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Immigration Resources
As the U.S. considers its immigration policies and needed reform, study the issues and be educated advocates and voters. We’ve collected some immigration awareness resources for you to study and share. Check our immigration resources webpage for video, website, and book suggestions — Click here for immigration resources.
Half the Sky
 The national board of AB Women’s Ministries is having a book discussion study using Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (New York: Knopf, 2009). This book is an excellent overview of issues oppressing women and girls all over the globe, but filled with stories of hope as well. It’s a highly recommended read! You will be introduced to the issues and to many people and organizations involved in these issues. Do a book discussion with friends, your women’s ministry group, or high school-aged girls, or any other groups you can think of who would benefit from the experience.
Click here to order Half the Sky.
Bible Studies & Devotionals on Violence
by Adalia R. Gutiérrez Lee
Adalia R. Gutiérrez Lee is an American Baptist missionary at Deborah's House, a shelter for survivors of domestic violence in Tijuana, México.
Click here for Abigail: Bible Study.
Click here for "A Cry for Help" devotional.
In Our Backyard: A Christian Perspective on Human Trafficking in the United States
 In Our Backyard invites the reader in to the lives of human trafficking victims, survivors and the traffickers themselves with true stories. These stories not only inform the reader, but also take them quickly through a well-documented crash course about human trafficking--better described as modern-day slavery--in the United States. A quick read which includes study questions for small groups, In Our Backyard could change your life and save lives around you.
Click here to order In Our Backyard.
What Can I Do?
• Teach others during coffee break conversations
• Inform your church community
• Attend or lead a workshop for women on the issue of violence. Several resources are available on this site to help you prepare a workshop on this topic
• Check with women’s shelters in your community to learn about needs and how you can respond.
• January 11 is Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Work with your pastor to incorporate in your worship service information about Human Trafficking and prayers for both the exploited and the exploiters.
• Current U.S. laws protect foreign victims of trafficking, but American born victims of commercial sex exploitation are usually criminalized. Ask your Congress representatives to secure equal treatment for foreign and domestic victims.
• Pray for the Break the Chains project every Monday at 11 am. The project needs to be bathed in prayer ALWAYS!
• Raise awareness – read, gather and disseminate
• Download available resources from www.abwmbreakthechains.org
• Come up with original ideas and share them with American Baptist Women's Ministries, PO Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851, info@abwministries.org, www.abwministries.org
• Gather free materials from the U.S. government and send packets to every church www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/ and www.state.gov/g/tip/
• Give this information to local police, shelters, churches, etc. that do not have it Toolkits are available designed especially for them from these Government websites for FREE
• Visit in your area (i.e. police, shelters, YMCA/YWCA, aid to women victims of violence) and get information/statistics for your area (SHARE)
• Encourage others to write letters to Congress and write to Federal lawmakers on a regular basis – make sure to keep it an "up front issue"
• Challenge your church/work/town or city groups for matching funds when fundraising
• Post Human Trafficking Help Line toll free number on public bulletin boards
• Visit your local Library – do they have books/CDs/DVDs on the subject of Human Trafficking? Give them a list of recommended books/films and websites
• Find out if your church/town/school will have an awareness day on the dangers in the US re: young women and girls – How to be Aware and Careful – How to Report
• Purchase Free Trade and/or mission related articles i.e.: Freeset bags, Priscilla Center Items from India, New Life Center items, Night Light jewelry, etc.
• Hold a home party or special Fair to sell items and give money to "Break the Chains" project. You are now giving twice!
• Make a visual gauge (showing trafficking world wide and US) also a "Break the Chains" project gauge for your church/association/state meetings (not just women’s but all meetings) and have printed materials available. Be ready to accept money!
• Place Brochure page(s) in newsletter/bulletin
• What are women in the US doing? Please share your stories
• Share ministry stories from "herstories" (coming out of the life of prostitution & trafficking) or a church starting a ministry
• Share ministry stories with others about our missionaries who are involved in this work (see their journals and sign on to receive them)
• Learn how to recognize victims of trafficking and learn how to report it and help the victim
• Have a library of DVDs/CDs of our missionaries or other movies/film shorts/sources that are available to outsource to women in your area
• Be ready to answer questions when asked i.e.: How are contributions going to be distributed? What ministries are established in the U.S.? How can someone become involved in ministry and what kinds of grants are available for start-up ministries? see www.abwmbreakthechains.org
• If there is a mission project/fundraiser - report on the available form for regions/states to complete and send to American Baptist Women's Ministries, PO Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851, info@abwministries.org
• Wear your purple ribbon pin and tell people why you wear it. Have ribbons to sell and/or cards to hand out with the website on it www.abwmbreakthechains.org.
