'I'm trying to help a friend,' explained a middle-aged Englishman, who was calling the Salvation Army Helpline.

His friend was an African refugee woman who he had met while abroad. She had been lured to Spain, by the promise of a good job and a new life.

Granted temporary refugee status, she found that her new job was in a seedy lap-dancing club and that pressure was being placed on her to become a prostitute. This he explained was intolerable as she was a practising Christian.

He decided to go to Spain to rescue her and hatched a wild plan. He would claim that she was his wife and that she had lost her passport and try and get her into the country and claim asylum.

However, while they were escaping her absence was discovered and her mobile phone rang. He said that she turned completely pale as threats were made against the life of her son living in Nigeria. She returned to the club.

Can you help in any way? 

During 2004, The Salvation Army's International Conference of Leaders (held in the USA) included in its closing declaration the promise to accept the challenge to 'combat the evil of human trafficking for sexual exploitation'.

As an international church and charity, The Salvation Army has the potential to make a significant impact on this global issue.

Global concern

'Over the last ten years, the numbers of women and children [who] have been trafficked have multiplied so that now they are on a par with estimates of the numbers who were enslaved in the 16th and 17th centuries.'  

[Dr Laura Lederer, Senior Advisor on Trafficking in Persons to the Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs & Professor of Law at Georgetown University, USA] 

Sexual trafficking is the movement of women and children for the purposes of prostitution or other forms of commercial sexual exploitation. It includes the recruitment, transportation, harbouring, transfer or sale of women and children for these purposes. It is the route into sexual slavery.

• Over 2 million people are trafficked per year 
• 1.2 million children are affected by trafficking - 250,000 in the Asia/Pacific region 
• Human Trafficking is a lucrative worldwide business of $10 billion per year 
• Over 50,000 Filipino children have been forced into prostitution 

The Salvation Army worldwide is committed to working to confront and reduce this evil trade.