How God’s Word Saves Victims of Forced Prostitution

By Krista R. Burdine --
26 Aug 2014 --

Pastor Paula Daniels and Forgotten Children, Inc. save young girls from sex trafficking and forced prostitution with much needed assistance and awareness.

Prostitution has long been recognized as a form of organized crime, but more recently the girls are being understood as victims and prosecution is aimed at their handlers. A new documentary brings attention to the slavery side of prostitution and presents Assembly of God Pastor Paula Daniels of Forgotten Children, Inc., as a tireless advocate who helps the young prostitutes break free.

Forgotten Children ministers to girls on the streets by providing hygiene packs and offering to pray with them. Street ministers also share information about Rachel’s House of Healing, a safe place for those of age trying to escape the sex trade. Additionally, Forgotten Children works to grow public awareness of sex trafficking and provides training to those wishing to be part of the solution.

This ministry works hand in hand with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office. As underage girls were picked up and eventually released from Juvenile Detention, District Attorney Chris Ramos noticed they were leaving the facility with pimps to return to their job. In response, he developed a program called Coalition Against Sexual Exploitation to help the girls transition to a new life instead of returning to the old one.

DA Ramos recognizes that for true success, all agencies across the board need to provide part of the solution. This includes not only his office but also mental health agencies, education agencies, and faith based organizations. He praises Pastor Paula for her role in helping provide the spiritual component of healing to those trying to make a change.

Pastor Paula’s passion for helping young girls trapped in prostitution comes from her personal experience. After she was sexually abused by a relative and then abandoned by an alcoholic parent, she turned to prostitution to pay for drugs. Eventually she left that life behind, but when she later found healing through a relationship with God, she knew her life ministry was to return to the area she had worked once upon a time, and help rescue other victims of exploitation.

Sandra Eckhart, Forgotten Children’s Street Ministry Coordinator, also credits her rescue from life on the streets to the moment she turned to Christianity for help. “Satan misguided me into a relationship with a man who said he loved me, then put me on the streets, but Jesus set me free.” She joined Forgotten Children as a way to serve God.

To help draw awareness to the very real issue of sex trafficking in America, the California San Bernardino County DA’s public affairs officer Chris Lee created a training video that has been released as a documentary and also won a Regional Emmy. Teenage $ex 4 $ale shows the way different organizations, including Pastor Paula’s ministry, have joined together to crack down on exploitation, and begin to make a real difference in this largest county in the nation.

To screen this documentary in your area, a link is included on the DA website. It is available free of charge to organizations working to end human trafficking.