Hope in Kampala

Our first few days in Uganda have been spent in Kampala, where our partner, Sports Outreach Institute (SOI), works extensively throughout the city’s 5 slums. At first blush, their work in the slums seems unrelated to combating exploitation and trafficking. But as I've observed these last three days, they truly work on the front lines of our struggle. While there is no single "profile" of a potential trafficking victim, there are some commonly observed risk-factors such as poverty, lack of access to adequate health care, low education, and instability at home. As I reflect on the work I've both heard and observed in Kampala, it is quite clear that SOI addresses and counteracts each of the trafficking risk factors listed above.

SOI's work is about letting the love of Christ transform lives; it's about meeting the needs of the communities they work in through the avenues of sports, teaching, feeding, training, and public health. Faithful to its mission, SOI staff and volunteers dig deep and give much to see the lives of those they serve enriched and made better. Because of its holistic approach to outreach and ministry, all of SOI's work--especially their outreach to street kids and orphans--reduces risk factors for populations vulnerable to sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

While the primary purpose of the #F424Uganda team on this trip is to see the work we started and continue to fund at Christine's House, a rescue home for exploited girls, it's amazing to see how SOI's work in Kampala dovetails perfectly with our anti-exploitation and trafficking efforts in Gulu by aggressively and actively reducing trafficking risk factors for some of Uganda's most vulnerable populations.

Seeing the beautiful faces of children who have a home, a full belly, and eternal security who would otherwise be facing a bleak and tragic life if not for the preventative work of SOI gives me hope.

Tomorrow we begin our 6+ hour journey by bus to Gulu in Northern Uganda. There we will spend time at Christine's House, meeting and working with the girls whose lives are being transformed, providing trauma counseling training for the staff who interact daily with the girls, and meeting with the local community leaders who provide oversight and guidance for the home on the local level.

Stay tuned to our social media feeds (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) to get the latest blog posts, updates, and pictures of our time in Gulu.

-Tim Spaulding, President

We're Going to Uganda

Last year with your help, we funded the construction of Christine’s House, a rescue home for sexually exploited girls to heal, grow, and bloom into all that God has created them to be in Northern Uganda. This year, we provide ongoing financial support to Christine’s House and the rehabilitation of its 19 inaugural residents thanks to you and your generous gifts. Later this week (June 26-July 7), a small team from Freedom 4/24 will join with Sports Outreach and head to Uganda to see first-hand all that God is doing at Christine’s House! Two staff members, Ryan Barr and Tim Spaulding, will be joined by Board Member, Amanda Rockinson-Szapkiw and her husband Michael on this trip.

While in Uganda we’ll be busy traveling across the country exploring new partnership opportunities, providing training and guidance for Christine’s House staff, and ministering and building relationships with the new residents at the house.

As supporters of our mission to bring freedom and do justice, we want to invite you to keep up with us as we learn, explore, and build relationships. Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; and keep an eye out for our official trip hashtag, #F424Uganda. Additionally, our team will be posting stories and reflections on our time in Uganda while there, so be sure to sign up for our newsletter and blog updates at www.freedom424.org.

-Freedom 4/24 Uganda Team

Behind the Scenes

On June 12^th the world’s attention focused on Brazil, the host nation for the month-long 2014 FIFA World Cup—the largest sporting event in the world. To many, this comes as no surprise given the close association between “Brazil” and “soccer”—and for good reason, no other country has won the World Cup more than Brazil and its citizens are some of the most ardent and dedicated soccer fans in the world. But behind its beautiful beaches, perfect weather, and the glitz and glory of soccer, is Brazil’s rampant problem with child prostitution. In 2012, the National Forum for the Prevention of Child Labor estimated that Brazil had half a million child sex workers, second only to Thailand.

There are numerous reasons why a country has a problem with child sexual exploitation, including poverty and economic and social inequality—key factors in Brazil’s widespread exploitation. Though specific numbers are hard to peg, it is widely held that major sporting events—especially those of an extended nature—tend to compound and exacerbate pre-existing problems like child prostitution. In a CNN interview, Antonia Lima Sousa, a state prosecutor in Brazil said that major sporting events like the World Cup compound the problems of child sexual exploitation because “it involves a whole tourist network, from agencies, to hotels, to taxis…. With these mega events, [it’s] going to be organized much more via the internet.”

