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.
two little feet in the picture above are Michael’s. He was sold for $60 US Dollars to a
pimp.
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.
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. Somedon’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.
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.
the details. They discovered that the pimp worked for a couple who
live and own a bar in Japan. They also sell children undercover.
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.
Thesocial 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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
alone in the house with his two other siblings.
Comments (38)
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Seth Barnes
I'm motivated to join God in his global reclamation project. He's on the move, setting his sons and daughters free from their places of captivity. And he's partnering with those of us who have been freed to go and free others.
How can a heart keep breaking and breaking, yet still keep beating? I wish I could reach out and pull them all in to safety…
i will help.
There just aren’t words for this, it’s too awful. Thank God for His hand on young Michael thus far. But I recognize he is just one of many. Would love to hear more of your plans.
lol Cx
you’ve heard of the Not for Sale Campaign, right? it’s basically a network for all anti-trafficking groups – http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/.
would like to know more. My heart aches at this story and allI can think to pray at this moment is Come Lord Jesus. Is not now your time..
What can I personally do?
I agree with Kathy’s words.
Is not NOW Your time Lord Jesus?
What can be done to help this baby? It seems so hopeless!
Seth, please keep us abreast of what action you take.
Wow! I have been all caught up with an injustice that is happening in my home town and seeing this made me feel like there is no injustice at all here compared to this! It’s all about perspective- – -and this story changed mine a lot! My heart is broken for this child and the many others that stuck in that kind of life. How can we have so many RICH AMERICAN Christians while other people are suffering so much??
This breaks my heart!
What can I do to help Seth
I’ve been moved by every story that I’ve heard of young girls and boys sold into trafficking in southeast asia and have been wanting to do something about it but not sure what. How can I help?
My heart is broken as I read this and tears are streaming down my face. The Lord must have a special purpose for this child and I’m so glad he was rescued, but there are countless other children who experience the horror or being violated at a young age too young sometimes to know fully understand what is happening to them!! I want to help as well. What can I do?
Woah, chills, that is so intense! I don’t have words but I’m in on doing something. Thanks for telling me to read this one!
wow…what can we do to help???
Heart-breaking. What can we do to help?
A number of you would like to help. Let me encourage you to go to this blog
https://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.
There are a number of books recently published about this topic and other modern day slavery issues. It’s just tragic. Your first expense should be going to Barnes & Noble, getting a couple books and get educated. This problem is widespread in many countries, even our own.
http://www.exoduscry.com/
is trying to do something about this…let’s start working TOGETHER to stop this~!
i fell so so so hart
May God move us all to do something about this issue!
thats just sick who wold have *** with a 3 year old kid i am only 11 myself and i think thats it is just wrong discusting and just plain stupid i lost all train of thought when i heard that it almost made me puke i hope your life is more good in the future michael angelo
thats just sick who wold have *** with a 3 year old kid i am only 11 myself and i think thats it is just wrong discusting and just plain stupid i lost all train of thought when i heard that it almost made me puke i hope your life is more good in the future michael angelo
i will do everything within my limits to help the cause.
i will do everything within my limits to help the cause.
i will do everything within my limits to help the cause.
Just heard this guy speak- a nonprofit battling slavery here in the land of the free-
http://www.runforfreedom.net
this broke my heart i cant beleive things like this are happening to boys that young of age. i will help also. im actually doing a project on sex slaves. related to kids and women
Awww he is so lovely! I thank God he is safe, and I have prayed God haas his hand on his life, and that fear and poverty be broken over this family.
I am still gob smacked his own mother is still thinking about the money! What of the misguided “mother” who had attempted to swap her own son for this little boy?
I also know that Bill Wilson has a metro ministry very near this place, which is a good thing!
Just ran across this post again today. We have friends in this slum, and we work with them to bring hope. There is a lovely couple there: William and Mercy who have given the past 20 years of their lives to these people. We are changing this place!
i would adopt any children from that country i have too girls and i would kill for them if anyone hurt them that way
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Hello! I’m doing a persuasive speech on human trafficking and child sexual exploitation for one of my college courses and cam across this article. I was wondering if I might be granted permission to use the picture of little Michaels feet as one of my visual aids? I would greatly appreciate it! It conveys perfectly I want to portray to listeners. Thank you for the work you do, by the way. Truly one of gods soldiers!
Sure
Need to help the lol ones
Need more maybe video chat
YOU ARE KILLING ME Seth!!! Thank you… I needed to die all along.
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.