Modern Slavery

Every 30 seconds, another person becomes a victim of human trafficking. Let that sink in. While you read this sentence, someone somewhere just lost their freedom. While you scroll through social media tonight, hundreds more will be trapped in modern slavery. While you sleep tonight, thousands will work against their will, abused and exploited by traffickers who see them as nothing more than profit. I wish I could tell you this was an exaggeration. I wish I could say these numbers are inflated or based on old data. But the truth is even more devastating: 49.6 million people are currently trapped in modern slavery worldwide, and that number keeps growing. If you’re reading this thinking, “That can’t be right. Slavery ended centuries ago”, you’re exactly who needs to keep reading. The Numbers That Should Keep You Up at Night Let me hit you with some facts that most Christians would rather not know about. According to the United Nations’ International Labour Organization, human traffickers victimize an estimated 27.6 million people in forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation. When you add forced marriage to that number, the total reaches 49.6 million people living in modern slavery. Read that again. 49.6 million image bearers of God. That’s more than the entire population of South Africa. That’s more people enslaved right now than at any other point in human history, including during the transatlantic slave trade. But here’s what makes this even more gut-wrenching: 79% of human trafficking victims are exploited for sexual purposes, with women and girls making up the vast majority. These aren’t abstract statistics. These are daughters, sisters, mothers. These are little girls who should be playing with dolls and going to school. And children? Almost 20% of all trafficking victims worldwide are children. In some regions of Africa and the Mekong region, children make up the majority of trafficking victims, reaching up to 100% in parts of West Africa. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. Matters. To. God. Isaiah 61:1-3: The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,  because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all who mourn,3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning,and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. It’s Happening Right Here Here’s the lie most of us believe: “Human trafficking is something that happens over there. In other countries. To other people. Not in my community.” Wrong. Human trafficking has been reported in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, on Tribal land, and within U.S. territories. It’s happening in South Africa. It’s happening in Europe. It’s happening in your city, probably on your street, definitely in your country. In the European Union alone, 10,793 victims of human trafficking were registered in 2023, a 6.9% increase from the previous year. And those are just the ones who were identified. Experts estimate that for every victim we know about, there are countless others still trapped in the shadows. The truth is, most trafficking happens close to home. Most exploitation takes place near where victims live, not across continents. The person being trafficked might work in the restaurant you ate at last week. They might be the domestic worker you saw at your neighbor’s house. They might be the teenager who looks terrified at the gas station at 2 AM. They’re everywhere. We just refuse to see them. Who Are the Traffickers? When we think of human traffickers, we imagine shadowy criminal organizations and international kidnapping rings. And yes, those exist. But that’s not the whole picture. Traffickers can be relatives, romantic partners, or close family friends. They can be the owners of a restaurant in the community, a local business offering janitorial services, a farm labor contractor, or even the couple next door with a live-in domestic worker. Let me say that differently: the person trafficking humans might be someone you know. Someone you do business with. Someone who seems perfectly normal. And here’s something that should shock every one of us: In 30% of countries that provided information on trafficker gender, women make up the largest proportion of traffickers. In some parts of the world, women trafficking women is the norm. Evil doesn’t have a single face. It wears many masks, and sometimes those masks look disturbingly ordinary. The Systems That Enable Slavery Human trafficking doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It thrives because we’ve created systems that make exploitation profitable and easy. Consider this: Since 2003, U.S. states have enacted 695 anti-trafficking policies, but prevention policies. – which address root causes and reduce vulnerabilities – remain significantly underdeveloped. In other words, we’re getting better at prosecuting traffickers after the damage is done, but we’re not doing nearly enough to prevent trafficking in the first place. Why? Because prevention requires addressing uncomfortable truths about poverty, inequality, broken immigration systems, and the demand side of exploitation. It’s easier to arrest a trafficker than to dismantle the economic systems that make trafficking profitable. Over 2,400 trafficking cases have been prosecuted in the United States since 2000, involving 4,589 defendants and 12,132 identified victims. But here’s the devastating reality: two out of every five countries covered by the UNODC Report had not recorded a single conviction for human trafficking. Let me translate that: in many parts of the world, traffickers operate with complete impunity. They know they’ll never face justice. So they keep trafficking. And the numbers keep growing. Why This Should Matter to Christians If you’re a follower of Jesus and you’re not disturbed by these statistics, we need to talk about what kind of Jesus you’re actually following. Because the Jesus I read about in Scripture got angry about injustice. He

