More research

OK, so now we have two members in the Clapham Circle of Lancaster County. But one member will need to drive about four days each way to make it to meetings. So it would be good if more people would join who live nearby!

I've continued to try to make contacts the past couple of days. The woman I wrote to in Ohio has responded with a couple of research ideas, and she also pointed me to two other helpful reports:

Hidden Slaves: Forced Labor in the United States

Florida Responds to Human Trafficking

I'm trying to approach this research in a focused way; I think it deserves the kind of effort I would put into research when I was in grad school. I'm taking notes, printing key sections and following up by contacting people mentioned in the documents.

The biggest frustration I'm facing right now is that although the grassroots movement against human trafficking has some really creative ideas for publicizing the issue and getting people to join the cause, it feels as if most of the ideas still leave the rank-and-file volunteer isolated from the front lines. For example, churches are beginning to declare themselves "abolitionist churches," which means, in part, that they are willing to provide housing for victims. I think that is really cool. But it is one thing to make a declaration; it is quite another thing to actually get plugged into the system in such a way that you would ever actually provide housing for a victim. If local law enforcement doesn't even recognize the problem, can we ever truly help?

The "Hidden Slaves" report (above) says that human trafficking has largely been relegated to federal, not local, law enforcement, so I'm hoping the FBI contacts my neighbor gave me can help.

Meanwhile, as I plow through these big documents, I'm praying that God will continue to keep my heart broken over the plight of these victims.