Sex trafficking in Indonesia

A recent report by CNN looking into the trafficking situation in Indonesia

Somali woman stoned for adultery

A 20-year-old woman divorcee accused of committing adultery in Somalia has been stoned to death by Islamists in front of a crowd of about 200 people. This comes from a report on BBC News.

A judge working for the militant group al-Shabab said she had had an affair with an unmarried 29-year-old man.

He said she gave birth to a still-born baby and was found guilty of adultery. Her boyfriend was given 100 lashes.

It is thought to be the second time a woman has been stoned to death for adultery by al-Shabab.

The group controls large swathes of southern Somalia where they have imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law which has been unpopular with many Somalis.

'Lenient'

According to reports from a small village near the town of Wajid, 250 miles (400km) north-west of the capital, Mogadishu, the woman was taken to the public grounds where she was buried up to her waist.

She was then stoned to death in front of the crowds on Tuesday afternoon.

The judge, Sheikh Ibrahim Abdirahman, said her unmarried boyfriend was given 100 lashes at the same venue.

Under al-Shabab's interpretation of Sharia law, anyone who has ever been married - even a divorcee - who has an affair is liable to be found guilty of adultery, punishable by stoning to death.

An unmarried person who has sex before marriage is liable to be given 100 lashes.

BBC East Africa correspondent Will Ross says the stoning is at least the fourth for adultery in Somalia over the last year.

Earlier this month, a man was stoned to death for adultery in the port town of Merka, south of Mogadishu.

His pregnant girlfriend was spared, until she gives birth.

Last month, two men were stoned to death in Merka after being accused of spying.

President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, a moderate Islamist, was sworn in as president after UN-brokered peace talks in January.

Although he says he also wants to implement Sharia, al-Shabab says his version of Islamic law would be too lenient.

The country has not had a functioning national government for 18 years.

The darkness

Last night was difficult.

I’ve spent the last two years learning about “the game” and spending time getting to know the women who are trapped in it. But sometimes when I’m on the streets and in conversation with these women it is easy to forget just how manipulated they are, how trapped they are, and how hungry they are for a new and different life. These women are good at playing the game – they talk the talk, walk the walk, and display every assurance of confidence.

But every so often you are reminded of the reality of this dark world.

Last night we saw some pimps “sweating” some girls. This is when a pimp other than the prostitute’s corners her, harasses and sweet-talks her to come work for him. They were hard at work trying to catch girls “out of pocket.” Out of pocket is when a girl talks to or gestures to another pimp without her pimp’s permission. A prostitute is not allowed to speak, look at or make any gestures to any other pimp. If she does he can say she “chose” him and try to take all her money…among other things. These girls did well and eventually got away from the harassment of this other pimp, but it was a really hard things to watch – and even harder to hear some of the things that are being said to these women.

There is a woman A* that we met a few weeks ago and had hopes of meeting up with once we got to the track. After a few texts and phone calls unanswered we figured her phone had been deactivated or something. Today Laurie got a text from her saying she had been in a car accident and broken her wrist – that’s why she was not out on the track. Incidentally this gave her time to read the brochure we gave her that had Laurie’s testimony on it (if you’ve never read about Laurie’s story…go here or watch this). She has been chatting with Laurie all day about her testimony, her family and her involvement in the game. We keep praying that the Lord will gently speak to her through our presence, Laurie’s testimony and other individuals He brings into her life.

We didn’t get to talk to very many girls last night because the cops came out and they all went into hiding. We did get to meet a sweet man M.A. that lived on the streets and then we saw L* - she actually didn’t recognize us because she was so drunk. I can only imagine the coping mechanisms one goes through living on the streets or turning tricks. But it doesn’t break my heart any less to see them turning to drugs and alcohol when I feel like there is very little I can physically offer them to ease their pain.

The most interesting thing to me throughout the night was our conversation with M.A. When we were done praying for him he wanted to pray for us. He prayed that in all things God would get the glory because he deserves it all. I love that no matter where life takes us, no matter how far we fall – the Word of the Lord never comes back null and void. Those things that we learned at a young age remain with us and come back in times we need to be reminded of the truth.

