rescuing the child prostitutes

a first person account of the work of the International Justice Mission who tries to rescue children from sex markets....

The theology I learned at seminary in the northwest suburbs of Chicago didn’t seem to add up to much in South Asia sitting across from a little girl moments before she was raped. I would have long since conveniently buried this experience beneath a mountain of rationalizations if I hadn’t looked deep into the vacant eyes of a 12-year-old sex slave and vowed never to forget. Her expression cannot be purged from memory and sometimes my mind plays tricks by imposing her face on some little girl walking in the mall or playing at the park. Returning to my past world of ignorance would relieve my grief but I can’t go back, it no longer exists.

There are some details about my rude awakening in South Asia that I cannot relate to you. I traveled with a small band of highly trained professionals from International Justice Mission, which covertly deploys operatives around the globe, rescuing victims of horrific human rights crimes, usually involving children. I saw Batman Begins, but didn’t realize there are actually people who risk their lives under cover of night swooping in amidst the horror to save innocent young lives from the clutches of evil.