Love that graphic above. Thanks so much to David and The Blind Project for all that you're doing to fight exploitation and make the world better!
The following interview is reposted with permission from The Blind Project (TBP).
Interview with Dawn Herzog Jewell, author of Escaping the Devil’s Bedroom: Sex trafficking, global prostitution, and the gospel’s transforming power.
By David Butgereit, Faith Based Liaison, The Blind Project.
The Blind Project: Human trafficking, sex slavery,
trafficking in persons or another term? What terminology do you use for
what we are talking about?
Dawn Herzog Jewell: I call it sexual exploitation in
order to include the folks who might be excluded technically from
“slavery” or “trafficking.” Many men, women and children are exploited
sexually because they have very limited choices in life. But no one is
holding a gun to their head in a basement or brothel. Their chains are
invisible— a sexually abusive parent, a parent who abused a substance,
limited education, a learning disability, etc.
TBP: Your book, Escaping the Devil’s Bedroom, does a wonderful job of exposing the reader to the global scope of the issue. Will your focus remain global?
DHJ: Yes, it will most likely remain global but it
could change if I notice a specific people group or region that is not
being covered in the media.
TBP: Some of the essential reading on this topic is
very depressing and doesn’t offer a picture of hope, but I noticed
“Stories of Hope” dominate your book. Why was that important for you to
include?
DHJ: Without hope no change takes place. If we think
that lives are beyond help, then they remain so. The scope of this
issue requires an attitude change both in us (those with access to
resources and power to create change) and in those who are in desperate
need of encouragement and equipping to live with dignity in their
God-given potential.
TBP: When reading about sexual exploitation, I am
reminded of the role men play in the equation, not just in driving the
demand but also in coercing the girls in the first place. It appears
that a man’s pride, a desire to control, and a sense of entitlement are
all involved in creating the exploitation. How do you address this?
DHJ: Men alone are not to blame. We are all
responsible for our silence and inertia regardless of gender. Men can
become powerful brokers of change in speaking out to other men in their
families, communities and workplaces about the important role they play
as fathers, brothers and sons of girls and women. I encourage men to
consider their gifts and resources, then think about how they can plug
in. One man can make a big difference in being a role model to others.
TBP: Who is your hero? Who do you seek out for strength and guidance?
DHJ: Jesus. He offered freedom to people from their
pasts and the personal and societal chains that bound them, but he did
it in such a way that empowered people to choose whether they wanted to
walk into that freedom.
TBP: Your audience appears to be primarily a churched audience. What is the church doing well, and what can the church do better?
DHJ: The Church does a good job at raising awareness
and resources to support some ministries. But the Church can get 10
times better at addressing how people in their own congregations
struggle with pornography and therefore contribute to sexual
exploitation worldwide. And we need real compassion and love for those
in our own communities who are sexually exploited—male prostitution,
women in strip clubs, girls involved in porn acting. We can also do a
much better job educating young people about healthy sexuality.
TBP: Have you noticed a change over the past several years in how people react to the idea that slavery or bondage still exists?
DHJ: Yes. Today I am surprised when I discover that
the idea is new to people. The media and organizations have done a good
job of raising awareness.
TBP: Do you notice a kind of “good works fatigue”
when educating people about this issue? Do you ever feel people are
thinking, “Oh no, not another cause”?
DHJ: Sometimes, but not often. I find that people
get excited when they learn that creating change in this issue requires a
huge range of talents and resources, not just money or skilled lawyers.
It’s a ‘cause’ that we can all make a difference in when we take the
time to consider how our gifts meet a need both in our own communities
and/or abroad.
TBP: Which programs do you think are the most effective for liberating someone from a life of bondage?
DHJ: Those that are there for the long term and
involve personal relationships with not only staff, but with volunteers
and friends from local churches and communities. A person who’s been
enslaved with visible or invisible chains needs freedom that must
include a new, supportive community to reinforce their freed and true
identity.
TBP: As you work in the field of sexual exploitation, what overwhelms you and how do you deal with it?
DHJ: Limited time. I’d love to do more writing and
interviewing, but just don’t have enough time while working and raising a
two-year-old. I trust that God is raising up more people who are using
their time and resources to raise awareness and create change. None of
us can save the world, but we can each do our part.
TBP: What are you currently working on?
DHJ: I just completed assisting John Green, founder of Emmaus ministries in Chicago, with his book manuscript for Streetwalking with Jesus. This book will fill a great gap in covering the stories of men on the street engaged in prostitution.
TBP: How do we avoid “issue fatigue” and keep the message of hope for the sexually exploited current and relevant in people’s minds?
DHJ: As the public becomes increasingly saturated
with this issue, organizations need to become increasingly creative with
their communication and involve those who want to help in creative and
meaningful ways. The Blind Project has done some exemplary work in this
area of involving people and harnessing their creativity.
TBP: Dawn, many of us at The Blind Project have read
your book and greatly appreciate that you emphasize a message of hope.
We appreciate your work and look forward to your continued writing and
work in this field. Thank you for talking with us.
DHJ: Thank you, and it was my pleasure.
Resources:
- Dawn mentioned the church can do better by “addressing how people in
their own congregations struggle with pornography.” We have found the
organizations XXXchurch and I Am Second to be effective entry points in addressing issues of pornography within your church community.
- Escaping the Devil’s Bedroom website
- Dawn invites you to join the Escaping the Devil’s Bedroom Facebook group page.
- Streetwalking with Jesus, by John Green, founder of Emmaus Ministries in Chicago.