Putting a stop to child-trafficking

BY THOMAS R. MITCHINSON

People the world over have been touched by the Academy Award winning movie Slumdog Millionaire, which vividly portrays the poverty, exploitation, torture, and death faced by orphans in India. The exploitation of children, however, has no national or cultural bounds. The Ricky Martin Foundation, based in Puerto Rico, advocates for social justice, education, and the health of children around the world. Founded in 2000, it estimates that "1.2 million children are trafficked worldwide every year for exploitation purposes such as forced labor, commercial sexual exploitation, prostitution, and servitude, among other forms of slavery."

In many countries, even children who are still with their families lead slave-like existences, eking out subsistence wages that barely keep them alive. Sometimes parents sell their children into slavery in the hope that they will have a better life. Foundations the world over, as well as many individuals, work earnestly for the welfare of children. Some have adopted children, both domestically and internationally, given them homes, and cared for them devotedly. But there is also a prominent place for prayer, for the protection of children and the elimination of such exploitation wherever it occurs.

Perhaps the best place to begin is with a recognition of the real Parent. Mary Baker Eddy's book Science and Health explains that "Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation" (p. 332). This understanding of God as the Father and Mother of all can give confidence to one's prayer and nurture a willingness to trust His care.