Every January, the youth ministry program in my parish pauses to take a closer look at social justice issues that our world is facing – we’ve learned a lot about huge structural sins like homelessness, abortion, the death penalty, and sweatshops, among many others.

Last month, we let one of our teens take the lead on our opening night. Her name is Elise and she’s a junior in high school. Through a random series of social media encounters, she’s become incredibly passionate about bringing freedom to men, women, and children trapped in sex trafficking. She educated us on the issue itself and told us about several ministries here and abroad that are hard at work to free sex slaves, bring their captors to justice, and prevent others from being caught, bought, and sold like objects.

A teen girl led a Life Night on a Sunday night at our parish, and a room full of people learned more about an issue they hadn’t know much about before. Then those people went home, learned more, spread the word, and prayed.

And in the middle of the week that followed, that same teen girl got a message from a missionary named Ebie, working in the Philippines, who said that a local pimp had a change of heart for no apparent reason, and hand delivered three young girls to the doorstep of their mission house.

It is possible to set the captives free. And it’s up to you to help.

27 MILLION

I have no doubt that at this point in your academic career, you’ve studied historical slavery, right? The Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman? Surely, you’ve learned what a horrible practice it was, and how cruelly human beings were treated in this country – captured from their homelands, transported across the ocean, auctioned, sold, worked to the bone, beaten, and killed?

Slavery was abolished in this country in 1865 (and is currently illegal worldwide). It has thankfully has become a subject for our history books and, sadly, is a part of our nation’s heritage that we are still trying to heal. As recently as 1979, the USCCB published a document called “Brothers and Sisters to Us” on racism in our country. While some of the statistics might be outdated, the message rings true today:

“Hence, freedom brings responsibility. It must never be abused, equated with license nor taken for granted. Freedom is God’s gift, and we are accountable to Him for our loss of it. And we are accountable for the gift of freedom in the lives of others. We oppose all oppression and all injustice, for unless all are free none are free.”

These words apply to us in 2015. Because, actually… slavery isn’t just historical. It’s as much a part of our present as it is a part of our past.

While hard statistics are tough to come by, there are an estimated 27 million people enslaved in the world today. That’s more than double the populations of New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago – combined. There are more slaves in the world today than there have been at any other time in our planet’s history.

While many kinds of slavery exist, the sale of human beings for sex is a particularly horrific event. In bars and brothels around the world, there are men, women, and at least two million children being forced into committing sex acts for the profit of their pimps. And it’s happening here, too: the average age that a child enters the sex trade in the United States is 13.

WHO KNEW?

I hope those statistics shock you, and yet I also hope that they don’t. I’m actually praying that you knew about this issue already. Over the past few years, there have been many organizations here and around the globe working hard to raise awareness and fight for change – to literally bring liberty to the captives and set prisoners free (Is. 61:1; Luke 4:19). The more people who know, the more can be done to help.

I’m indebted to my friend Elise for bringing this back to my attention. I’ll admit, it’s something I knew was happening – and yet, I wasn’t doing anything about it. It had even slipped from my prayers. But between her presentation at a Life Night, and Pope Francis’s message for the World Day of Peace, “No Longer Slaves, but Brothers and Sisters,” it is fully back on my radar. As our Holy Father said,

“I urgently appeal to all men and women of good will, and all those near or far, including the highest levels of civil institutions, who witness the scourge of contemporary slavery, not to become accomplices to this evil, not to turn away from the sufferings of our brothers and sisters, our fellow human beings, who are deprived of their freedom and dignity.”

He asked me not to turn away. And he’s asking you not to, either.

NOW WHAT?

Learn

The more you know, the more you can share with others. For more information, check any of the following resources:

• Nefarious: Merchant of Souls – you can rent this online documentary for $5 (proceeds benefit Exodus Cry, an organization working toward prevention, intervention, and restoration of victims) and share it with others. It’s quick, captivating, moving, and full of good information.
• The A21 Campaign is a non-profit working to abolish slavery worldwide.
• Wipe Every Tear is committed to freeing women and children from sex slavery, with stations in the U.S. and the Philippines.
• End It Movement is a coalition of non-profits working together to raise awareness about slavery all over the world.
• International Justice Mission, or IJM is committed to stopping violence worldwide by prosecuting offenders and rescuing victims.

Act

It must be clear by now that indifference is no longer an option. In that same message for peace, Pope Francis also says, “We know that God will ask each of us: What did you do for your brother? (Genesis 4:9-10).”

Once you know more, you can be a voice for the voiceless. Utilize your social media to spread the word. Share what you’ve learned with your classmates or youth group. Write an article in your school’s newspaper. Have fundraisers to help financially support these organizations that are working for freedom. Use your spring break to take a mission trip to serve those who are enslaved.

There are any number of ways you can use your time, talent, and treasure to support these missions that are saving the lives of precious men, women, and children, bound in horrific slavery. Bl. Teresa of Calcutta once said, “We cannot all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.” Do something, anything, to help bring these people freedom – and watch God multiply the results. Our God is big, and He wants to do great things… through you.

Pray

The single most important thing you can do is to pray. Pray for those who are enslaved. Pray for their captors, who need freedom, too. Pray for those men and women working for justice – for their safety and success as they rescue our brothers and sisters. Pray and ask God what He’s asking of you in all of this.

Remember those three young girls from the Philippines who are free now? Do not underestimate the power of your prayer. I don’t totally know how God answers our prayers, but I know that He does.

Our God is in the business of bringing people freedom. He is a rescuer. He is a deliverer. He is for the poor and powerless – and your prayers will make a difference in this world.

One final thought, from a young abolitionist: William Wilberforce was only 21 years old and still a student when he ran for Parliament in England. He won a seat, had a powerful conversion to Christianity, and made it his mission to abolish slavery in England. And he did.

As you become a modern-day abolitionist, I hope you’ll be as challenged by his words as I was, when a teenager leading a Life Night repeated them to me: “You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again you did not know.”