. However, once she turned 18, she was no longer considered a victim, but instead a lady of the night. Most laws are aimed at the commercial sexual exploitation of children and do not cover those who come of age during their drug induced captivity.

The year she was abducted into the sex trade, she joined an estimated 1,800 – 4,000 other girls in Chicago, and about 400,000 – 800,000 girls nationally. While there is a wide spread in the estimated numbers based on the Illinois survey that was conducted with victims and police officers, the numbers are still too high for people like me with two daughters.

So, who’s doing the rescuing?

I can’t help but reflect on history and the religious people in their pews on Sunday morning listening to the trains carting off Jews to the concentration camps. This multi-million dollar industry must be stopped. And, those who are victimized by the trade must be treated with care and respect, even if they turn 18.

It’s the church’s responsibility to bring hope to our nation, yet churchgoers seem to be the most out of touch with what is happening in our neighborhoods. We need to encourage changes in the law and find ways to help rescue those trapped in a vicious survival mode battling between their next fix and their freedom.

Ecclesiastes 4:1
Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I
saw the tears of the oppressed—and they have no comforter; power was on the
side of their oppressors—and they have no comforter.

Will you be their comforter?

Awareness is the first step and I hope I’ve helped you to understand what many Jr. High girls are facing these days. Your prayers are desperately needed. And more importantly, should you come across any girl involved in sex trafficking or having just escaped, treat her with respect and show her kindness regardless of her age. After all, she never asked for the mess she ended up living in.

Copyright © 2011 By CJ Powers
Photo: © Anton Vasilkovsky – Fotolia.com

I recently had my screenplay, Steele Blue, analyzed by an expert to determine if the story was acceptable to “Christians.” The Christian analyst misread the story, missed the symbolism, and a complete subplot.

Most of his comments led me to believe the messages weren’t overt enough for the Christian market. I had the same type of analysis conducted for the general public and received positive feedback, with the secular market understanding all the messages.

I couldn’t help but think back to the last five Christian films I watched, which had messages so “on the nose” that I wanted to gag. I felt like I was being hit over the head with a Bible. It made me feel squeamish at best.

Thinking back to other professing Christians that perform or provide art to the general market, I decided to investigate the song Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) by Beyoncé. This is a music video that got some Christians up in arms over the women dancing in leotards and “shaking their booty.”

Having watched the self-produced Beyoncé documentary and seeing her pray for her touring crew and knowing about her Bible studies, I accepted at face value that she was a person who wanted to make a difference for Christ, regardless of how deep her walk had come. I even saw touches of that perspective in her lyrics.

Don’t treat me to the things of the world
I’m not that kind of girl
Your love is what I prefer, what I deserve

Now here is a song that suggests a moral perspective and goes a step further in telling the man to “put a ring on it.” The repetitive lyrics point the couple to marriage, rather than the world’s perspective of sleeping together. In my mind that is a good moral message. Unfortunately, there are those that say the message is nullified because of the leotard covered booty shakes.

Just for the fun of it, I looked up the release date of Single Ladies and correlated what I thought would be a decent engagement period. I then looked at the marriage records in several states like Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, etc. Every state I looked at showed a temporary bubble in marriages by a factor of ten percent.

In all honesty, the sampling wasn’t high enough to draw scientific conclusions, but it was high enough for me to believe that Beyoncé impacted the way young girls think about their value based on a moral decision, which might have driven more change than the Bible thumping movies I saw.

Now, that’s not to say that there isn’t a market for overt Christian content. In fact, there are thousands of churches in America that preach overt Christian messages that touch the souls of millions. However, if the goal is to touch the un-churched, I think Beyoncé has the right idea. Sending moral messages via the contemporary art form of the day is like sowing new seeds of life into a community void of a Judeo-Christian worldview. It is like a drink of fresh water in the scorching desert of life.

While I might want to tweak Steele Blue so Christians can enjoy the story as much as the general public, it’s the secular viewer that understands the messages I’ve made for them. And, it’s my hope that the audience will take one step closer to developing a Judeo-Christian worldview of life where morals dictate actions.

Steele Blue was never written to drive people to the alter, but instead to be one small piece in a very large puzzle that can make a difference in our lives.