You may ask how human trafficking affects your life?

But Imagine if it happened to someone you knew, these people are desperate for an income to sustain their families, they need our help to fight deception and opression and enjoy a dignified living.

If not us, who?If not now, when?

Dear Friends,

Shalom from Bali. People often tell us our lives are exciting and on course. Truth is, as a couple my husband and I often feel like we are on a rollercoaster ride. Life is fast, stretched and sometimes scary, yet we know God is in control and we’re on this ride with Him, for His glory.

We would like to thank each and every one of you, for your love, support and prayers during our most recent trip to Singapore. Thanks to all of you and the power of the Holy Spirit... the trip was led by faith and God’s work was made possible.

We’re trusting God that Christians will arise in the spheres of arts and entertainment, business, church, digital media, education, family, government and join the fight against human trafficking, to see His kingdom come in a broken world seeking safety for these victims, so they may enjoy a life of self worth and dignity.

In 2007, during my radio school training at YWAM, in South Africa, I was introduced to the horror of human trafficking and the intense global impact it has.

We learnt about the organized criminal activity behind human trafficking in which human beings are treated as possessions.

Usually targeted on young girls, these people are being controlled and exploited, deceived with false promises of education and job opportunities and then forced into prostitution, forced labour or sold for their organs.

Since then, I have developed a passion for fighting against the powers of human trafficking and hoped for the right opportunity to get involved.

God answered my prayers when we met with the amazing team from the Not For Sale Campaign and Christian lawyers through whom we are honoured to meet many more people like you and I, who are committed to see the abolishment of human trafficking and slavery.

It’s a huge task to get involved in and God is continuously growing His team of compassionate people, sold out to fighting this gross injustice to see some of the millions of voiceless people restored to dignified living.

IntroductIon

According to statistics 70,000 women and 30,000 children are trafficked within and across Indonesian borders each year.

According to this report in 2005 http://www.havocscope.com/prostitution-in-indonesia/The annual income generated by prostitution in Indonesia ranges between 1.2 and 3.3 billion USD.

A Christian lawyer in Singapore introduced us to The Geylang Bless God Ministry, who have been walking the streets in Geylang - which has been an active “Red-Light District” in Singapore for several years now. Ministering to many Indonesian girls, among others, that are lining the pavements.

How our hearts broke at hearing the facts and horror stories in the Geylang District...

We were invited to join them in seeing how we can partner with Geylang Bless God Ministry and God, to establish an “Escape Train” for our daughters enslaved in Singapore, to find a way back home to Indonesia.

It was a journey of faith like never before, but God was faithful and He made the way.

In IndonesIa

The purpose of my visit was to learn from the GBG team, observe the system, the situation and meet the girls. What a privilege to be part of the humble and powerful GBG team who quietly and faithfully do the work needed!

There is an average of 60-70 girls: ages ranging from 15-27, all standing on the streets, selling themselves. These girls come from all over Indonesia, longing to go back home.

With false passports and their birth dates changed, a few days before shipping them out, the majority of these girls are promised jobs in restaurants and pubs and never knew that they would be forced to line the pavement, selling their bodies.

The maximum time they can legally be in Singapore, is 30 days. They are not allowed to work without work permits.

A contract is as follows: serve 120 men and receive nothing but $10/day for food. After they met their “target” they have between 2-5 days left to “earn” for themselves. With not much to earn at $30/client at $20 for the girl and $10 for the pimp.

I walked the street with the GBG team. We loved, hugged, handed out snacks, exchanged phone numbers and BB pins under the ever watchful eyes of the pimps. Some pimps allow you to engage with the girls and pray for them and others refuse it all together.

In GeylanG

Just trying to imagine what our Indonesian daughters had gone through to be able to stand on the street, broke my heart all over again.

They wear clothes that objectify their bodies in every way, clothes they would never wear at home.

Never before, have I seen so much fear, even while talking to us their eyes constantly scan the street on high alert for another possible police raid, always ready to run. They live in constant anxiety and intimidation, afraid of those selling them out and those trying to prosecute them.

My friend and I were still chatting with the girls when from nowhere the police grabbed 7 of them and a pimp.

