The entire “rescue” industry is filled with corruption.
by
Ted Lyons
The shocking reality I found working with an anti-trafficking organization was astounding. I had been trained by false rhetoric and misinformed intentions. I will admit, that during my six years working with this organization, I found certain individuals to be very caring, compassionate, and committed to helping people.
The problem with a “good heart,” or a well-intentioned mission is that it’s sometimes wrong. What I found to be true was, various leaders of this organization were enjoying the good life of being able to raise millions in funding. It was easy for them to manipulate a horrendous crime upon humanity for their own personal gain. Yes! Child Sex Trafficking does occur, however, there needs to be a better strategy going forward. There needs to be standards set, and NGOs need to explain why such exorbitant salaries go to very few individuals and their families.
A little information from my time spent as a “Volunteer Cowboy Investigator.” Let me explain to you the facts that I found. I was told all of these bars we were investigating were filled with young girls there against their will. They were being trafficked or exploited. However, this is not what I found to be true. In six years I found very few underage girls, and I sensed girls didn’t want or need our help. We were not allowed to investigate the more nefarious places in town. The leaders wanted us to get pictures of “soft targets” in tourist areas.
NGOs cross the line of humanitarian credibility when they use every girl for monetary gain. Pictures and videos of girls shown working in the bars are deemed as “victims,” or “sex slaves.” This is not the case! Every girl working in the bars my team and I investigated was free to come and go as they pleased. These girls were there making money. The girls I spoke with expressed the need to make money and the freedom they had working in the bar.
Why does the Western Church need to exert their moralities upon a different culture? Why do Western Countries need to threaten foreign nations with the withholding of government aid, just because what they deem to be a humanitarian problem? Here is the humanitarian issue! Women are rounded up in this fake “Volunteer Cowboy” money scheme. Many are taken to government facilities in the name of restoration. However, they don’t want to be there. These women are stripped of all their rights, they have phones taken away and limited access, if any to their family members. The attempted suicide rate is high within these shelters.
The anti-trafficking community, in which the leaders make a very profitable salary and are able to fly around the world, stay in plush hotels, and eat fancy meals, all while many of these so-called women they are rescuing are being stripped of their rights and free will. I don’t know what is worse, the most important component of the false rescue narrative is the money! I ask, what constitutes a real rescue? I understand that this can be messy, and no two people have the same experiences. A rescue is going to be different for each individual. However, there needs to be certain criteria that can be produced. I believe that an individual who is being trafficked and or exploited should have an opportunity for freedom. There should be a vast difference in their life. To start with, an individual has to be in the process of being trafficked and or exploited. A girl working in a beer bar, or a homeless child on the street is not necessarily being trafficked or exploited. Yes, they are at risk, (many girls don’t want to leave, they make good money) but they are not being trafficked. Many organizations claim they are rescuing a child by giving them food. Just because you have given a child some food, some clothing or maybe even a new home, doesn’t mean that you have “rescued” them from human trafficking or sexual exploitation.
Organizations and their leaders need to be honest with their “headlines.” I understand that an organizations has to show that donor money is going to good use. But, is faking rescues the way forward? The problem with the false rescue narrative is that good innocent individuals are being hurt. The problem entails the leaders of these organizations making a lot of money. They can reduce costs of their rescues by going after bar girls, and giving a little help the poor. They in turn claim that they have these rescue cost, when in turn it cost less just to give a little food, and some clothes to a needy family. This is a nice thing to do! BUT DON’T call it rescuing people from human trafficking. These organizations push their false narrative off on people, don’t they know lying is a sin as well?
So, I ask you, why the defense of these organizations, when you are only hearing their side of the story? Let me be clear, we are not speaking about morality, and we are not speaking about the Christian Faith. These are two very important issues, however, they are separate from the topic at hand. Once again, many anti-trafficking organizations are claiming to rescue young girls and children from establishments where they are being held as sex slaves against their will. This is just NOT TRUE. Human Trafficking happens around the world, let’s begin to fight the real issue, and let’s begin to spend money towards helping individuals who desperately need to be rescued from their situation.
The reason for the false rhetoric and the distorted narrative is that the Christian Church will give millions to anti-trafficking organizations who will fight for the young girls who are being sexually trafficked. These organizations show pictures, and sexual graphics that make a young girl look like a sex slave. The problem with this is that they are in another country, they come from a different culture, and they do not adhere to so Christian Morality. You see, when an organization attempts to raise millions of dollars by perpetrating a false narrative it harms the entire fight against the real issue of Human Trafficking.
If a faith-based organization would use the rhetoric that they are trying to convert these individuals into the Christian Faith, this would be an honest approach. But, if you call these girls who are working in beer bars, sex slaves, this is disingenuous. It does more harm than good. Because, the girl doesn’t want to leave the bar, because she is not enslaved. She is making more money than the average individual in her country, and basically, she enjoys her job. If you have never been in these establishments, you should not defend the false rhetoric of individuals such as, Matt and Laura Parker, of the Exodus Road.
In conclusion, I believe that children are being sexually abused and exploited around the world. I believe Human Trafficking is a scourge upon society. I believe that we must keep up the fight, and the Church has an opportunity and a responsibility to lead the way. But, let’s not fall for the false rhetoric of these Charlton leaders who are making profit, and living a life of luxury. Let’s begin to get deep into the reason these young girls are in the bar in the first place. That reason is to make money. So, if you want to help, invest in economic and educational programs into their hometowns. If you want to go to the bar to convert them, or to explain that they can live a life dignity and worth, by your definition, then by all means do so, however, do not call them sex slaves and do not call the owners of the establishment’s traffickers. These are false narratives and is doing nothing to help women, children and young girls. It is only helping the fake heroes, such as, Matt and Laura Parker.
Two people in it just for the money!!!!!
Two assholes!