Faces of Human Trafficking
An AB GIRLS Program written by Bonnie Sestito, 2007-10 National Coordinator of AB GIRLS.
Click here to download PDF.
Do You Hear the Spirit Calling?
Barbara Anderson shares her closing worship that she gave at the Massachusetts American Baptist Women's Conference. Feel free to adapt this closing worship for use in your own setting.
Click here to download the closing worship entitled "Do you Hear the Spirit Calling?"
How Do I Recognize Victims of Trafficking?
Keep your eyes open. Victims of trafficking are often encountered by the public in the course of daily business. Signs of a victim of trafficking include someone who does not speak English, lacks a passport, is fearful or depressed, and shows evidence of abuse such as bruises. If you suspect a case of trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, tollfree, at 888-373-7888 888-373-7888 (it's easy to remember when you visualize it as 888-3737-888). Once a victim is identified, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services helps provide food, access to shelter, legal assistance, job training, and health care.
A Calendar of Caring
Use this month-to-month guide to learn about human trafficking, with suggestions for engaging your faith with the issue through actions, scriptures, and prayer.
Click here to download calendar.
Break the Chains Bible Study Series
Use this Bible study individually or as a group to begin to explore the issue of human trafficking using God's Word.
Click here to download Session 1.
Click here to download Session 2.
Click here to download Session 3.
Click here to download Year 2, Session 1.
Click here to download Year 2, Session 2.
Click here to download Year 2, Session 3.
Break the Chains Prayer Guide
Estudio biblico, Rompiendo Las Cadenas
Break the Chains Prayer Guide (English)
Some recommended resources:
The Slave Across the Street — (Ampelon Publishing, 2010), by Theresa Flores and PeggySue Wells (New)
UN Women's newsletter on voilence against women
The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World, Fourth Edition — (New York: Penguin, 2009), edited by Joni Seager: global statistics and information on a wide variety of issues affecting women and girls.
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide — (New York: Knopf, 2009), Nicholas Kristof and Cheryl WuDunn: an exploration of global issues facing women and sharing the stories of others who are engaged in addressing these issues.
Not for Sale, by David Batstone
The Natashas: Inside the New Global Sex Trade, by Victor Malarek (Arcade Publishing, Reprint edition 2005)
The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today, by Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter (University of California Press, 2009)
The Justice for Women Working Group (of National Council of Churches USA) — Offers information and website links to other denominations’ resources and work to end human trafficking.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — Basic information and excellent “tool kits” are available for free.
Coalition against Trafficking in Women — This is a global non-governmental website (multi-lingual) that offers many articles and facts.
Faith Trust Institute — Excellent resources on domestic violence, sexual violence, and clergy misconduct; materials specifically focused to women of color, teen issues, Christian, Muslim, and Jewish contexts.
Fields of Mudan - Mudan, a young Asian girl, is forced into modern-day slavery by brothel owner Madame Zhao. She finds solace in her dreams and in the friendship with another girl in the brothel, Faye. Yet they cannot escape their future. This moving 23-minute film was created by a student at Florida State University as his graduate thesis project and has gone on to win several prestigious film awards, as well as becoming an important resource in addressing the issue of human trafficking world-wide.
The film is available for $12.95 through www.indieflix.com. A portion of the cost is donated back to efforts against human trafficking.
The Asha Forum
Part of the Viva Network which addresses issues of children-at-risk around the globe, The Asha Forum focuses specifically on the problem of sexual trafficking.
The Asha Forum offers the Awareness Pack, a video and guides intended for use by small groups to educate them about the scope of the problem, Biblical studies, and suggestions for ways to respond.
The Awareness Pack is available for a suggested donation of at least $18. You may either download the materials and view the video directly on your computer, or you may use the link on their site to request an Awareness Pack. There is an additional cost of $10 for a DVD of the video. You may view it on your computer for free. If you have difficulty with viewing the video at the above link, a second link to view the same video on your computer is available at www.asha.viva.org/videos.htm.
Click here to link to the Asha Forum
Our Concern
Our concern on these topics are part of a history of ABCUSA of attention to global issues of concern. Read the resolutions and policy statement from ABCUSA.
Policy Statement on Violence
Children Prostitution in Asian Tourism
AB Resolution Against Sexual Expoitation of Children
IM Resolution Against Slavery
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