Starfish
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8 ESV)
The trafficking of human beings remains, arguably, the most dehumanising crime still prevailing today. To take away a person’s freedom merely for profit is sinister and shameful. It is something we cannot – or should not – walk away from.
The exploitation of vulnerable individuals for financial gain is a long-standing issue. Yet, never has it been so concealed and widespread. Slavery continues to flourish in darkness because we as a society are willing to tolerate it. Enslaved people have become disposable.
There are more people in slavery today than during all the dark years of the transatlantic slave trade combined. Men, women and children are forced into lives that they would never voluntarily choose to live. From spending years at sea fishing for the shrimp we eat, through to the sex industry and mining for the minerals used in everyday items. Slavery has become embedded in our everyday lives without us even necessarily being aware. The enslavement of people is not restricted to poorer nations, but also exists outside our doors and on our streets. According to various sources, there are now between 27 and 32 million men, women, and children bought and sold in the international marketplace. Injustice almost seems to have become the new normal.
Last November on a trip to Cambodia, I was again faced with this injustice as I spent time with a group of young ladies who had suffered at the hands of traffickers. We spent the afternoon together, played games and shared a meal. There is something very humbling about teaching a 20 year-old how to eat pizza because she never had the opportunity to before. Later that week I spent time with a group of children – one of whom was just 8 years old. She was rescued at the last minute from an unimaginable fate. To look into their eyes and walk away without being more determined to be a part of the change is impossible … and something I am unwilling to do.
In the 1780s a few indulgent Britons led by William Wilberforce decided that slavery, rather than being tolerated, was so offensive that they had to abolish it. And, over time, they did! Today we see the seed of a similar movement across our world determined to remove this heinous crime.
We repeatedly see and hear stories of transformation. Stories that can, and will, become more frequent. Stories of change that can accelerate if more people would open their hearts and join in. Even when a social problem is so vast it seems unsolvable, it is still worth mitigating. While we may not succeed in educating every family or rescuing every man, woman and child, we can be a catalyst for change. God has commanded us to ‘do justice’, to speak out, to be the ones who prevent and stop this gross injustice. How then can we turn a blind eye?
In closing I am reminded of a story:
There was an old man who walked on the beach every morning. Early one day, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the beach littered with starfish. Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often. As he grew closer, the man could see that he was bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”
The young boy paused, looked up, and replied, “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves. When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”
The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”
The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”
Thank you for joining with us in seeing lives transformed.
Steve Norman – Country Director, Ratanak International UK
Steve, a retired Police Officer, chanced upon an article in April 2008 about a girl sold into prostitution in Cambodia at the age of 13. The next day he bought the book and read it through that night into the early hours. It was through this experience that God broke his heart and placed therein a deep compassion for the children of this land. The overwhelming desire to engage in this issue was impressed on him, and he began a journey that would eventually lead him to establish Ratanak in the UK. He is a committed Christian and has been married to Karen for 29 years. They have three children aged 27, 26 and 6, and they also have a 3 grandchildren! Steve and Karen live in rural North Yorkshire and are members of Influence Church, Richmond.