Rescuing Women From Slavery and Prostitution

Vision for Women is working in some of the world’s poorest countries to meet the spiritual and physical needs of our sisters in Christ. The extreme poverty in Nepal and India results in malnutrition, disease, illiteracy, and often deep spiritual depravity. Little value is placed on women and girls in these countries where they are sold into sex slavery by members of their own families for between $600 and $1,000, depending on their age and beauty. Sadly, a water buffalo can be purchased for $700.

In Nepal alone, an estimated 250,000 women and girls have been sold into sex slavery to work in the brothels of India.

Even if they are not sold, very often women are expected to work in areas of hard physical labor to make money to help feed their families. We have often visited a rock quarry where the younger women haul large rocks in a basket on their back up out of the quarry. They give the rocks to older women and children who use hammers to break the rocks into quarter-size pieces to sell. They are lucky if they make 50 cents a day.

They refer to themselves as “the walking dead” for they are without hope. Girls as young as 7 have been sold into slavery. These women and girls are confined in a room called “the cage” where they are beaten, starved, and raped until their will is broken. Then they are forced to service customers to repay their debt – a debt that incurs more in interest than they are paid for their services.

Some men in India believe that if they have AIDS or venereal disease and have sex with a virgin they will be healed. They will pay up to $500 to have sex with a virgin girl as young as 7 years of age. Birth control consists of dangerous abortions performed in the brothels. The majority of these women end up with tuberculosis, HIV and, eventually, AIDS. Those with diseases are cast out into the streets to die alone.

Our vision is to come alongside and assist believers in other countries who are reaching out to women and girls abandoned by their families to abuse, bringing them the hope of Jesus Christ and ministering to their needs right where they are.

Vision for Women is currently assisting two ladies in India who regularly go into the brothels of India to minister to these women. They are allowed to visit with them and have invited them into their homes for fellowship and meals. They are able to be with them through all the situations they face, from beatings to hospital visits, as they become sick and die. These two ladies have been used by God to reach women with the message of Jesus.

Vision Beyond Borders is Trying to Give Alternative Work Options

We are also assisting a woman in Nepal to acquire skills necessary to open a tailoring shop and equip it. As the shop grows, she will employ women rescued from abuse. We have begun to help women in Nepal learn to read and write in order to enhance their chances of obtaining better work positions.

Please commit to pray with us that God will continue to show us how to more effectively reach the women in these and other countries with His love and the saving knowledge of Jesus as we work to meet their needs.

If you would like to be more actively involved please contact us.