Cedars, October 2020

Dr. Jennifer McNutt American Society of Church History Awardee Royal Historical Society Fellow Author of Calvin Meets Voltaire Reverend professor wheaton.edu/MA-History Understanding Christian history is vital to our present faith. As a historian, Dr. Jennifer McNutt brings the past to the present, guiding students to understand and apply Christian history and theology to their work today. timetraveler process.” Contrary to most media portrayals, perpetrators are rarely strangers to the child. Most of the time, children are victimized by the very people that should be protecting them, according to Pollard. “We see a lot of children who are living at home and getting trafficked by their parents or their grandparents for drugs or drug money and there’s nobody there to report it,” Pollard said. While trafficking often goes unnoticed, evidence is often manifested in the behavior and appearance of the victimized children. “Some signs to look for,” Pollard said, “are exhaustion, being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, oversexualized behavior, so dressed kind of scantily clad, possessions outside of their family’s income or tattoos of brandings, like men’s names or gang insignias.” Often these children have had multiple abortions, STDs, miscarriages, can’t give straight answers, seem lost, don’t know where they are, or are hanging out around truck stops or motels, among other peculiar behaviors. If you see someone that you suspect is being trafficked, you can act. You can call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center 24/7 at 1-888-373-7888. You can also report any suspicions or emergencies to local authorities. According to Gabrielse, most victims experience chronic effects from the trauma they endure, long after being removed from the situation. “Almost everyone that I have either encountered or talked to who has been trafficked comes out with major anxiety and depression,” Gabrielse said. “It will take years and years for them to overcome and actually feel like themselves again.” For this reason, Gabrielse is passionate about both prevention and rescue. “Everyone has value and worth as a person,” Gabrielse said. “They forget that when they are told that they are trash and they are told that they are an object. That is what they are told and how people act toward them all the time when they are in trafficking.” However, there is hope for these children. Organizations like IJM, Grace- haven and countless others are fighting against trafficking. However, taking a stand against trafficking requires dedication, Pollard said. “It’s really hard work and it really takes a toll on everything in you. It becomes a lifestyle to fight this,” Pollard said. If you are interested in learning more about human trafficking, you can go to the websites of Operation Underground Railroad, Human Trafficking Hotline, and many other coalitions. The Operation Underground Railroad website even has a free self-led course on identifying the signs of trafficking. If you are interested in actively joining this fight, there are ways that you can get involved. “The best thing to do is either donate your money or volunteer your time to the organizations who already have traction,” said Pollard. One such organization is IJM, which has a chapter at Cedarville University. If you are interested in joining, you can email ijm@ cedarville.edu . Hannah Deane is a junior Journalism major and the Off-Campus Editor for Cedars. She loves going on adventures, riding horses, and is definitely a fan of the Lord of the Rings.