Leading up to the 2014 World Cup, Brazil has been in overdrive working to curb and combat the expected rise in child sex trafficking resulting from the World Cup related tourist influx. Its numerous government-funded initiatives include social media campaigns like the #itsapenalty hashtag aimed at raising awareness of the coercive and exploitive nature of commercial sex in Brazil and its direct link to trafficking.

So what does all this have to do with you? Plenty. If you’re reading this piece, you’ve taken the first step—learn.

The next step is to act.  Activate your knowledge by turning your awareness into action. Events like the World Cup draw a world-wide viewing audience. Make the issue of child sexual exploitation in Brazil unavoidable to everyone you know; share this article; tweet using the #itsapenalty hashtag; use the tools at your disposal and do your part to raise awareness of the plight of the 500,000 trafficked and exploited children in Brazil.

Lastly, give. Become a monthly donor or make a one-time gift to Freedom 4/24 to help bring freedom and do justice around the world. Give so that today’s exploited children are tomorrow’s restored survivors. Give today to make a difference tomorrow.

-Tim Spaulding, Freedom 4/24 President

A Step of Faith

ChristineFam

Nearly six years ago, I spent a summer working as an intern with the Home of New Beginnings, an organization that reaches out to sexually exploited women in the Red Light Districts of Bangkok, Thailand. I had several responsibilities in my role, but of all them, teaching conversational English classes to women who worked in these districts was my constant privilege. I loved getting to know these women. However, I was always conflicted by the “Catch-22” these lessons presented. On one hand my teaching served as an amazing way to develop relationships with the women who were working as prostitutes in local bars and massage parlors and earn their trust. On the other hand, I was keenly aware that their desire to learn English was rooted in their desire to better communicate with the Western, English-speaking men who bought their bodies nightly.

These women and girls were an immense source of joy for me that summer. They came to my class giddy, excited about learning and spending time getting to know me. We would smile and laugh together as I would gently instruct them on the proper pronunciation of words from a stack of 1st-grade-reading-level flash cards. They were possibly the kindest, most genuinely thankful people I had ever encountered in my life. Yet every night, as I tried to fall asleep, I couldn’t let my mind get over the fact that their work for the day was just beginning. The spark of life and exuberance that I had seen in their eyes, only a few hours earlier, was quickly replaced by the desperate, hopeless reality that they would again have to face a night of degradation, shame, and exploitation. How could I go to sleep knowing that within a three-minute walk, hundreds of young women were selling their flesh to men two or three times their age? How could I go to sleep knowing that these women with whom I had spent the afternoon were now clad in chintzy costumes, dancing lifelessly in front of men who saw them only as the numbers adhered to their skimpy outfits rather than as the kind, compassionate women I had grown to know, respect, and love?

Fear gripped me each night. Fear that I would somehow forget the reality of their pain. Fear that I would go back to my comfortable home in Virginia and would allow myself to let these women become a distant memory. Fear that I would forget the vastness of the issue and let my resolve to stand against it evaporate. Fear that I would not live with the same sense of urgency as I felt living in the midst of it all.

It was this fear that led me to write a journal entry to my future self. The excerpt below, composed on August 3, 2008, was written when my time in Thailand had just concluded. The dream of Freedom 4/24 had been conceived only days before, and I wanted to write something to remind myself of the heaviness that still had a tight grip on my heart from all that I had seen and experienced in Thailand.

“Christine, when you re-read this, recall how absolutely vile and disgusting [this industry is]…. Christine, right now hundreds of thousands of young girls your age or older - perhaps as old as or older than your own mother - are selling themselves, giving parts of themselves away forever. Don’t forget it, Christine. Let it soak in. Choose daily to bear this burden. Don’t turn your face. Lord, show me how I can be used…. Don’t let my insignificant [distractions] keep me from what you want me to do… Use me now to make this an unavoidable moral issue of my time and to be a help, support, and blessing to the Home of New Beginnings."

