Posted in
Sex Trade ~ Trafficking by Seth Barnes on 11/2/2008
World Racer Marisa Banas reported
this story. It is so shocking, it leaves you appalled and repulsed. But because so many children suffer like this, it demands action from those of us who sit in comfort wondering if our lives will ever count for something. If you want to help fight this kind of injustice, please contact me. It's time to take action. A first step will be to start a nonprofit that fights the sex trade and human trafficking.
This is the story of a three-year old turned sex slave. His name is Michael Angelo. The
two little feet in the picture above are Michael's. He was sold for $60 US Dollars to a
pimp.
Michael lives in Navotos, a community of 10,000 people who live on top
of tombs in a graveyard in the Philippines. His home and those around it sit about 12 feet off Manila Bay's polluted
waters. All nine of his family members live in a two-story makeshift
squatter home.
Most of the bottom level is rotted out and can't be
used. You get up to the top floor by climbing a slippery ladder and
once you get up to the top, you realize that
this family literally has nothing.
Each child has one shirt. Some
don't even have pants. The baby's bottom is diaperless. He has a severe
rash that makes his skin look like a thick crust. Michael
spends all day alone in the house with the baby and his other two-year
old brother while his father and mother go out to try to find work so
that they can eat. His older siblings also spend their days trying to find work.
When the pimp came to the door with a picture in her hand, the family
thought they were in luck. She promised them that by giving
Michael to her they would become rich. She said, "At the age of 20
Michael will come back to you with a million dollars and you will not
have to struggle like this anymore." She also promised that Michael
would be taken care of and treated like a king at his new home in
Japan.
The exchange was made. A child for $60.00.
One of the teachers in a nearby school found out about Michael Angelo and notified the
social work department at the school. Three of the social workers
decided, despite their fear, that they were going to do
something about this tragedy.
They worked tirelessly to find out all
the details. They discovered that the pimp worked for a couple who
live and own a bar in Japan. They also sell children undercover.
The
pimp became pregnant herself about four years ago. Her boss decided that she would pimp out her own child when he was around three-years old. When the time came for her to give up her son, she
could not bring herself to do it. She took a picture of her son around
the Navotos village to find a child that looked like her son - to sell him instead. When she
found Michael Angelo, she found a way to save her own flesh and blood.
The
social workers called the mother into the school, sat her down, told her the adoption was
illegal and that she could be put in jail if she didn't get the child
back.
The conversation lasted hours. When she finally understood that her child would be used for sexual pleasure
by a man many times his size, tears streamed down her face. Still, it took her another
hour to find the courage to go to the pimp's house to retrieve her son.
On June 15, 2008 at 12:00am, mere hours before the child was scheduled
to leave the country and fly to Japan, Michael Angelo was back in her
arms. The social worker, when asked if he might be sold again, shrugged her shoulders. "We will notify the police to
arrest her is she does. She is still thinking about that million
dollars."
Marisa said, "Last week I had the pleasure of photographing Michael Angelo. His face
was severely bruised because he had fallen through one of the cracks in
the floor. The dark color around his lips is not chocolate, it is dried
blood. I don't know how he survived the fall a 12 foot fall. It's as if
the Lord's hand is on this child."
"When I left the rickety house I
turned back and saw his little head peaking out of a make-shift
window. Through his swollen check and black eye he surprised me with a
smile that radiated joy into my entire body. I saw a glimmer of hope. He waved his tiny little hand
goodbye."
When Marisa left, Michael was
alone in the house with his two other siblings.
* * * * * *
P.S. GOOD NEWS! I'm now adding this note a few months later with an update and some good news you can read on this blog. Please read it - we are partnering with a great local organization to not only help Michael Angelo, but a number of other families like his. They need help - there's a way to reach out thru them.
lol Cx
I agree with Kathy's words.
Is not NOW Your time Lord Jesus?
Today in church we had a man named Joseph D'souza speak, he shared about the Dalit people of India, the rampant sex trade and the explosive growth of the Church in India among the Dalits.
Here's his blog address if anyone is interested.
http://www.josephdsouza.com/
Hope it's okay to post that here Seth, if not please feel free to delete it.
http://www.sethbarnes.com/?filename=3-yearold-sex-slave-followup to get the update and see how you can not only help Michael Angelo, but a number of other families like his. We are partnering with a great local organization. They need help - there's a way to reach out thru them.
is trying to do something about this...let's start working TOGETHER to stop this~!
www.runforfreedom.net
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