The Red Cord

The Red Cord is Southwest Oklahoma's Anti Human Trafficking Organization

You read the headlines. Almost every day, you can find these stories:

Migrants are pouring over the Mexican border every day. Thousands of them. Every day. (Approximately 2 million in 2022 https://dailycaller.com/2022/12/26/joe-biden-illegal-immigration-southern-border/ )Some of them bring illegal drugs with them. Thousands. Every day. Billions of dollars have exchanged hands in human smuggling fees. The only thing that’s making more money than human smuggling is smuggling drugs.
Some of these migrants are working at illegal marijuana grow plants in SW Oklahoma. Owners of these plants are being charged with labor trafficking. https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2021/07/19/labor-trafficking-suspected-in-oklahomas-black-market-cannabis/7918167002/
Many of the migrants are children who have no legal papers to prove their birth, or whom they belong to once in the USA. The children are pouring into the United States, one of the top countries to demand illicit sex with children and online child sexual abuse material. The crime organizations know this and will exploit a person or child in several different ways to make money.

It’s National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. The above headlines are just for the Mexican migrant situation. We know that human trafficking is a global phenomenon. https://nationaltoday.com/national-human-trafficking-awareness-day/ https://hopeforjustice.org/national-slavery-and-human-trafficking-prevention-month/

The public may never know the true number of persons enslaved today, because modern slavery is a hidden crime. Estimates of the number of slaves globally could be approximately 40 million. https://theconversation.com/fact-check-how-many-people-are-enslaved-in-the-world-today-107078

STOP!

It’s too much. The human trafficking problem is too enormous and out of control for an average person to do anything about.

Do you think that’s true? If so, please read on for more specific information and three specific ways you can take action.

The facts

First, some definitions.

Human Smuggling: The Department of Homeland Security defines this as “importation of people into the United States involving deliberate evasion of immigration laws,” including moving irregular migrants across national borders as well as “unlawful transportation and harboring” of irregular migrants already in the United States. Some human smuggling victims will then be forced or frauded into human trafficking once over the border

Billions of dollars exchange hands in human smuggling fees. The only thing that’s making more money than human smuggling is smuggling drugs.

Human trafficking: While transportation does occur in many human trafficking cases, it does not require movement. The defining characteristic of human trafficking centers on commercial exploitation (slavery). Specifically, human trafficking is defined in U.S. law as:

Sex trafficking is when a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery.

Irregular migrants are particularly vulnerable due to their undocumented status, and may suffer human trafficking en route to or after arrival in the destination country. Some smuggling networks overlap with trafficking networks or deliver irregular migrants to traffickers. Migrants who voluntarily enter a country outside regular channels are sometimes saddled with huge “debts” by the smugglers, who then force them into debt bondage—a form of human trafficking.

https://www.csce.gov/international-impact/human-smuggling-and-human-trafficking-distinction-makes-difference

Now what do we do? Do these 3 things:

Be an Informed Consumer. Think before you shop. Find out more about who picked your tomatoes or made your clothes at https://www.responsiblesourcingtool.org/ or check out the Department of Labor’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor.

Get Involved in Our Community. We have many organizations in SW Oklahoma that help vulnerable populations. Think: boys and girls club, big sister, little siter programs, M28, Lovesick Ministries, Hungry Hearts, All About Understanding, and many more. Getting involved with organization that help reduce vulnerabilities will also help reduce the amount of people traffickers can target. Reach out to volunteer and support local efforts!
Spread the Word. Raise awareness of human trafficking through social media platforms and by sharing and displaying human trafficking resources from Raise awareness of human trafficking through social media platforms and by sharing and displaying human trafficking resources from The Red Cord https://theredcord.org/get-the-facts/, HHS Look Beneath the Surface https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/partnerships/look-beneath-surface and DHS Blue Campaign https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/share-resources .

For more ideas about ways you can help fight human trafficking, please see the DHS Blue Campaign https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/partnerships HHS Office on Trafficking in Persons https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/about/ways-endtrafficking and the DOS Office to Monitor & Combat Trafficking in Persons https://www.state.gov/20-ways-you-can-help-fight-human-trafficking/

Fueling The Unquenchable Flame

Lies you may tell yourself about pornography

“This is harmless. I can look and it’s not hurting anyone.”
“No one will ever know.”
“I can stop whenever I want.”
“I think connecting this normal habit to sex trafficking is extreme. Don’t you think?”

