Missionaries Against Trafficking

Teresa Davidson was inspired to join the fight against human trafficking after participating and leading many mission trips. One of her most memorable moments was while she was on a mission trip in the red light district of Pune, India. She had just walked into a brothel where a mother was prostituting herself, trying to convince her teenage daughter to join her in the business. Her daughter did not want to participate, but felt she had no choice. However, Teresa and the local missionary assured the young girl that she had hope, telling her she had other options. It wasn’t until a few nights later that the team saw a change.

“We were at the missionary’s house one night when the teenage girl came there, wanting out. It was such a blessing to see this, as it is very rare,” Davidson said. “It is definitely a stand-out moment.”

Davidson has been a missionary ever since her first short term trip in 1988. In 2013, she went on a life-changing trip to India. Her team ministered to everyone, including women, men, and transgender people. They then went to Nepal and ministered in a restoration home in the capital city of Kathmandu.

“I discovered the pure evil behind the heinous crime of human trafficking, and developed personal relationships with its victims. I will spend the rest of my life fighting this crime and advocating for those caught in its evil grip,” Davidson said.

In August of 2016, Davidson founded an organization in Cedar Rapids called Chains Interrupted, a non-profit organization that fights against human trafficking in Iowa. Although this organization has just recently formed, Davidson and other team members have been fighting human trafficking for the last five years.

Chains Interrupted has a Restoration House in Cedar Rapids for survivors of human trafficking. They also use a “Stop the Demand” program for men to educate and hold each other accountable for the demand of pornography and commercial sex. The organization also maintains a coalition that has over 73 community leaders, working together to form a response plan.

“Human trafficking is in many small towns and communities. A lot of teenagers are groomed online. I meet teens every day who have met an older guy online and become his “girlfriend.” They will do whatever the guy wants to keep him happy and keep the relationship going. At first, these traffickers don’t ask for much. But over time, they break down the good relationships in the girl’s life, and replace everyone with himself. Soon, the trafficker is the only one she feels she can trust. The only one who “gets her.” Over time, he is asking more and more of her. This is something I actually see all the time in kids in our local high schools,” Davidson said.

Other organizations in Iowa also work with trafficking victims. Heather connected with Shannon Schott through the Freedom House in Pella, Iowa. Schott works with Amber Lawrence in a Teens Against Human Trafficking program, a student-led organization that seeks to raise awareness about the issue of human trafficking in our schools and communities. This youth-led movement works to eliminate human trafficking in Iowa, empowering students to become lifelong ambassadors in this fight.

This program was started by a high school student in Ankeny, Iowa, who learned about the issue and decided to do something about it. There are now about six to seven active teams and another handful that are just getting started. Students hope to start extracurricular teams in Iowa high schools to provide prevention education on identifying and connecting victims with appropriate local services.

Schott is the Teens Against Human Trafficking representative for the Iowa City region, working to form teen prevention and awareness groups in local high schools, as students are the best advocates to raise awareness and teach other students how to identify signs of human trafficking.

Teens Against Human Trafficking provides schools and students with the training, tools, and information they need to lead prevention efforts within their communities. Teens Against Human Trafficking teams, or clubs, creatively brainstorm ways to raise awareness, help victims, and prevent human trafficking in their community.

Besides learning about prevention and trafficking awareness, Teens Against Human Trafficking Clubs make t-shirts and bracelets, show community documentaries, reaching out to high-risk youth and bringing donations to shelters, writing articles for local newspapers, making posters and participate in 5-Ks and fundraisers. The clubs meet regularly, spending some time at the beginning learning about the issue. After that, students could choose if they wanted to focus on awareness in the school first or work on a larger community event.

Outside of a school club, teenagers can donate to food pantries or the Salvation Army, join rescue and restoration units, mentor youth in shelters and educate themselves and others on how to recognize a victim. In addition, adults can become foster parents or adopt children. About 70% of victims were in the foster care system, and a third of all runaway teenagers are lured into prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home.

Other students raise awareness about human trafficking by participating in End It Day, which this year is on February 23rd. By simply drawing a red X on the back of their hand, they hope to spread awareness about human trafficking and the End It Movement’s fight for freedom. Also, the X can be shared on social media, using #EndItMovement. The red X has been shared over 500 million times. In addition to the X, the End It Movement also sells apparel with the X. The movement accepts donated websites for a day to promote their message: “Shine a light on slavery.” Students can also sign up to become a campus representative at their school and join the fight for freedom.