When I wrote that journal entry, I had no idea what would become of Freedom 4/24 and my humble desire to make a difference in the lives of exploited women and children. I had no idea that Freedom 4/24 would expand its impact to include countries around the world. I never anticipated that Freedom 4/24 would reach thousands of Americans by hosting events like Run 4 Their Lives and building partnerships with local anti-trafficking organizations around the country.

In founding Freedom 4/24 I did something simple: I took a step of faith. At the time I did not feel I possessed all the tools needed to start and run an organization, but I trusted God would grow what He birthed in my heart. Today I invite you to join me in taking a step of faith.

Maybe that step for you is hosting a Run 4 Their Lives race in your city; maybe it’s becoming a monthly donor to Freedom 4/24; maybe it's taking the first step toward using your unique gifts to help end sex trafficking; whatever your step of faith is I encourage you to take it. Turn your awareness into action and help change the lives of women and children around the world.

“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say that you did not know.” - William Wilberforce

- Post contributed by Christine Gelatt, Founder and Board Member

Rescuing Molly - Part 2

This is part 2 of “Rescuing Molly” a first-person account of a brothel raid in India that occurred on January 7, 2014. To read part 1, click here.

It was dusk and darkness settled quickly when Suparee, the lead police officer, finally agreed to conduct the raid. As we drove across town to the red light district my stomach was knotted with anticipation as questions that only time could answer raced through my mind. Was this it?Was this going to be the night Molly was rescued? Was January 7th going to be her first day of freedom?

After ten minutes of weaving through a white-knuckle patchwork of Indian traffic we arrived. The driver pulled over just outside the red light district and cut the engine.

Greg, Freedom Firm’s founder, pulled out his phone and texted the undercover investigators, giving them the green light to go and find Molly.

Closing his phone, Greg looked up with a thin but hopeful smile and said, "All we can do now is pray they find her."

If the investigators’ found Molly, one of them would "engage" her, meaning pay the brothel keeper for her services, go with her to a private room where the door would usually be locked, then send a text to our team that Molly was secured and we could commence the raid.

As we sat waiting for a signal from the investigators no one said anything.

The silence was deafening.

Usually an investigator would signal back within 10 minutes of entering the red light district, but not today.

Ten minutes went by.

Fifteen minutes went by.

Finally, Greg received a text. Molly was nowhere to be found. It seemed that our window of opportunity was gone.

"Maybe she’s in with a customer," Greg thought out loud.

Our hearts sank. All day the pieces had fallen into place. Success seemed to be ours for the taking, yet now the final and most important piece--Molly--was nowhere to be found.

Greg sat in silence for a few moments collecting his thoughts.

The police were getting restless. One cop stepped out of their too-cramped vehicle to stretch his legs and make a phone call. Suparee didn’t say anything but it was obvious he wasn’t willing to wait much longer.

Looking up from his thoughts, Greg said, “We move on to Plan B.”

With that, Greg texted another investigator signaling him to go to another brothel where they suspected--but had not confirmed--that a minor was being sold for sex.

After another 10 minutes of palpable silence, Greg's phone lit up. As he read the text on his phone, Greg's face spread into a huge smile.

The text read, "Molly found. Engaged."

A moment later, the driver fired up the engine, threw the car into gear and with a jolt we drove into the red light district. After driving as far as we could down the narrow, winding lanes, we jumped out of the car and proceeded on foot.

My senses were buzzing and my skin tingled as adrenaline shot through my veins. I was in India, on a raid to rescue a young girl who had been trafficked into a brothel.

As we hurried to our destination, people all around us looked up with cautious and confused stares. After a few moments, one person caught on to what we were doing and turned to run. Then everyone did.

People ran in every direction. Doors slammed and windows were shut, all bolted tight.

Right as we arrived at the brothel where Molly was enslaved, the brothel keeper slammed the door shut. But before she could lock it, two plain-clothes police officers caught the door and pried it open. In an instant five police officers poured into the tiny, ramshackle brothel. 

Inside there was a flurry of shouting. A moment later one girl came out.

