Anti-Trafficking Heroes 3: Out Of Darkness
Among other things, Atlanta, GA is reported to be one of the hotbeds of human trafficking. If you look at the map produced by Polaris Project, there is a pretty good size blob of color over the metro Atlanta area, indicating a lot of calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. It’s a little difficult to put actual numbers on the problem, because not every case of human trafficking is reported to the hotline. Atlanta, though, has several factors that make it attractive to traffickers, including the world’s busiest airport and multiple points of entry and exit via major interstates.
Recently, I attended an event hosted by an organization called Out Of Darkness. Out Of Darkness, the anti-trafficking ministry of the Atlanta Dream Center, is an Atlanta based Christian organization that exists to fight commercial sexual exploitation. Their motto is, “Reach, Rescue, Restore” and it is a good indicator of their multi-faceted approach to the problem. According to their website, www.outofdarkness.org:
Our mission is to reach, rescue and restore all victims of commercial sexual exploitation, that the glory of God may be known.
Our vision is a world where the ruins are rebuilt, the breach is repaired and the streets are restored. (Isaiah 58:12)
Our purpose and passion is to love the broken. (Isaiah 61:1-3)
Our core values are:
• Humility: Regard others above self (Philippians 2:5-8)
• Wisdom: Seek divine direction in every decision (Proverbs 3:5-6)
• Compassion: Relational expression of Christ’s love (Matthew 9:36)
The first facet of their approach to combating commercial sexual exploitation is to reach the victims. Every Saturday night, during an event called Princess Night, volunteers are taken to areas of street prostitution where they hand out letters of encouragement, roses, and hotline numbers to the women and girls working as prostitutes. If any of those being ministered to desire to be rescued, the hotline number gives them a way out. Once again from the Out Of Darkness website:
Every day, women and young girls walk the streets selling their bodies to survive. Out of Darkness’ Princess Night outreach is working to break this cycle of sex trafficking one woman at a time. Every Saturday, Princess Night volunteers share a message of God’s love, hope, and restoration with these misused and hard-to-reach women. Through consistent outreach we build relationships and establish trust, ultimately offering each woman an opportunity to escape the bondage of sex slavery and embrace physical and spiritual freedom. Those who accept are rescued from the streets and presented with a new life – one marked not by ashes, but by love and beauty in Him.
Another way they reach victims is through their Encounter ministry, where volunteers minster to those in the sex industry, particularly in local strip clubs. Their Jail Outreach ministry goes into metro Atlanta jails and detention centers and ministers to, and if necessary advocates for, women arrested for prostitution.
For those women and girls who call the hotline number, Out Of Darkness has a rescue ministry. The organization has developed a safe protocol where women and girls who desire rescue from sexual exploitation can call the Out Of Darkness hotline or the National Human Trafficking Hotline, after which they can be picked up at a safe location and taken to a safe home. Volunteers who have received special training are available all day, every day to respond to this need. For those who are rescued, it is the beginning of their journey of Restoration.
Once the girls and women are rescued from their life of exploitation, they invariably need help overcoming the trauma they have endured. According to the website, both short-term and long-term recovery services are available:
Having known only fear, pain, and degradation, rescued women are taken to our Safe Home, where they are surrounded with peace, love, and affirmation. Out of Darkness provides a safe refuge where the women receive new clothes, initial medical exams and treatment, representation for any immediate legal needs, and most importantly, the love and support of a new family. Placement into a long-term program guarantees holistic care that generally includes counseling, spiritual restoration, parenting and job skills development, GED classes, and other necessary elements of beginning a new life. The average length of stay at our Safe Home is 3 weeks.
Additional services include Bible study, creative activities, and substance-abuse counseling.
Like all non-profit organizations, Out Of Darkness can only provide these critical services with the help of volunteers and with financial support from the community. So, what can you do to help?
- Attend a Princess Night and help provide hope and encouragement to women and girls trapped in a life of prostitution.
- Attend an Out Of Darkness training event. These are held several times a year and prepare volunteers for ministries such as Rescue, Jail Ministry, and Outreach. You can also elect to join teams that provide information about human trafficking to medical personnel and community groups.
- Volunteer for one of the Out Of Darkness ministries.
- Donate to Out Of Darkness via the Atlanta Dream Center. Once again, all of these services are expensive. They can’t be done without your financial support
- Learn as much as you can about Human Trafficking and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation. both DVM For Hope and the Out Of Darkness website list recommended books, videos, and other material that you can use to educate both yourself as well as others.
- Put the Out Of Darkness Hotline Number and the National Human Trafficking Hotline number into your phone contacts so that you can give them out if you encounter a girl or woman who needs help getting out of a life of exploitation.
The Out Of Darkness Hotline Number is 404-941-6024, and the National Human Trafficking Hotline Number is 1-888-373-7888 (or they can text Be Free to 233733). These resources are available 24/7.
M.