Why dabbling in pornography is dangerous

First, a definition or two.

Pornography is sexually exploiting someone for your own benefit.
Sex trafficking is the act of using force, fraud, or coercion to sexually exploit someone for your own benefit. https://www.greenlightoperation.org/blog/2019-10-2-how-pornography-impacts-sex-trafficking/

Exploitation is the common factor in both. It is mistreatment, abuse and manipulation, of humans to benefit yourself.

“Pornography creates demand for prostitution and also, trafficking, through its consumption. Assuming pornography is fundamentally an experience of bought sex, it stimulates demand for buying woman and children in the flesh.”

This is a huge, complicated topic. Find out more and learn for yourself. More facts, stories and information concerning this volatile link between pornography and sex trafficking, please read https://fightthenewdrug.org/how-porn-can-fuel-sex-trafficking/

Truth by the numbers

In our nation:

More than 40 million Americans are regular visitors to porn sites. The average visit lasts 6 minutes and 29 seconds.

In the home:

47% of families in the United States reported that pornography is a problem in their homes.

In the church:

70% of Christian youth pastors report that they have had at least one teen come to them for help in dealing with pornography in the past 12 months.
68% of churchgoing men and more than 50% of pastors view porn regularly. Of young Christian adults 18-24 years old, 76% actively search for porn.
59% of pastors said married men seek their help for porn use.
87% of Christian women have watched porn.
57% of pastors say porn addiction is the most damaging issue in their congregation. And 69% say porn has adversely impacted the church.
Only 7% of pastors say their church has a program to help people struggling with pornography.

https://baptistnews.com/article/the-ongoing-epidemic-of-pornography-in-the-church/#.Y1gfJnbMLb0

What do you do if this is you or a family member?

Get some help. Now. The Red Cord recommends:

Websites:

Fight the New Drug https://fightthenewdrug.org/

Fortify – Fight the New Drugs online program https://www.joinfortify.com/?utm_campaign=ftnd&utm_medium=affiliate_link&utm_source=affiliate_id_4

“Conversation Blue Print” to help parents learn how to talk to their kids pre and post porn exposure: https://fightthenewdrug.org/lets-talk-about-porn/ We know porn can be difficult to talk about. Here, you’ll be able to find all of the tips you need to successfully navigate a conversation about porn with your partner, child, sibling, parent, or friend.

Exodus Cry https://exoduscry.com/oursolution/

Book

(For young children) “Good Pictures, Bad Pictures.” https://www.amazon.com/Good-Pictures-Bad-Porn-Proofing-Todays/dp/0997318732

Training offered by The Red Cord

Once a year (or on demand) we offer “Brain, Heart, World” trainings. This is an engaging video-based series that is full of engaging content for young people as well as adults.

Sharable Facts

Pornography is sexually exploiting someone for your own benefit.
Sex trafficking is the act of using force, fraud, or coercion to sexually exploit someone for your own benefit. https://www.greenlightoperation.org/blog/2019-10-2-how-pornography-impacts-sex-trafficking/

Exploitation is the common factor in both. It is mistreatment, abuse and manipulation, of humans to benefit yourself.

47% of families in the United States reported that pornography is a problem in their homes.

68% of churchgoing men and more than 50% of pastors view porn regularly. Of young Christian adults 18-24 years old, 76% actively search for porn.

When School Grounds Become Spiritual Battlegrounds

This is how it can happen:

A 15-year-old girl in Arizona attended a high school football game, where she met a friendly 20-year-old woman who began chatting with her. To the younger girl’s surprise, the 20-year-old ran across the street to buy her a phone so they could keep in touch. The catch? The girl would need to repay the newly acquired debt by giving men “massages” in motel rooms. —Trafficking Researcher, Human Trafficking in AMERICA’S SCHOOLS, p. 2,

https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/human-trafficking-americas-schools

It’s not what you expect human trafficking to look like. It’s usually not a kidnapping or a sudden disappearance of your child. It’s more sinister than that. Just like in the example above, traffickers don’t necessarily look evil. They smile and are friendly and know how to appeal to the needs of children and teenagers. Sometimes they are family members. If it does involve strangers, they are meeting them unsupervised online.

This information isn’t to scare you. It is to empower you with truth and an action plan. Back-to-school nights start soon along with big yellow buses making their neighborhood routes again. More important than preparing your children with new school supplies, clothes and shoes, is to take time to stop and be aware of potential risks lurking in the hallways and classrooms of your local schools.