I searched her face trying to look through her thickly caked, incongruous makeup to see Molly, but this wasn't her.

A minute later another girl came out, escorted by a female officer. 

This was Molly.

Scared and confused her eyes darted back and forth uncertain of what was happening.

Immediately, Mincy, Freedom Firm’s social worker, went to Molly, put her arm around her shoulders, took her hand and led her aside. Mincy explained who she was, that Molly was safe, and that she would not be going back to the brothel.

After the police arrested the brother keeper and cleared the scene, we walked back to our vehicles and drove to the police station. There the brothel keeper was booked and charged with prostituting a minor, trafficking a minor, and other crimes associated with keeping a brothel.

With Mincy by her side, Molly gave her statement to the police. Later still, Molly was taken to a hospital for age verification and thereafter to a government shelter for minor girls rescued from prostitution (to read more about this shelter click here).

After a very long day I walked into the lobby of my hotel at around 11:30PM. 

I was exhausted but invigorated. Hungry, but too overwhelmed to eat as the realization of what I had just been part of set in. 

____

It’s not often one has the opportunity to be part of someone’s first day of freedom, and while I was physically present for the events of the day, make no mistake, you were there too.

As a supporter of Freedom 4/24 you played a vital and integral role in rescuing Molly. Without your donations or participation in a Run 4 Their Lives race Molly would not have been rescued that day.

Your giving to Freedom 4/24 directly funds Freedom Firm’s work in central India—from investigations, to brothel raids; from restorative social work, to helping young girls find the courage to confront their brothel keepers in court. For each and every step of the process, your sacrificial giving paves the path to freedom.

At Freedom 4/24 we firmly believe that freedom begins with a day. For Molly, that day was January 7, 2014. As her story unfolds we'll bring you updates of her progress, her triumphs, setbacks, and accomplishments. Until then, please keep Molly and the Freedom Firm team supporting her in your prayers. 

The Girls of Karuna

Early this year, I had the opportunity to visit Karuna, a rehabilitation home for minor girls rescued from the red light areas in central India. Before arriving at the home, I mentally prepared myself to meet a group of girls hardened, withdrawn, and jaded as a result of their years enslaved as prostitutes. I told myself “these are not going to be typical teenagers” and prayed God would give me strength to bring joy and light into what I expected to be a very dark visit.  I was steeled for what I assumed I would experience, but what I experienced was far more difficult. Many of the girls at Karuna were headed toward a life of prostitution the moment their parents knew their gender. Despite this, the girls I met that day are not entirely hardened, withdrawn or without hope. In actuality, they are shockingly similar to teenage girls in the United States: They asked probing questions about my life, giggled at the answers and whispered to one another between cautious glances my way. They eagerly showed me their handmade jewelry seeking my approval. They coaxed me into deejaying an impromptu dance party with the music on my phone. They shared with me their dreams of being teachers and nurses and mothers—they were teenagers, not so different from the American teens I encounter at home

These girls have been given so little in their lives – little luxury, little opportunity, little love, and yet, they are so eager, so hopeful, so innocent. The shocking contrast between their experiences in red light areas throughout India, and the youthful curiosity and typical teenage behavior I observed that day brought the harsh reality of these young girls’ lives into focus. I was reminded that the lives of sex trafficking survivors are just as complex as the industry itself. There is no universal formula for predicting the behavior of a victim, there is no one prescription for providing rehabilitation.

I left Karuna heartbroken, humbled, and convinced we must do more. The girls’ hope and resilience inspired me to learn more about the global sex industry and its nuances, to approach my work with Freedom 4/24 with renewed passion, and to cast my own petty weariness aside.

Now, a few months after my visit to Karuna, my prayer is that as each of us is confronted with the complex reality of sexual exploitation and human trafficking, that each of us allows our heart to be broken for these girls and others like them, and that our heartbreak compel us to do more to fight these injustices.

I want to personally invite you to come alongside Freedom 4/24 as we seek to do more for the girls of central India and others like them. Learn with us and allow your heart to break. Act and assume your unique role in the fight against these atrocities. Give and be a part of bringing restoration to survivors of India’s sex trade.

