Human trafficking

The world’s largest evangelical organization announced on Monday that it has created a task force on human trafficking.

World Evangelical Alliance, which represents 420 million evangelical Christians worldwide, named Commissioner Christine MacMillan, who was the group’s spokesperson on human trafficking, as head of the new task force to prevent and combat human trafficking.

The task force will be responsible for developing strategic and effective actions and tools that will help to equip local churches and their leaders to respond to victims of human trafficking. more >>

The ongoing global financial crisis is forcing millions into extreme poverty and boosting the supply and demand of human trafficking all over the world, a new State Department report says.

"Economic pressure, especially in this global economic crisis, makes more people susceptible to the false promises of traffickers," said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the release of the annual "Trafficking in Persons Report" on Tuesday.

More young women and children are at risk of being trafficked as families in many countries face reduced incomes and tough economic times have also resulted in higher demand for cheap goods and services. more >>

The Stop the Traffik coalition of campaigners against human trafficking welcomed an announcement from Cadbury's this week that its Dairy Milk chocolate bars are going Fairtrade.

Cadbury's Dairy Milk, the chocolate brand's best known product, is to receive Fairtrade certification by late summer.

Stop the Traffik praised Cadbury for the decision, which comes two years into its Chocolate Campaign which aims to see chocolate manufacturers use only ethically produced cocoa. The coalition's founder, Steve Chalke, is calling on other chocolate manufacturers to follow Cadbury's example. more >>

Global Christian network GOD TV will broadcast a music concert featuring big name Christian bands this weekend in an effort to raise awareness about modern day slavery.

“The Stand – Freedom to Reign” was recorded in Birmingham, U.K., in November and featured hit Christian music groups and artists such as Delirious, Jon Foreman from Switchfoot and YFriday.

Music performances were coupled with an address by U.N. Gift Special Advisor on Community Action against Human Trafficking Steve Chalke with the goal of inspiring people to take action to stop human trafficking. more >>

Christian ministries are uniting for a key event in Birmingham next month to raise awareness among churchgoers about human trafficking and other forms of modern day slavery.

"The Stand," at Birmingham’s NEC, is an initiative of Hope for Justice, a movement of Christians dedicated to bringing about justice and righteousness.

“Justice issues are not just for Christians, but for all right-minded people on this planet,” said Gary Sloan, the director of Stand partner, Operation Mobilization UK. more >>

WASHINGTON – Driven by hunger, family debt, and hopelessness, countless North Korean women have sold themselves across the North Korea-China border as wives, servants, and sex workers in hopes of finding freedom and a better life outside the grasp of ruthless dictator Kim Jong-Il and his brutal army.

Chosun Ilbo, South Korea’s largest newspaper, caught some of these desperate North Korean women on tape as they crossed the river to China to be handed over to their buyer. The Chosun Ilbo news team claimed it was the first in the world to see the “scale of human trafficking in the China-North Korea border.”

The documentary, “On the Border,” was aired for the first time in South Korea and Japan on Sunday. more >>