Every child

On the eve of Australia Day I was watching the Australian of the Year Awards. Laurie Baymarrwangga, a woman in her 90s who has worked tirelessly for children most of her life, was named Senior Australian of the year. And her words have stayed with me ever since: “Every child is the responsibility of everybody.”

When I hear stories of children in vulnerable situations, of children who are exploited and abused, I cannot agree more. One situation that is extremely confronting is sex trafficking. In my mind, it is without a doubt the worst atrocity against children.

Each year an estimated 1.2 million1 children are removed from their families and trafficked to foreign cities and a life of enslavement and trauma. These children are often from the most vulnerable of families – orphaned or desperately poor. Instead of receiving love, care and freedom from poverty, they are preyed on by traffickers, and treated as nothing more than a machine for profit. When I hear Laurie’s words I think these are the children we need to help, those who are the most vulnerable.

A few years back I was travelling in Cambodia and one night as my friend and I were returning to our guesthouse I spotted a karaoke bar. Naively I encouraged her to enter with me saying, ‘It will be fun!’ As we entered through the doors past the large neon sign there was no music playing,  no out-of-tune or off-beat voices blaring through microphones. Instead, the room was filled with young woman after young woman, all lined up, each with a number on her chest. These women did not even have the dignity of a name!

As the ‘manager’ took us through into the karaoke rooms we saw more women, some quite young, also with numbers on their chest. By then we had seen enough and we left. The number of women  in that one room was overwhelming. I do not know if any of those women were trafficked, it is likely that they were. What I do know is that no young girl or woman should have to go though the nightmare in which these women lived every day.

Children have the right to feel safe and secure in their community. To feel loved and valued, to know they are of worth. We all know the immense love of God for children, yet so many know nothing of this. For those children trafficked away from their homes, there is no one to love them, and many live their lives in fear.

And it is not just those who are trafficked, but those orphaned by AIDS or war, living in impoverished circumstances, forced to flee their homelands... These children do not choose the life they are born
into, but are trapped by the world around them. When I think of these children, I cannot agree with Laurie more. I have a responsibility to these children, every single one.

My response to the horrors I know of in children’s lives is to use the resources available to me to make a difference. Over such great distances though, it is difficult to know where to begin. But using my money and my voice is something I can do to stand against the abuse and neglect of children, and take responsibility for the most vulnerable.

Baptist World Aid Australia has capable and compassionate Christian partners overseas who know how to respond to the needs of children at risk. Sponsoring a child is an invaluable act to prevent children being put at risk of not just trafficking but malnutrition, disease, early marriage or a lack of education. You can also give to Baptist World Aid Australia’s Vulnerable Children Fund from $25 a month to support our local Christian partners as they respond to children in vulnerable situations. You can also visit www.micahchallenge.org.au or www.catalystonline.org.au to speak up for children living in dangerous situations.

Jessica Clark
Campaign and Product Coordinator

1 UNICEF http://www.unicef.org/protection/57929_58005.html

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