Slow changes

We saw about 30 girls this last weekend.

One girl, P*, could not have been older than 17 - just BEAUTIFUL, got picked up by a john right after chatting with us.

My heart breaks every time I see a girl get into a car and drive away.

Sometimes the change is so slow it hurts.

...until the last lock breaks

A street of mixed emotions

Hello from the streets! It has been a while. I’ve been out quite a few times since March when I last wrote, but the discipline of sitting down and documenting is something I often lack. So here I am again.

Last night turned out to be an evening of mixed emotions. While a majority of it was filled with celebration, laughter and fellowship; walking the streets of L.A. we were equally confronted with hopelessness, anxiety and fear as we looked into some of the eyes of the women we met.

Before leaving to go on outreach Laurie, Daryl, Jen U, Johnny and myself went to Sizzler together to celebrate a couple birthdays. It was a great time to catch up, relax and enjoy each other’s company. When we were finished we went back to Daryl and Laurie’s apartment to build some gift bags. We made several for the women

And then a few for the girls we meet who have children.

Jen C drop and we headed off to 7/11 where we saw our beloved “doorman,” a man that stands outside all evening opening the door for each customer that comes in and out. We were able to chat with him a little bit and grab a picture of him and Johnny. It is always a great start to the evening seeing his smiling face.

We got to the track around 10:30p and took a drive up and down to scope out the situation. There were a few girls that we saw pretty immediately so after one swipe through we pulled over and began walking.

There were several women we were able to give gift bags to. They were all very kind, but seemed eager to continue walking and move on down the street. We met F*, and two other women that were talking on the phone. The phone…typical.

We have only been coming to this track for a couple of months now. The track we were at before this one was the same way in the beginning. I almost feel as though there is a testing period where the girls try to feel out who exactly we are. Perhaps their pimps don’t like it if they talk to us and we know they keep a very close watch. But I can’t help but feel that our persistence will pay off. Just as in the last place – it was as if they eventually said “these people really aren’t going to go away, I should probably just hear what they have to say, be polite, say hello, and get some free stuff!” Continue praying for the softening of hearts so that we can engage in deeper conversation with these women.

I spotted M* from across the street. She was rather stunned when we approached her to talk. She seems very fearful and apprehensive that we would want to engage in conversation or give her a gift. Laurie asked her if we could pray about anything for her, she said that she was in the midst of moving and we could pray for that but not WITH her only once we left. So we prayed for her as we were walking away. I can still see her eyes. I pray God brings people into her life that can help her get the resources she needs. People she can trust so she does not have to be so fearful and anxious.

A couple beats down the street we saw K*, such sadness, desperation and hopelessness in her eyes. We gave her a bag that she was glad to receive. She said she was just sitting on the street corner because she was so TIRED. Laurie asked her if she was okay, with a nod of the head she mumbled “I’ll be fine” and as tears welled up in her eyes she shrugged her shoulders. Laurie asked if she could use prayer and she said no, but thanked us for the bag. I think of the whole evening K* is the one that still sticks with me. The look in her eyes cried out with such hopelessness, but I felt lost with how to help, console or empathize with her.

We were then able to run into M* who we have seen out on the track a few times. We were able to talk to her about how she was doing as well as another girl she is friends with that we have seen out several times. M* is so sweet with such a contagious personality and has such a call on her life. I pray God continues to work in and through her circumstances to bring her out and use her in powerful ways.

We then decided to make a stop at the shell station to hit the bathrooms, but it turned out to be where all the local cops were currently grabbing a Gatorade. Laurie grabbed several of our brochures and went over to introduce herself so they would know who we were and why we were out on their streets. Her and Officer Buckeye talked for 30-40 minutes about our ministry.

He took some extra brochures to hand out to the girls that they pull over and also gave us information about a couple other tracks that we did not know about.

All in all a great evening, great to be back out on the track, but hard to be reminded of the brokenness that at times we feel so helpless to ease.