Ahsha Morin, The Red Cord President warns, “Kids are exposed today to dangers that many of us adults never had to navigate. From teachers being predators to the increase of child-on-child sex crimes, dating violence, drugs, etc. The battle must be recognized, and our kids need to understand what it takes to stay safe.” Please read the August blog for more insight from Ahsha.

https://theredcord.org/blog/

“I had a feeling that my teacher knew something was wrong in my life. I would notice her looking at me . . . almost like she wanted to say something to me. I wanted to open up to her, but I was afraid she would judge me. I was afraid that she wouldn’t understand.” —Child sex trafficking survivor, 16 years old https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/sites/default/files/HumanTraffickinginAmericasSchools.pdf

Action Plan for Parents

What do you, as a parent, do now to prepare for the spiritual battle facing them during the coming school year? Here is a brief 7-point Action Plan to get you started:

__ 1. Pray. Ahsha advises, “Take up a prayerful stance daily with your kids, over your kids, and over the school they attend is a great starting point. But I feel that you must know the evil you are fighting against to know how to pray and fight against it

__ 2. Attend a Red Cord community training. Click here for the next scheduled free training: https://theredcord.org/upcoming/

__ 3. Make sure teachers and administrators in the school your child attends have received human trafficking awareness training.

__ 4. Keep a strong, ongoing relationship with teachers and administrators so they will know you are concerned about your child’s safety.

__ 5. Be familiar with the signs of trafficking.

__ 6. Keep the Human Trafficking hotline number easily accessible on your phone: 1-888-373-7888

__ 7. Access resources including those on our website. https://theredcord.org/get-help-hotlines/

Ready or not, the school semester is starting in a few days. Know that the school grounds can be a battleground. Be prepared for the battle.

Remember: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 NIV

Could this happen to your family?

It’s Friday night and you’ve just left your 12-year-old son, David, at his friend’s house for a sleepover with four other boys. You know Nathan and his family, so you feel content that he will be fine as you drive away looking forward to a quiet evening at home.

All is well until you get this text at midnight: Hi Mom. Can we go get ice cream?

You immediately grab your keys and make the quick drive to pick up David. You know it’s not ice cream he wants. It’s the code you’ve created that means: Come get me now!

David tells the other boys there is an emergency at home and his mom is on the way to get him. As you make the drive home, you find out the truth: “Nathan was showing nude photos on his phone to me and the other guys. I felt really uncomfortable and wanted to get out of there. I’m sorry, Mom. I won’t go back there again.”

First, you take a deep breath. This isn’t David’s fault. Calmly, you say, “You did the right thing, son, by texting me. I’m glad we had the code already in place. We’ll talk more about the situation tomorrow.” David has been empowered to make the right choices because you’ve prepared him for this uncomfortable and potentially dangerous situation from escalating. You know that impressionable preteen boys are easily influenced. They don’t want to seem weak around their friends. But the habit can lead to a pornography addiction. You’ve helped him make good choices now to prevent that.

Meanwhile, when tomorrow comes, you have a decision to make – do you tell the boy’s parents what happened?

What would you do?

School is out for the summer in our area. While that brings some time to rest and relax, it also brings more time for your children to spend on the internet. ECPAT International (the world’s largest influencing network solely focused on ending the sexual exploitation of children, https://ecpat.org/) reports that one in three internet users are children. Human traffickers are aware your children are more available in the summer months and vulnerable to their cleverly disguised attempts to trap them into a life of slavery.

June is National Safety Month. The Red Cord wants to help you keep your children safe from traffickers. We have some information and resources prepared for you. Please download and read:

Safety Tips for Teens and Parents of Teens: http://theredcord.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/10Safetytips-parents.pdf

Safety Tips for Children: http://theredcord.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/10Safetytips.pdf

What more can you do? Please read the June blog from Ahsha, The Red Cord President: https://theredcord.org/blog/

Want To Set The Record Straight?

The Red Cord strives to be Oklahoma’s thought leader on Human Trafficking. We demystify common misconceptions so you can have confidence you’re spreading the right information.

Do You Know Someone Or An Organization That Needs To Be Trained?

The Red Cord offers professional training for the community, schools, churches, first responders, hotels, and casinos. We are blessed with many expert public speakers.