A Sex-Trafficking Case In South Florida Spas
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:20-21
Just a few weeks ago, what is now being referred to as a “transnational human trafficking ring” was discovered in spas across Florida. Robert Kraft (New England Patriots owner) was one among “dozens” of men arrested for soliciting prostitution at these spas across Florida. According to Martin County Sheriff William Snyder, it’s been discovered that “women and cash have been moved from spa to spa.” One victim told Snyder that she was a kindergarten teacher in China and was lured to the United States under false pretenses:
She had been a kindergarten teacher in China, She was promised a ‘high paying’ nail-salon job in the United States. She came here ostensibly for that, and before she knew it found herself being forced and coerced into sex trafficking in massage parlors.
The woman said that she feared the traffickers would harm her family in China if she attempted to escape. Once again according to Snyder:
She said that [the sex work] was not her goal, that’s not why she came here. These are not women just giving happy endings to lonely men, these are prisoners, and the men have the keys to their freedom.
More of the article can be found here.
In a seperate article, Detective Sgt. Phil Huddy, who supervises the detective division at the Vero Beach Police Department spoke of these operations:
The women were trapped in the spa, living in a small room with two mattresses on two-by-fours, using a makeshift shower and cooking in a small unsanitary room. If they did show their faces outside the establishment, they were outside for a brief period of time, and they were within earshot or eyeshot of Lanyun Ma.
Lanyun Ma, who ran East spa in Vero Beach, was arrested Feb. 19 and stands charged with racketeering and deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution.
The rest of this article can be found here.
See the previous DVM For Hope post on Human Trafficking In Massage Parlors.
I shudder to even take a guess at the enormous number of men, women and children who’ve been brought to America illegally or under false pretenses to be enslaved by human traffickers. These people who have been taken captive may never know actual freedom again. Their safety and security are determined by people who have only meant them harm from the beginning. They planned to gain a monetary profit by abusing and exploiting them. To think that they are often brought here illegally so that their status can be used against them and that they’re essentially blackmailed to not speak out or try to get free.
This all boils down to human life not being valued as the precious gift from God that it is. It’s not acknowledged that these humans bear His Image, and the reality that they are undervalued to this excruciating extent is devastating to me. It’s not possible to free all of these people overnight, but we also must strive to not get lost in the sadness of it all. After all, we are not helpless to help them – and I think that that’s just as critical to remember.
We would do well to remember that there is power in prayer, and even though our resources are limited, we worship a powerful, loving and just God. The men, women and children who have been trafficked, beaten and abused have not wandered from His sight.
See this article for ways you can help fight human trafficking.
See this article for some grim statistics about sex trafficking.
This does not happen without His knowing, either, and it grieves Him greatly. I want to encourage you to prayerfully consider joining us in helping our precious brothers and sisters who are still trapped in this darkness.
And please don’t forget that in addition to the tens of millions who are being trafficked, there are also tens of millions of abortions performed every year. See this article for statistics.