The Invitation, September 12, 2024

According to the International Labor Association, as many as 50 million people are victimized in slavery today, and 12 million are children. They are enslaved and trafficked for labor, sex, organ removal, or forced marriage. Human trafficking is the second most profitable organized crime in the world, generating around $236 billion annually. Many organizations, including YWAM, seek to rescue victims of trafficking, and to prevent their exploitation in the first place (Luke 4:18-21).

Please take a moment to pray about human trafficking right now, and also pray with us on the September 12 prayer day for YWAM’s prayer initiative called The Invitation.

1. Pray for more awareness of the realities of human trafficking and exploitation around the world. For example, buying a cheap tee-shirt may support a child-labor factory, and consuming pornography supports sexual exploitation. (See www.exoduscry.com to learn more.)
2. Pray for initiatives that inform and support people vulnerable to being trafficked. Awareness, education, resources, and support are needed in vulnerable communities.
3. Pray for effective outreach and intervention initiatives. For example, many YWAM teams have outreaches in red-light districts, at strip clubs, and farms. They also do online outreaches. Pray for their safety and discernment, and pray for those they encounter to find freedom.
4. Pray for the rehabilitation of those who have escaped exploitation and trafficking. Many trafficking survivors have mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, bipolar, or borderline personality disorder. Also pray specifically for the YWAM-affiliated safe home, S-Cape, in Cape Town, South Africa.
5. Policy and research. Pray for brave and godly politicians to stand up for justice and say no to corruption and personal gain. A large policy initiative going on at the moment is regulating the porn industry in the United States and Europe. They are asking organizations addressing lawmakers and politicians to bring age-verification laws to porn websites in an attempt to protect children from porn exposure. Please pray for groundbreaking initiatives started by Christians to continue to flourish and make a radical impact on governments and media.

Take Action

1. Research what’s happening with human trafficking in your community, and support local ministries, initiatives, and nonprofits.
2. Pray for and support YWAM intervention and aftercare ministries: Beloved1 in Wylie, Texas, USA; S-Cape in Cape Town, South Africa; Unstoppable Love in Bali, Indonesia.
3. For a deep-dive into this topic, join Shine Seminar, a six-week annual course focused on sexual exploitation which equips people to work with those in the sex industry. Email shine@ywam.nl with questions.
4. On October 19, the A-21 Campaign hosts Walk for Freedom in cities around the world and has multiple prayer initiatives. You can register here for a Walk for Freedom near you.

Join The Invitation.

Sign up for prayer emails and find translations in many languages at ywam.org/theinvitation. Please contact us at prayer@ywam.org to let us know how you prayed, to recommend a prayer topic, or to request an advance copy of the prayer guide.