How Third-World Poverty Fuels the Sex Trade
Ask any kid what they want to be when they grow up and you’re going to get a myriad of answers - chef, doctor, vet, president, or train conductor. Depending on the child, you may get more out of the box answers - professional dog petter, Santa Claus, or mermaid. Ask any adult what their dream job is and most of the time, it’s not the same dream they had as a child. They may be dreaming bigger, but rarely would someone desire a career like that which is found in the sex trade.
The women in our care have ended up in a job furthest from their dreams. An unthinkable source of income. Often, the biggest factor that permits sex trafficking is poverty that reinforces a lack of education.
In the Philippines, finding a job without a college education is virtually impossible. Even entry level jobs, like McDonald's, require a college degree. The reason most women can’t get an education while living under the poverty line is due to the lack of funds Our purpose in rescuing women out of the sex trade is to provide them the education that breaks the cycle of poverty. Some women in our care haven’t finished high school - we desire to give them these opportunities that lead to gainful employment!
Poverty has a direct impact on education including lack of skilled labor, gender inequality, less productivity, low standard of living, unemployment, and lack of family planning.
This is where sex trafficking comes into play. These factors increase the risk of being sold into the sex trade. We have seen this up close and personal in our mission to rescue these women. We have heard many stories of women whose families have sent them to bars and massage parlors just to provide for their families. We have seen women who work at these places because it is the only place that will allow them to work without a college education. We have heard from women who were told it would be a different job than what they expected – they were tricked into the sex trade.
What a blessing it is to be able to provide women who come into our safe homes the opportunity to receive an education. In our care they find healing from past hurts and redemption through Jesus, discovering restoration through a new way of life. With your support you are helping break the cycle of poverty and change the trajectory of generations of families. Through even just one woman or child, the family dynamic of poverty and lack of education will be shifted for good.