To learn more about sex trafficking in India, read Tim Spaulding's first-hand account of a brothel raid near Karuna by clicking here.

- Post contributed by Abby Barr, Operations Coordinator

Turning Awareness Into Action

Lately, I’ve been on a Malcolm Gladwell kick. In the last two months, I’ve listened* to three of his books. In Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, he introduces the “bystander effect” by way of a story about the brutal murder of Kitty Genovese in 1964. In short, the bystander effect is the assumption that someone else will react and offer aid to a person in need when it is known that another is witness to or aware of the need; the more observers, the stronger the assumption.

My first reaction to hearing about this effect was to think I was above it. But upon further reflection, I realized the opposite was true. My mind went immediately to a time last fall.

With three kids in the backseat, my wife and I were leaving the gym around dinnertime when we witnessed a woman at a bus stop attempt in vain to get a bus to stop and let her on. I have no idea how the driver missed her. She was standing in plain sight. Still, despite the woman’s best attempts to flag him down, the driver did not stop.

As I drove by, my wife said, “Poor girl, we should give her a ride.”

I was not on the same page. I just wanted to get home, unload our children, and prepare dinner. Besides, she could call a friend or wait for the next bus. As I drove past her, I dismissively remarked, “We really don’t have room in the car anyway.”

The truth is we did have room in the car. In fact, we had an entire third row that was folded flat. I’m embarrassed to say I just didn’t want to be bothered with stopping the car, folding up the third row and going out of my way to drive a stranger to her destination. I assumed someone else would help this woman, or that another bus would pick her up shortly.

If presented with the same scenario as a hypothetical, I’d have told you I would have definitely stopped to help—I mean, what kind of person would just drive by?

I’m not proud of my reaction to a visible need, which got me thinking: How do I react to a need I don’t see? How do I—how do we—react to the realization that sexual exploitation and human trafficking is going on all around us? How do we respond when confronted with the fact that an estimated 21 to 30 million people are enslaved around the world today? Do we act or are we too busy to be bothered and presume that someone else will? Do we “like” a post or “retweet” a story about human trafficking, dust off our hands and call it a day?

Awareness of an issue is not enough. Awareness of the plight of the woman at the bus stop did not give her a ride home. Acknowledging that she missed her bus did nothing for her. Awareness must be followed with action.

Likewise, mere awareness does not fight sexual exploitation or human trafficking. Unless and until we turn our awareness into action, we are destined to be bystanders.

What will you do to fight the bystander effect? How will you turn your awareness into action? Start today with a simple action—donate to Freedom 4/24.

*In my work as an attorney, I drive about 300-400 miles per week. Audio books are the only thing that keep me sane. And awake. 

- Post contributed by Tim Spaulding, Freedom 4/24 President

Rescuing Molly - Part 1

*In 2013, with your help and your donations, Freedom 4/24 financially partnered with Freedom Firm funding a grant request to open a new field office in an undisclosed city in India** to combat the city's rampant and long-standing problem of trafficking and prostituting minor children in the city's red light district. In the first few days of 2014 a four-person team from Freedom 4/24 visited with Freedom Firm and spent two days in this city. During this visit I was privileged to observe a brothel raid from start to finish. Below is Part 1 of my first-hand account.

__

After a restless night's sleep on an overnight train from Mumbai we reached our destination.

Though exhausted from the previous night's constant rocking back and forth of the train, I was energized and excited to finally arrive**--ready to get to work.

Shortly after arriving, we met most of the Freedom Firm team. By late afternoon the entire team was assembled. We had all come for a single purpose: to rescue Molly.

A month earlier, the investigative team had first seen Molly in the city's red light district. She was young, estimated to be 11 to 13 years old. Freedom Firm requested local police to rescue her at that time but after days of waiting and being told "tomorrow" the writing on the wall was clear--there wouldn't be an attempt to rescue Molly then.

After the full team arrived, two investigators from the team went undercover to confirm that Molly was still in the red light district. She was. At this news, the excitement level of the team rose. Later that night over dinner the team discussed strategy and the best way to approach the local police commissioner without whose approval there would be no raid. All our hopes of rescuing Molly hinged on this man's approval.

