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What is the Initiative Against Sexual Trafficking?

The Initiative Against Sexual Trafficking (IAST) is a distinctive partnership of organizations (spearheaded by The Salvation Army National Headquarters) united in their desire to abolish the sex trafficking of women and children -- one of the largest and most destructive routes into slavery in the world today.

We exist to create and equip a new abolition movement for the eradication of sexual trafficking, the protection of survivors, and the prosecution of traffickers and exploiters.

The global phenomenon of sexual trafficking involves the recruitment, transportation, harboring, provision, or obtaining of persons for purposes of prostitution or other forms of commercial sexual exploitation such as the production of pornography, nude dancing, or live sex shows. Prostitution and related activities, which are inherently harmful and dehumanizing, significantly contribute to the phenomenon of trafficking in persons.

Each year sexual traffickers lure, coerce, trick, drug, kidnap, and sell millions of vulnerable women and children into the multi-billion dollar sex trade. In their daily lives victims of sexual trafficking endure unspeakable acts of physical brutality, violence and degradation including rape by so-called customers and pimps; undergo forced abortions; acquire drug and alcohol dependencies; live in fear of their lives and in fear for the lives of their family and friends; suffer acute psychological reactions as a result of their extreme physical and emotional trauma; and contract sexually transmitted diseases which all too often bring life-long illness or hasten death. If they survive, the physical, psychological and spiritual impacts of these experiences on victims are devastating and enduring.

As for the traffickers, they are not respecters of international borders, the rule of law, democracy, or multi-lateral treaties guaranteeing universal human rights. They have no regard for the economic status of victims or their level of education. They do not discriminate against their victims based on the color of their skin, their nationality, or their religion. For all those among the innocent, the weak, the desperate, the hungry, the abandoned, and the vulnerable, sexual traffickers are equal opportunity exploiters.

This is not the first time society has been called on to confront such evils. There were those like Amy Carmichael, missionary to India, who fought tirelessly to save children from wretched lives of temple prostitution. Likewise, there was the great Abolitionist struggle of 18th and 19th century England, led by such heroes as William Wilberforce, Granville Sharp, and Henry Thorton. Without the burning zeal of these great leaders, the British Empire's African slave trade may have continued indefinitely. And, too, in the late 1800’s there was The Salvation Army’s campaign to halt the trafficking of women and girls in Great Britain. Under the leadership of Bramwell and Florence Booth and many others the horrid trade was exposed and Parliament was forced to take action.

Now our time has come to stand up for human dignity and decency and to change history for the good. We hope that the resources available on this website will ignite your passion, and equip you with the information you need to join the fight against sex traffickers and exploiters. Please join us and help create an unrelenting force that will end this evil.

Contact

Lisa Thompson
IAST Coordinator
c/o The Salvation Army National Headquarters
P.O. Box 269
Alexandria, VA  22313

Phone: 703-519-5896