Rescuing children and other victims of human trafficking

Human traffickers target the most vulnerable members of society. Most at risk are children, the poor, and those with little or no education. In Cambodia, many such persons live in one of the many slum communities of Phnom Penh, the capitol city.

The Elijah Project was conceived as a tool of Extreme Love Ministries to effectively rescue the victims of human trafficking, or to intercept those who are about to being trafficked, and transition them into restoration.

Here is a breakdown of the holistic child protection services performed by the Elijah Team:

    • End child labor and sexual exploitation
    • Stop family violence involving children
    • Locate victims of human trafficking and initiate rescue efforts
    • Track missing persons cases, especially those involving children
    • Conduct community training initiatives
    • safety assessments for high risk cases
    • Build capacity for police and government agencies where possible
children in a slum

Lots of ministries and other organizations are involved in rescue work these days, and this is encouraging. But if the proper groundwork is not done first, many victims of human trafficking end up back in the same situation again—or worse—and become more traumatized and distrusting of others than ever before.

That’s why the Elijah Team painstakingly investigates every case in advance, with the assistance of local police and government officials. This is necessary to make sure rescued victims are not forced to return to those—often parents or other relatives—who exploited them in the first place. Equally important, rescued individuals need new homes where they feel safe, counseling and medical care to deal with past traumas, and lots of love to restore the deeply damaged image of God within them. It takes time and resources to see individuals become truly restored, so victims who are rescued without such commitment never fully heal. Many of them, sadly, never receive this critical follow-up work.

Join the Elijah Team today so that together we can rescue and restore more children and other exploited individuals!

Restoring the Trafficked, Abused and Exploited

Restoring the broken is one of our defining values. But in the slum communities of Cambodia, where men and women are often enslaved by addictions, poverty and exploitation, many are abused, trafficked, or exploited in other ways—especially children and other vulnerable members of society.

Knowing that God “is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalms 34:18), we decided to address these needs.

That resulted in the creation of a team of social workers we call VIEW, which stands for Victim Interaction and Engagement for Wholeness.

Our social workers make initial contact with those we know, or suspect, to be victims of abuse, human trafficking, and/or another form of exploitation (interaction). After assessing a person’s need and determining their willingness to accept help, we begin working alongside them to bring them to a place of healing and wholeness (engagement).

This work often involves counseling both the victim and her family, and working with other ministry partners, government officials, and police. We also work with other ministry teams within ELM, such as those that provide skills training, education sponsorship, and shelter for those who must be removed from harmful situations. Before restoration can begin, strategies must be developed in cooperation with some or all of these groups to stop the harm being done to the victim.

Deep and lasting change takes time, resources and the outpouring of God’s love, but the rewards are worth it. And in the process of helping victims find freedom and wholeness, God begins a deeper work within families and even whole communities!

If this work is close to your heart, please consider becoming a prayer and financial partner with our VIEW team.

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