In 8 days 35 of the girls were taken, meaning they got a red stamp in their passport and are not allowed to return to Singapore for 3 years.

It is good news for Singapore, but on the other hand, I ask myself what they are returning to and is there anyone helping them on the otherside?

Are they sent home or are some of them sent to a different destination? We don’t know yet. This is the only vocation they know. Some of them have not even completed secondary school.

a lIfe of fear

My husband, Paul, joined me for 37 hours and walked the street with us directly after arriving in Singapore. We were so thankful that God brought him there, to witness these things with me and share in the ministry work, along with me and the GBG team,.

God gave me a compassion and love for the girls and pimps way beyond my expectation. The pimps too are poor, broken people enslaved by a boss. One evening the Holy Spirit whispered to me that PSK (Perempuan – Female; Seks – Sex; Kommersial - Commercial) should be (Putri – Daughter; Sion – Zion; Kembali - Return). That was my mindset. Never in my life have I wept so much for souls and cried for a harvest as during these 15 days in Geylang!

By God’s grace we’ve been able to identify potholes in the systems and when fi lled, it will most defi nitely cause the “escape train” from Singapore to run smoothly.

It will also slow down the fl ow of our daughters to Singapore. We can’t save them all, but we will save as many as possible.

Our dream is to start a movement that stops the powerful forces of the traffi ckers in their tracks and give back a life of dignity to the victims of these terrible crimes.

Every human being on this planet has the right to live a life of their own and by God’s grace we will win back their rights on their behalf, one by one as many as we can possibly help.

thanKs to God

Other activities in the Geylang area included meetings with someone who wants to help distribute Arabica and Luwak coffee from the Gayo Highlands in Indonesia, as a partial income to raise funds for the cause of saving the Indonesian girls enslaved in Singapore.

I also met a team member from Redeeming Roses, in Kuala Lumpur and a possible meeting and collaboration could come from there. We really just want to get as many people together to help fight the cause.

Another wonderful experience was the opportunity for me to join some sessions at the School of Ministry led by the Voice of Manchester.

My last evening in Geylang included a fellowship with ministry team members and a Band of brothers and sisters worshipping on the streets, tearing down strongholds and declaring God’s grace, mercy and love to be established in Geylang.

I returned home with a feeling of gratitude for God’s blessings and breakthrough in Geylang, but at the same time a sense of loss and mourning for the 35 girls arrested. We still have contact with a few of them though. I stepped straight into the last day of the World Transformation Global Challenge Summit, where I gave some feedback on the trip.

other actIvItIes

After seeing these things first hand, I am more convinced now, than ever to get involved full time...

For this reason we are currently working towards establishing a legal entity, within the coming year. The organization will address human trafficking in Indonesia, specifically.

From there, the next step is to create awareness in Indonesia through video, newspapers, social media, visiting churches, articles to be published in in-flight magazines and through training other like minded people. We also aim to recruit youth into a one year program, committing to and travelling to cities, villages and remote areas to educate the locals on the dangers and deception of people with “irresistible offers” and where it leads.

We want to see an annual one week convention initiated, dedicated to anti-human trafficking awareness and use mass media country wide to spread the message on this very serious matter.

Even more than this, we would like to encourage as many people as possible to get involved in spreading awareness and fighting the cause... in whatever way possible, no matter how big or small.

We invite all of you to be enticed to help us to become the change that is needed and to create a movement for potential victims and vulnerable people in the local public, to be careful and fight the crimes and injustices forced upon the innocent youth.

Whether by teaching people to be more alert and be aware of sly and deceitful behaviour, or whether saving existing victims from dreadful situations - we can make a significant change, if we all work together!

Let’s do it together for Him, for them, for His glory & because the love of Christ compels us.

Hugs & Blessings Anita

chanGe Is possIble!help Is needed!

PLEASE NOTE: some information is too sensitive to be shared... For any further information or to get involved, please feel free to contact us directly:

PAUL: Mobile: +62813 880 11611 BB Pin: 21B0A3AC Email: paul.duplessis@gmail.comANITA: Mobile: +62813 848 57248 BB Pin: 276DF6C3 Email: anita.duplessis1211@gmail.com