Welcome, friend. Whether you’ve been following Beyond Salvation for a while or you just landed here for the first time, it’s no accident you’re reading these words today. This space has always been about real faith, honest conversations, and wrestling with what it means to follow Jesus in a broken world. But today marks a shift. A return, really, to what we’ve always been called to do. Coming Home to Our Calling If you’ve been reading Beyond Salvation over the past months, you know we’ve explored prophecy, church issues, spiritual growth, and the challenges of modern Christian life. These conversations mattered, and they’ll continue to be part of who we are. But there’s been something stirring in my spirit, a persistent whisper I can no longer ignore. God has a main mission for Beyond Salvation. It’s written in Isaiah 61:1-3: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion – to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit.” This isn’t just a beautiful passage. It’s our blueprint. It’s the heart of what Beyond Salvation was always meant to be about: freedom for the captive, healing for the broken, and beauty rising from ashes. So here’s what’s changing: we’re shifting our primary focus to the fight against modern slavery and human trafficking, while standing with persecuted Christians around the world, particularly in Nigeria. This is our main mission. This is the calling we’re leaning into with everything we have. The Reality We Can’t Ignore Let me be blunt about something most Christians would rather not think about: more people are enslaved right now, in 2025, than at any other point in human history. Over 50 million men, women, and children are trapped in forced labor, sexual exploitation, or domestic servitude. Every 30 seconds, someone becomes a victim of trafficking. Read that again. Every. Thirty. Seconds. These aren’t just statistics I’m throwing at you to make a point. These are image bearers of God. These are people with names, dreams, families, stories. These are the ones Jesus called “the least of these.” And if we claim to follow Jesus while remaining comfortable in our ignorance of their suffering, we need to seriously examine what kind of faith we’re actually practicing. The Bible is unambiguous about this. Proverbs 31:8-9 commands us: “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Notice it doesn’t say “if you feel like it” or “when it’s convenient.” It says open your mouth. Speak up. Act. Our Partnership with A21 Here’s how we’re doing this practically: Beyond Salvation is partnering with A21, a global anti-trafficking organization that’s actually making a difference on the ground. They’re not just talking about the problem; they’re rescuing victims, prosecuting traffickers, and providing long-term restoration for survivors. Throughout this year, you’ll see us regularly linking to A21’s work and their donation pages. But let me be clear about something: this isn’t about me trying to hit some fundraising goal or make myself feel good. This is about connecting you to an organization that’s legitimately changing lives, and giving you a way to be part of something far bigger than yourself. Every post will include clear ways to support A21’s Freedom Campaign. But more than your money, what I’m asking for is your attention, your prayers, and your willingness to let this reality reshape how you think about faith and action. Why This Matters for Believers As Christians, we love to talk about spiritual freedom. We sing songs about chains being broken and captives being freed. We preach about liberation from sin and the bondage of shame. All of that is true and important. But here’s what bothers me: we’re often more passionate about metaphorical chains than actual ones. We’re quick to claim spiritual victory while remaining silent about the physical slavery happening in our world right now. Jesus read from Isaiah 61 at the beginning of His ministry and declared, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” He was announcing that the kingdom of God brings both spiritual AND physical freedom. You can’t separate them. The gospel that saves souls also demands justice for the oppressed. When we ignore human trafficking, we’re not just being politically neutral. We’re failing to reflect the heart of God. We’re choosing comfort over compassion. We’re settling for a faith that makes us feel good without demanding we actually do good. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of that kind of Christianity. What’s Different Now Starting today, Beyond Salvation’s primary content focus shifts to two interconnected crises: Human trafficking and modern slavery. We’ll explore what trafficking actually looks like in 2025, debunk the myths that keep us ignorant, share survivor stories, examine the systems that enable exploitation, and provide practical ways you can fight back. Christian persecution in Nigeria. We’ll shine light on the violence targeting Nigerian Christians, the terrorist groups destroying communities, the intersection between persecution and trafficking, and how we can support our brothers and sisters facing unimaginable suffering. Does this mean we’ll never write about other topics? No. Beyond Salvation will still be a place for honest conversations about faith, culture, prophecy, and Christian life. But these two issues will be our north star, the lens through which we view everything else. What You Can Expect Here’s my promise to you: I will not sugarcoat the darkness. Human trafficking is horrific. Christian persecution is brutal. I won’t