refugees hanging out in Athens
brothels in Athens"Some wish to live within the sound
Of Church or Chapel bell;
I want to run a Rescue Shop
within a yard of hell."
C.T. Studd-missionary to China, India, and Africa
Just a few short blocks away from here was the "red light district" of Athens. I had already heard the testimonies of women involved in human trafficking in Athens and Thessalonica so I knew the plight of the women behind these doors where sex tourists unashamedly walked through doors from building to building.
My journey to downtown Athens to help distribute bags of food and hygiene items started because of the annual Refugee Highway Partnership Conference for European workers. I was privileged to be representing ReachGlobal Europe as representatives from all over Europe met in Athens, Greece. There was a great balance of presenting information, networking, working on committees, and serving refugees. Athens, for many reasons, is one of the largest "arrival points" for refugees escaping North Africa and especially the middle east. Because of recent political events in Iran, refugees from Afghanistan are flooding the streets of Athens.
A disturbing "highlight" was becoming aware of the human trafficking situation in Europe and making some connections between Roma ministry, Refugee ministry, and Human Trafficking. Here for the first time I was able to get a clear picture of another "highway"...the routes of trafficked sex slaves. Prague, among other cities in Europe, is an origin point, a transit point, AND a destination point for human trafficking. Traffickers in the Czech Republic deal in both prostitution and forced labor.
A member of the A21 campaign to abolish human trafficking spoke at the conference and I was glad to have a private conversation with him. The things I learned have caused me to do a great deal of reflection on how ReachGlobal can be involved in ministry to trafficked people (and traffickers). This will not be the last time I mention human trafficking. Soon, I will blog about the "coincidences" (read God's leading) that led me to visit to a minstry center in the heart of the red light district in Amsterdam.
In the meantime, if you are interested, write me to find out more. Or check out the A21 Campaign webpage at: a21campaign.org Especially note their "TAKE ACTION" section where they have listed 21 practical ways you can get involved.
Of Church or Chapel bell;
I want to run a Rescue Shop
within a yard of hell."
C.T. Studd-missionary to China, India, and Africa
To the mass of humanity that I was pushing through, I obviously didn't belong here. As I made my way through the hundreds of refugees with nothing to do but hang out in the ghettos of downtown Athens, I could see that they were from all over the world and they had one thing in common: they had nowhere to go. When I finally got to the refugee drop-in center I had to step over homeless refugees desperately covering themselves with cardboard to avoid the rain. Pushing my way through a courtyard entrance, I contorted my body in ways I didn't know were possible to avoid the 8 heroin addicts weaving wildly and holding syringes with open needles. After passing their dealer who was selling heroin openly, I noticed 6 policemen walking by checking paperwork of refugees. They were not interested in the drugs.
Just a few short blocks away from here was the "red light district" of Athens. I had already heard the testimonies of women involved in human trafficking in Athens and Thessalonica so I knew the plight of the women behind these doors where sex tourists unashamedly walked through doors from building to building.
My journey to downtown Athens to help distribute bags of food and hygiene items started because of the annual Refugee Highway Partnership Conference for European workers. I was privileged to be representing ReachGlobal Europe as representatives from all over Europe met in Athens, Greece. There was a great balance of presenting information, networking, working on committees, and serving refugees. Athens, for many reasons, is one of the largest "arrival points" for refugees escaping North Africa and especially the middle east. Because of recent political events in Iran, refugees from Afghanistan are flooding the streets of Athens.
A disturbing "highlight" was becoming aware of the human trafficking situation in Europe and making some connections between Roma ministry, Refugee ministry, and Human Trafficking. Here for the first time I was able to get a clear picture of another "highway"...the routes of trafficked sex slaves. Prague, among other cities in Europe, is an origin point, a transit point, AND a destination point for human trafficking. Traffickers in the Czech Republic deal in both prostitution and forced labor.
A member of the A21 campaign to abolish human trafficking spoke at the conference and I was glad to have a private conversation with him. The things I learned have caused me to do a great deal of reflection on how ReachGlobal can be involved in ministry to trafficked people (and traffickers). This will not be the last time I mention human trafficking. Soon, I will blog about the "coincidences" (read God's leading) that led me to visit to a minstry center in the heart of the red light district in Amsterdam.
In the meantime, if you are interested, write me to find out more. Or check out the A21 Campaign webpage at: a21campaign.org Especially note their "TAKE ACTION" section where they have listed 21 practical ways you can get involved.
amazed to see how God is moving...thanks for writing! I am glad to see those pictures, put sad that they don't look as horrible as I imagined them.
ReplyDeleteThat is because I didn't take pictures of the worst stuff. I wouldn't have dared pull out a camera in the middle of the busiest sections where I was. I also have to be careful with security. Many refugees come from Muslim countries and when they are in contact with a Christian or a Christian organization, it can be dangerous for them. Let alone the fact that many are in the country illegally and don't want to be photographed.
ReplyDelete