Mark Vanderwees

On a late March afternoon, two innocent, young, Nicaraguan girls, ages 12 and 13, left school, wrote notes to their families telling them not to worry, and hopped on a bus to a nearby town. Two men had promised them a job and money if they agreed to go with them. Enticed by the prospect of earning cash and the opportunity to get out “on their own,” the girls rode a bus straight into the dark world of human trafficking.

The ‘trade’ of trafficking human beings has existed throughout history. In recent years, international laws have made it a crime to ‘force or deceive a person for the purpose of exploitation.’ Yet globally, millions of people each year are tricked into a life of sexual exploitation and forced labor. Human trafficking is a profitable industry. It has been identified as the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. And Nicaragua is not exempt. Neither is Canada. Neither is the US. And young women and children are by far the most numerous victims.

The two young Nicaraguan girls who got on the bus were instructed to go to a house in a town near the Honduran border where they met the two young men who led them to a room where they were left for several days while documents were being forged to get them across the border. It is difficult to get many details about this time from the girls, who said they were held captive, fed occasionally, and denied access to bathing facilities.

This situation brought reality right into the human trafficking program CRWRC initiated in Nicaragua this year. The program is designed to target church networks where bi-monthly trainings are organized with church leaders. Themes such as the impact of human trafficking, a biblical perspective on the issue, existing legislation in Nicaragua, as well as how to counsel those who have been victims of human trafficking are addressed. Local faith leaders then replicate the workshops among the members of their own churches.

Fortunately, the older sister of one of the girls was a participant in CRWRC’s pilot trafficking program in her community. After their sudden disappearance, she recognized the possibility that the girls could be unknowingly trafficked out of the country. She notified local authorities and helped them piece together clues about what had happened. In less than a week, both girls were located and returned to their families. In a recent interview with one of the young girls, she said, “I don’t like to talk about it because I don’t want to remember what happened.”

Raising awareness about human trafficking is new territory for CRWRC as well as the communities where we work. CRWRC has a passion for communities that are safe and where justice prevails. Pray that we can be wise and bold as we enter the dark world of human trafficking.

Please Pray
I am so grateful for men and women that I work with from our partner organizations in Nicaragua. The story I share in this newsletter is just one more example of their passion to transform Nicaragua into a more just and compassionate society. Pray that we can be wise and bold as we enter the dark world of human trafficking. I encourage you to take a few minutes and Google 'human trafficking' and you will realize the extent of this horrific crime.

About Mark Vanderwees

The Vanderwees family has been serving with CRWRC since 1991, the first eleven years in Haiti. Then, in 2003, they joined the Nicaragua field. Originally from Canada, they enjoy living cross culturally. Three children: Jesse (1992), Lisa (1995) and Kaitlyn (1998) were born in Haiti while Jesús Joshua (2002) and Justin (2005) were born in Nicaragua. Mark thrives on being part of a dynamic country team. He has a background in agriculture and management. Nancy is a trained occupational therapist who volunteers part-time with a local rehabilitation center in Managua, while balancing her work with four active kids at home. Jesse is a student at Calvin College.

Email: mvanderwees@crwrc.org