Refuge of Light is a non-profit organization in East Texas dedicated to the redemptive rescue and restoration of domestic, minor, sex-trafficked girls (ages 10-17) through advocacy, awareness and holistic care.
Refuge of Light will provide a long-term residential facility (safe home) that provides physical, mental and spiritual healing, in an effort to overcome the brutalization of modern day slavery, called 'sex trafficking'.
Refuge of Light operates through the support of fundraising campaigns, private donations, grants, church donations, corporate sponsorships and micro businesses managed by Refuge of Light (upscale resale shop/fair trade store).
The Vision
The vision of Refuge of Light is to transform the broken life into the brilliant life through individualized plans of restoration, and to equip young girls that have been sexually exploited with confidence and the skills to realize and formulate their own vision for a new, healthy, and meaningful life.
Human sex trafficking is the illegal trade in human beings for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation.
Human trafficking is the second largest and fastest growing criminal activity in the world. It generates over 32 billion dollars a year. Fifty percent of human trafficking victims are children. (Shared Hope International). Texas is a central hub for this lucrative business because of its numerous busy interstate highways, international airports, bus stations, strip clubs, massage parlors, conventions, major sporting events & truck stops. More calls are made to the National Human Trafficking Hotline from Texas than any other state in the United States.
Human sex trafficking is based upon a supply and demand system, and unfortunately our children are the commodity that is being exchanged for profit. To put this into perspective as to WHY someone would propagate such an atrocity: A drug trafficker can push their product (drug) and sell it once. A human trafficker can sell a person over and over again for sex, making a repeated profit from one individual...whether it is a child, teenager or adult. The ugly truth is that the 'demand' is getting higher and higher, putting more teens and children at risk of being lured, tricked or forced into a life of sexual exploitation.
At Risk
Runaways, loners, homeless or street kids, children & teens that are in and out of the foster care system & children in lower socio-economic areas.
It is estimated that over 50% of the homeless youth in the United States are exploited by commercial sex-operations within 48 hours of running away. Traffickers or 'pimps' are actively looking for opportunities to expand their own businesses in the sex industry and unfortunately child/teen runaways give traffickers the opportunity they need to expedite their business ventures in trafficking.
Taryn's Errands is proud to support Refuge of Light through a portion of our sales and the donation of time and resources.
www.refugeoflight.org
Find Refuge of Light on Facebook
info@refugeoflight.org
Other Valuable Resources
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children www.missingkids.com
International Justice Mission www.ijm.org
Documentary "Nefarious: Merchant of Souls" www.Nefariousdocumentary.com
Fair Trade Certified Shopping www.fairtradeusa.org
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