crawling out of my hole

I feel like I have been in hiding or sequestered for the last three days. I haven't been able to think about much except trafficking (couldn't tell you the topic of my counseling class I sat through last night, and was really glad that the girls in my lifegroup were talkative tonight!), and by trafficking I mean every aspect, angle, and gory detail of trafficking victims and aftercare.

An organization comprised of the Salvation Army, World Hope International, World Relief, and Project Rescue International has been working on this curriculum the past few years and finally finished it. It is to train caregivers of trafficking survivors. There is SO MUCH information, you could literally meet every week for 8 or 9 months if you wanted to cover it all. So for the last three days, we have been covering all of that curriculum and learning how to teach and facilitate this training. It's GREAT, really comprehensive...covering the definition of trafficking and the biblical framework for a response to trafficking to cultural issues in trafficking and trauma, to understanding physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs of survivors (medical assessments, STDs, long term health concerns, common injuries from the violent side of the sex industry, addictions, PTSD, grief, interventions, spiritual warfare, family reunification, life skills and vocational training, etc. etc. etc.), to costs and caring for the caregiver........

Needless to say my brain is pretty much fried, and it's safe to say that everyone who was there is kind of emotionally raw at this point. We were all commiserating with each other about the various emotional responses (heard things like "I totally pigged out last night" and "I'm so angry and agitated right now"). I went for a run a few times around the university yesterday after we were done, and needed it. I had my meltdown tonight, after reading some comments to an online article. A man saying that IF trafficking even exists, there's no way it can be to a very large extent, and that mostly the stories are for the shock factor. And we should legalize pr0stitution. And "don't try and tell me that most pr0stitutes don't want to be doing what they're doing."

If you ever get a phone call from me from jail, it's most likely because I encountered someone like this in person and physically hurt him.

Why are some people total idiots???

If you think women are willingly signing up for this job, I have a "job description" for the pr0stitute that you should read. I'll send you the link. (Not going to link it here because it's kind of graphic.) The topic is a hot one because of Eliot Spitzer, and I've heard so many people this week saying we should just legalize pr0stitution, and that women should be grateful that men pay them for this, blah blah blah. It's a "woman's right" to choose to do that. Unfortunately, choices that a person makes aren't always the best thing for the person or for society. This is also not a choice made in an environment of sexual equality.

I didn't really want to get into that...oh well. :) All that to say, I'm really tired, I can actually start thinking about going to Greece now, and I really need to go to bed.