Last week we volunteered with another Christian organization that ministers to prostitutes and trafficked girls on the streets of Athens. We went out of the street from 11pm till 1:30 am. I am still reeling from the experience. We went to their office and were educated about what we would see and do and then we split into teams and went out. Four of the girls on our team were on one side of the street and Mike and I and another team member were across the street. Our job was to pray and to keep our eyes open for trouble and to be ready to step in and protect our teammates if any threatening situation arose.
It was incredibly sad to watch these young girls, mostly from Nigeria or Algeria, who were scantily clad standing on the side of the road, yelling at the cars that drove by slowly to stop and pick them up. Some of them chased after the cars, banging on the driver’s windows for them to stop and take them in. Some were joined by customers and then walked together across the street into a hotel. They have “work quotas” to achieve each night.
We were informed that the girls were observing that night we all victims of trafficking. In other words, someone brought them into this county illegally and is making money off of their forced prostitution. It is a very complex situation, tied into organized crime and apparently very prevalent here in Greece. Most of the victims of trafficking are not aware that the job that they are offered is selling their bodies in prostitution. But once they get here, they are without legal papers and see no way out of the situation. The girls are often kept under lock and key together in a house and the trafficker maintains control over them by threatening their families with voodoo curses.
Our teammates approached the girls and offered them tea and tried to initiate conversations with them. They also handed out cards with contact information on it about the organization. This other Christian organization goes out on the streets three times a week and makes frequent contact with the girls. Their goal is to help the girls however they can and to share the love of Christ with them.
Please pray for this organization, for the girls on the streets, and for the destruction of the sex trade here in Greece.
1 comment:
hi peg- i have not been on blogs for the past few weeks for some reason, so i am just now reading this post! but this so touched me, as you know fighting against trafficking is so much of my heart anyway! but seriously, hearing about the reality of it right there in front of your face is just so so sad to me and very eye-opening. we had our 1st meeting the other day to discuss future possibilities of partnering with A21 and so forth, so i'll be keeping you updated of course. i love you!
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