Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue Partners with Reformed Church in America to Fight Human Trafficking

A justice-based ministry of the Christian Reformed Church in North America has teamed up with a similar ministry in the Reformed Church in America (RCA) to fight human trafficking through awareness and advocacy.

Discussion and cooperation have been deepening for several years between the two denominations, resulting in shared sessions at synod and collaboration on several ministries and initiatives, such as Disability Concerns and the Reformed Leadership Initiative.

Now the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue is working with the RCA’s Regional Synod of Canada (RSC) to educate and motivate members of both denominations on commercial sexual exploitation.

The partnership on more general issues of justice and reconciliation within Canada began in 2002, transitioning over the years from RSC observation to full membership. Today, said director Mike Hogeterp, the Centre for Public Dialogue is considered a joint ministry of the CRC in Canada and the RSC-RCA.

Jennifer Lucking, on staff at the RSC, has been specifically tasked with addressing issues of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. “With Jennifer’s help, the Centre for Public Dialogue now counts human trafficking as a priority for church member education and action,” said Hogeterp.

Lucking said she is excited about the collaborative work between the two denominational ministries. Because of their shared focus on justice issues, she noted, the RSC benefits from the work of the Centre for Public Dialogue, and the work she was already doing on issues of trafficking and sexual exploitation now has a broader reach in Christian communities.

The enhanced focus is a natural fit for the Centre for Public Dialogue, said Danielle Steenwyk-Rowaan, CRC justice communications team coordinator. “Human trafficking and sexual exploitation disproportionately affect Indigenous peoples in Canada and are tied to the troubling pattern of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, so it makes sense to bring these two justice issues together -- we know CRC congregations already care about both.”

The Board of Trustees of the CRC agreed and approved the work back in 2015. Many CRC people are concerned about human trafficking, said Steenwyk-Rowaan, and there are ways they can get involved in working against it. She suggested contacting your local Member of Parliament to urge stronger controls on online porn, because of the links between the pornography and human trafficking industries. She also encouraged people to engage with the Do Justice series to learn more about confronting the problem of pornography at both individual and systemic levels.

Congregations can also get involved, said Lucking. She is moving into a new role as executive director of Restorations Second Stage Homes, which is working to provide care for victims of commercial sexual exploitation, and noted, “There is such a need for long-term service provision and support to survivors of sexual exploitation, and there are ways for CRC congregations to partner with me in this work.”

The Centre for Public Dialogue’s online action alert against pornography has already seen strong interest, a hopeful sign of ongoing congregational support in addressing this issue. “The only other Canadian action alerts for which we’ve seen such a strong response so quickly have been about welcoming refugees,” said Steenwyk-Rowaan.