The next morning, I jumped into a rickshaw with Greg, Freedom Firm's founder, and Mincy, lead social worker on this operation. A few minutes after arriving at the police headquarters we were ushered into the Commissioner's office. Following a few pleasantries, Mincy delicately asked for the Commissioner's help in rescuing Molly. A moment later he picked up his phone, dialed a number, and had a short conversation in the regional language. He set his phone down and looked up with a smile. We had his permission.

As we walked out to hail a rickshaw Greg and Mincy were all smiles. The pushback and stalling they encountered a month ago was nowhere to be found. Things were lining up and falling into place.

After meeting up with the rest of the team for a quick lunch, Greg asked me if I was ready to go.

"Where?" I said.

Greg responded, "You want to come on the raid?"

"Absolutely."

A moment later I kissed my wife good bye and headed out with Greg and Mincy to meet with the police team to discuss the timing of the raid.

We'd arranged to meet Suparee, the lead police officer, at a local coffee shop. While we'd secured the Commissioner's blessing, getting this guy to actually agree to conducting the raid was an entirely different task.

On the way there, Mincy pulled out her phone. Showing me a grainy picture pulled from surveillance footage captured by the investigators. She said, "this is Molly. Green jeans, pink tank top.... that's what she's wearing."

Shortly after arriving at the coffee shop Suparee arrived. After ordering coffee and a bit of chit chat, Suparee suggested we do the raid the next day as it was already mid afternoon and his team was currently tied up with a case and would not be done for several hours.

Unmoved, Greg gently pushed back insisting the raid had to happen that day as there was no guarantee she would be there the next day.

Another coffee. Another conversation. A few phone calls. More hemming. More hawing. In the back and forth of seemingly trivial conversation Suparee again gently suggested pushing the raid off until the next day. It was obvious that he didn't want to be bothered with what would turn out to be a very long night.

Greg smiled and said we'd wait. It didn't matter how long it took Suparee's team to finish their work we would be ready to go whenever they finished.

More phone calls and more coffee. By this point the conversation was a bit straining as all normal conversational topics like the weather, family, and politics had been exhausted. Still the delicate dance of garnering Suparee's cooperation would continue until he agreed. The longer we waited and the more awkward the long conversational pauses became, the more uncomfortable Suparee appeared.

Suparee could see the writing on the wall: We were not going away. One way or another he was going to have to attempt a brothel raid that night to rescue Molly.

After close to 2 hours Suparee began to cave. After taking a brief phone call, he said his team was wrapping up their work and it would be another 45 minutes but that we would attempt a raid afterwards.

15 minutes later, Suparee got a call from his team. We were on our way.

*Part 2 of this story was published in April, 2014. Click here to read it now!

- Post contributed by Tim Spaulding, Freedom 4/24 President

Sex Trafficking and the Super Bowl

In less than a week, thousands will descend on MetLife Stadium for Super Bowl XLVIII between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos. This year’s big game will generate literally millions in commercial slots alone, forgetting the income generated from ticket sales, food and alcohol sales, and NFL-related events. But it’s not just large corporations and local businesses looking to make a profit during the festivities. At all major sporting events, the criminal underworld of sex trafficking and human exploitation thrives and grows around the event, but there is none so lucrative for traffickers as the Super Bowl. The reason traffickers target large events is to meet the increased demand for illicit sex that results from the influx of people, particularly men, into one area for a recreational event.

Over the last few years there has been a noticeable increase in trafficking during past Super Bowl games. For example at the 2009 Super Bowl, 24 children brought to the event for sex were rescued.[1] Further, Miami saw an increase of 10,000 prostitutes in advance of the big event. Finally, at the 2011 Super Bowl, Dallas area police arrested 133 for underage prostitution.[2]

While these statistics give us some sense of the issue, they do not reveal the entire picture. Tracking this covert crime is challenging.  Many states laws do not distinguish between victims of sex trafficking, including minors, and those engaged in voluntary prostitution. For this reason, incidents of trafficking often go unreported for fear of prosecution. However, host cities, law enforcement, and anti-trafficking groups are becoming increasingly aware of the connection between major events and sex trafficking operations and are taking steps to stamp out this criminal activity.

