BrandedPHX - Become a Modern Day Abolotionist

I know, I know - not the kind of posts our blog is known for. However - we should be known for things like this. Because as it says in Hillsong’s song, "Inside Out"

“…Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out...”

jus-tice [juhs-tis]- noun – the principle or ideal of just dealing or right action

This past weekend Alan and I were invited to attend a viewing of a documentary film called Branded. Although we knew a little about this city initiative of Food for the Hungry we were in for a real shock to the intensity of the information presented.

For example – Did you know that the average entry age of a child prostitute in Phoenix is 13 years old? Every day hundreds of children wake up in an enslaving nightmare. And every day they know they will have to complete the most dehumanizing of tasks before they will be allowed to sleep again.

You see there is a subtle myth that slavery was vanquished in the 19th century. In reality it hasn’t been defeated and there are more slaves today than any other time of human history. In fact, everyday, there are thousands of slaves across the United States. Thousands brought in and sold for sex and labor

Here are just 5 Quick Facts taken from the BrandedPHX website.
1. Slavery has been outlawed in every country but still occurs everywhere
2. Child prostitutes serve between 100 to 1500 clients per year, per child.
3. One million children are forced to work in the sex industry every year. Between 100,000 and 300,000 children in America are at risk for sex trafficking each year.
4. Among the millions trafficked each year hundreds of thousands are teenage girls, and others as young as 5, who fall victim to the sex trade.
5. One of the fastest growing markets for child prostitution is in the United States.

So the big question is – what can we do? Our voice can make a difference. From what we can understand, the city is prepared to slash in half the Phoenix VICE Squad due to budget cuts. This will severely handicap the effort to eradicate child sex slavery in Phoenix, and put more of our young girls at risk. Therefore, we have only one option. To raise the voices of concerned Valley citizens in opposition to this cut. Please see the below suggestions for political advocacy.

1. Sign the Petition - http://apps.facebook.com/causes/petitions/375?m=750a8b7e
2. Call the Phoenix City Council 602-262-4800
3. Write the PHOENIX City Council budget.research@phoenix.gov
REMEMBER: Phoenix VICE Officers have jurisdiction beyond the city of Phoenix. Losing the VICE squad in Phoenix means losing the VICE squad that serves YOUR community.
4. Attend a Hearing. There WILL be a hearing in YOUR district. http://phoenix.gov/budget/index.html
5. Educate EVERYONE in your sphere of influence. Each and every one of us can make a difference.

Note: This is not just an isolated Phoenix situation. This problem is everywhere. BrandedPHX is just working to establish a plan for eradicating child sex slavery with hopes that this can become a nationwide campaign.