Exodus Cry - The Prayer Movement to End Slavery

Brief History Of Human Trafficking Situation

It would be difficult to imagine a more cunningly disguised evil than the human trafficking underground in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In Amsterdam, victims, imported from all over the world, are often hidden behind only a pane of glass while the world walks by. Prostituted women in Amsterdam are sold from shop windows, and because prostitution is legal in the Netherlands, it is almost impossible to tell a trafficked woman from a legal one just by looking at her. But behind the curtains, these women are imprisoned in a life of daily rape, forced to work 12-17 hour days, and they are confined to a cramped living space relegated to eating, sleeping, and sex. The insidious cover of legal prostitution makes it difficult to get concrete numbers, but the signs of trafficking are rampant: 80% of the prostitutes in Amsterdam are foreigners, 70% have no documentation (a sign of trafficking), and 50% are non-European. Because the prostitution industry is extremely lucrative, efforts from the governments and municipalities to eliminate both trafficking and child prostitution are erratic and feeble.

Prayer Points

• Pray for prostitution to be outlawed.
• Pray for the 250 officially listed brothels in Amsterdam, to be shut down.
• Pray for the Association of Sexclub Owners.
• Pray for the organizations fighting trafficking in Amsterdam.
• For all the prostitutes, legal and otherwise, that the Lord would liberate them.

Organizations

• YWAM: The Cleft, a drop in center for those who live and work in the red-light district, and Foolish Things, a seeker sensitive youth café.(www.jmeo.nl)
• Havenlicht (or “Harbour Light”) (www.havenlicht.zending.nu)
• Oudezijds 100: a Christian Community that lives amongst the broken lives in the Red Light district. In addition to counseling, they run a free medical post. (www.oudezijds100.nl)
• Scarlet Cord: This team of two women minister directly to the prostitutes of the Red Light district and a prostitution prevention project in local schools. (www.scharlakenkoord.nl)
• The Second Mile: This ministry to the homeless builds bridges to the community.
• Sisters of Augustine: These Catholic nuns offer shelter to women and children and help feed the homeless in the Red Light District.

From the Prayer Room:

Intercession for the ending of human trafficking in Amsterdam.