The New Jersey Human Trafficking Task Force, as well as community groups dedicated to fighting human trafficking are taking proactive steps to combat the sex trafficking. Their efforts include targeted outreach efforts to assist potential victims and at-risk individuals who may be exploited during this year’s Super Bowl and the weeks leading up to it. Additionally, other organizations like the Polaris Project have been working with local organizations, community groups, and law enforcement to coordinate outreach and community awareness events and to provide training and technical assistance in an effort to combat sex trafficking throughout the event.

It is our hope that Super Bowl Sunday and similar sporting events will one day be celebrated without sexual exploitation. Until then, it is the charge of anti-trafficking activists to engage a large audience by spreading awareness and to support organizations currently fighting this heinous crime.

Please join Freedom 4/24 in raising awareness and support for our partner organizations by sharing this article, learning more about what current organizations are doing to combat sex trafficking around the Super Bowl, and by praying for freedom for the exploited.

For more information about the NJ Human Trafficking Task Force please visit their website or contact them at 973-929-3064.

If you suspect trafficking, contact your local police and the 24-hour National Human Trafficking hotline at 888-373-7888.

 Article contributed by: Sarah Romero, Freedom 4/24 Awareness Volunteer

---

[1] U.S. Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood, The National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction, August 2010, 33.

[2] Meghan Casserly, "Sex and The Super Bowl: Indianapolis Puts Spotlight on Teen Sex Trafficking," Forbes, February 20, 2012, http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghancasserly/2012/02/02/sex-and-the-super-bowl-indianapolis-spotlight-teen-sex-trafficking/

Christmas Newsletter from our President

AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IN 2014

As we enter the Christmas season, I want to take a few moments to give thanks to God and you for the strides Freedom 4/24 made in 2013 to bring freedom and do justice. With your help we funded the expansion of efforts to rescue minor girls from sex slavery in India, built a safe house for exploited women in Uganda, and sponsored a Christmas outreach for women trapped in the sex trade in Thailand.

But these efforts are not enough. To be strategic in our goal of eradicating sexual exploitation and human trafficking we must expanded our focus beyond just responsive measures and include preventative efforts working to avoid the problem in the first place. We cannot forget that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

It is with prevention in mind we are launching a new awareness campaign in 2014. This multifaceted campaign will be aimed at various audiences including parents, teachers, students, law enforcement officers, transportation workers, and the general public.

At Freedom 4/24 we believe freedom not only begins the day a girl is rescued, but it also begins the day each individual is informed of the realities of human trafficking in his or her own community and is motivated to act.

Join us in 2014 as we advance our mission of raising awareness, bringing freedom, and doing justice. By donating $24 a month you are taking a stand against the rising tide of injustice in the United States and abroad. No amount is too small, no effort too little, and no prayer ineffective.

Thank you for your financial support and partnership.

Tim Spaulding President

Upcoming Pre-Race Events

Anti-Trafficking Expo & Race Packet Pickup

We're pleased to announce this year's packet pickup event will include an anti-trafficking expo featuring 9 organizations working to bring freedom and do justice! Each organization will highlight their work to combat human trafficking and provide information on how you can get involved in the fight.

Fun for the Whole Family

In addition to the anti-trafficking expo, Lynchburg-based Pier 19 will provide live music and multiple food vendors will be on site selling an assortment of foods and desserts. For the kids, there will be a bounce house and inflatable slide compliments of FunZone Inflatables.

In short, the packet pickup will be a fun but meaningful event. Come hear what's being done in Virginia and internationally to combat trafficking.

Where: Shellenberger Field Lynchburg College 1501 Lakeside Drive Lynchburg, VA 24502 Map

When: Friday, October 11, 2013 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Trafficking Survivor Shares Her Story

During college, Sara worked at Macy's selling high-end suits in the men's department. One day a regular customer who was always very friendly, polite and complimentary invited her to a party. Sara agreed....

