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The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in the US Anti-Trafficking Movement

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Book cover Human Trafficking Is a Public Health Issue

Abstract

Faith-motivated individuals and faith-based organizations (FBOs) have been instrumental in mitigating the effects of human trafficking in the USA from the beginning of the nineteenth century to the present day. This chapter will examine some of the sacred texts that motivate adherents of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Bahá’í to engage in anti-trafficking work. Historic examples of faith-motivated individuals and organizations are presented, via the socioecological model, to provide context and greater understanding of the contemporary anti-trafficking efforts of FBOs. Finally, opportunities to improve the faith-based contribution to the anti-trafficking movement are discussed. Among these, increased collaboration among FBOs and other anti-trafficking organizations to collect important data about promising interventions will contribute to the development of evidence-based best practices.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    To maintain uniformity, the term “Hebrew Bible” will be used throughout this chapter to refer to the Judaic sacred text as well as the Christian sacred text called, The Old Testament.

  2. 2.

    Also translated as, “Give justice to the poor and fatherless.”

  3. 3.

    An example of previously racialized legislation is the “White Slave Traffic Act of 1910”. Text available at: http://legisworks.org/sal/36/stats/STATUTE-36-Pg825a.pdf.

  4. 4.

    Formerly known as the “Jewish Child Care Association,” the organization now simply goes by “JCCA.”

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Acknowledgment

The author would like to acknowledge Abby Brockman, for her contributions to this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gracehaven, Upper Arlington, OH, 43220, USA

    Jeffrey Barrows

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  1. Jeffrey Barrows
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Correspondence to Jeffrey Barrows .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA

    Makini Chisolm-Straker

  2. Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Hanni Stoklosa

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Barrows, J. (2017). The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in the US Anti-Trafficking Movement. In: Chisolm-Straker, M., Stoklosa, H. (eds) Human Trafficking Is a Public Health Issue. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47824-1_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47824-1_16

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47824-1

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