Contact: Natalie Bell, Concerned Women for America, 202-488-7000, ext. 126  

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 /Christian Newswire/ -- Human trafficking is modern-day slavery, and a worldwide scourge that ensnares millions of victims at any given time.  Congress passed a resolution in June 2007 making January 11 the National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness in order to bring attention to this evil perpetrated on women, children and men in every nation around the globe.

The U.S. State Department estimates there are 12.3 million people in forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor and sexual servitude.  They also estimate that 80 percent of victims are women and children, the majority of which are trafficked for sexual servitude.

Human trafficking happens right here in the United States in communities across our nation.  Cases have been reported in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta.  In Atlanta, there is a growing crisis of child prostitution wherein men fly in during the day to have sex with children and then return home to their families at night.  While the major cities having this problem are not a surprise, it is not limited to them.  Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky and Wyoming, to name a few, have also been reported to have human trafficking cases.

Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse, Senior Fellow of the Beverly LaHaye Institute, said, "Increasingly, there is awareness of human trafficking at the international level while many people remain convinced that the problem doesn't exist here in America and certainly not close to where they live.  On this special day of awareness, Concerned Women for America (CWA) calls its members and friends to pray for victims and asks them to study the resources that are available through CWA to increase awareness about the problem of modern-day slavery."

Concerned Women for America asks you to please take some time this week to learn more about what is the women's issue of the 21st century.  The Beverly LaHaye Institute has a section about sex trafficking, and the links page will direct you to other sources of research and information on the topic.  The first step to eradicating human trafficking is to become aware of the problem, and the next step is to pray for rescue and restoration for the victims.

Concerned Women for America is the nation's largest public policy women's organization.