Come hear Sara's story of how she spent three years being trafficked around the US and Canada, escaped the clutches of her traffickers, found Christ and how she's now using her experiences to raise awareness and speak out against sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

Where: The Drowsy Poet 3700 Candlers Mountain Rd. Lynchburg, VA 24502 Map

When: Thursday, October 10, 2013 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Freedom 4/24 announces two new partnerships

It’s been a productive first half of 2013 for Freedom 4/24 and we’re excited to announce partnerships with two new organizations that further our goal of bringing freedom and doing justice. In March we formed a new partnership with Freedom Firm, an India-based NGO dedicated to rescuing, restoring, and seeking justice for victims of Child Prostitution. On behalf of you, our donors and contributors, we’ve come along side Freedom Firm and funded a grant request of over $25,000 USD to fund the opening of a new field office in Nagpur, India, a city with a readily available supply of minor girls in prostitution and where no other NGOs are actively combating the problem. Since funding this project, Freedom Firm’s operatives in Nagpur have completed a number of investigations, conducted two raids, and rescued a number of minor girls including “Preeti,” who is believed to be 11-12 years old and is the youngest child rescued by Freedom Firm to date.

In April, we partnered with Sports Outreach Institute by contributing $20,000 to build and open a safe house for victims of sexual exploitation in Gulu, Uganda. Sports Outreach has been active in northern Uganda for a number of years and continually seek relational and innovative ways to meet the needs of people in the area. Two weeks ago this facility was dedicated as a safe home for victims of rape, as well as girls who have escaped child bride marriages and other forms of sexual exploitation. Called “Christine’s House” after Freedom 4/24 founder Christine Gelatt, the home will be a beacon of hope in a region ravaged by decades of civil war where young women were often the victims of heinous crimes. Being built on the Good News Community Center, also known as the Koro Farm, the women will receive job skills training, counseling and have the opportunity to be a part of a community where many will experience the redemptive love of Christ for the first time. Right now, the final touches are being put on the building to make it fully operational. It is our prayer that the home will be filled with the laughter and joy of rescued girls by September, 2013.

If you’ve ever run in one of our Run For Their Lives races, attended one of our fundraisers, or donated even one dollar, then you have had a hand in the work we do. Your donations are the sole reason that “Priya” and many girls like her have been rescued from a life of slavery, abuse, and rape. Your sacrificial giving allows us to build places of safety for victims of exploitation. Thank you for your support. Thank you for being part of the team. Thank you for joining us as we seek to be the hands and feet of Christ.

Bringing freedom, doing justice.

-The Freedom 4/24 Team

Tim Spaulding Accepts Appointment as Executive Director

The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Spaulding as the Executive Director of Freedom 4/24. Tim served as a board member throughout 2012 and filled the role of Interim President during the past two months. Tim comes to us with much experience and expertise. In addition to his duties as Executive Director, Tim runs a solo-practice law firm in Lynchburg, VA. Prior to starting his own firm, Tim spent three years working for a large corporate law firm in Norfolk, VA. Additionally, he has taught numerous courses at Liberty University including undergraduate courses in Business Law, and doctoral courses in Education Law. From 2009-2012 he served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law teaching courses in Bankruptcy and Corporate Mergers & Acquisitions at Liberty University School of Law. Prior to attending law school, Tim spent three years working for a small liberal arts college in Rochester, NY and one year teaching English in Shizuoka, Japan.

Tim earned his Juris Doctor degree from Regent University and holds an undergraduate degree in Organizational Management. His passion for justice and desire to combat sex trafficking and child prostitution were the primary motivators for attending law school. Tim has extensively researched the issues related to child sex tourism and child prostitution. His work on these issues in Cambodia was published in the Gonzaga Journal of International Law in 2008, and can be read here.

Tim and his wife Cindi, a professor in the School of Education at Liberty University, live in Lynchburg with their three children.

We are confident that Tim's background, combined with his passion to champion the plight of those who are forgotten and discarded, will enable him to courageously lead Freedom 4/24 and the many individuals who so selflessly donate their time and efforts to this organization. We fully support Tim as he works to continue the mission and further the impact of Freedom 4/24.

Sincerely,

The Board of Directors of Freedom 4/24

www.freedom424.org