Impromptu Advocate Training at a Hotel in Greece

Our European Director, Beni Lup, sent members of our team a message over the summer. He was on a much needed getaway in Greece. Instead of sitting by the pool in his hotel, he did what Beni is most passionate about. He talked to the owner of the hotel about the human trafficking situation across Europe and what Uncaged is doing to prevent and end trafficking.

As he got to know the owner and his daughter, they asked Beni if he would train some of their staff on how to recognize trafficking victims. They wanted to do their part. He trained 12 hotel workers, 4 business owners, and 8 tourists (2 from Romania, 2 Albanians, and 4 Serbians) in simple ways to recognize a potential victim. He taught them how to ask her in a very subtle way if she needs help if they see these signs:

1. A big age difference between the man and the girl

2. The girl has no documents in her possession

3. He does not allow her to be alone

4. He calls for a taxi often and sends the girl out

5. She avoids people’s eyes and would always look at him if the waiter asks her questions

6. She has marks or bruises

7. She avoids being in pictures

8. She has no phone with her

9. Look for specific tattoos

We're so excited to share our knowledge and best practices with people and see abolitionists across Europe join the fight. We'll keep doing this until slavery is no more!

Will You Hold Onto Hope With Us?

We love to share stories of hope with you. We see hope in the beauty of the Sanctuary and in the transformation we see happening in the lives of survivors. It is what keeps anti-trafficking advocates going—the belief that what we do makes a difference in the lives of precious souls.

We also need to tell you the hard realities. There are staggering statistics that grieve our hearts, such as: During the pandemic, it was reported that online sexual exploitation and abuse of girls as young as 12 rose in Romania (U.S. Department of State).

Even when girls are rescued, the road ahead of them is long. There are legal battles to wage. Fear of their traffickers haunts survivors. Health issues often linger. Trust and relationships are difficult to build. Trauma takes a long time to fully recover from.

That is why we must stay the course and continue to walk alongsidesurvivors. It is not slow or simple. Yet, we believe healing can happen. We told you about Oceana, a child trafficking survivor, who went free several years ago. Our European Director gave us an update on her recently and her story spurs us on.

The Sanctuary is a place of hope for these women and girls, and we want to bring thousands more to the property.

Then, we continue to offer the aftercare they need. We hope Oceana’s story challenges you to join us in journeying with survivors as long as it takes for them to remain free.

The Pieces of the Puzzle Are Coming Together

It's amazing to see how the pieces of the puzzle come together when we keep working toward ending slavery in Romania and across the world. Advocates get involved. Key people offer their help when they are moved to compassion. A Freedom Highway is truly being built!

Many survivors come to The Sanctuary needing legal assistance. We've always had to find lawyers around the country to represent these ladies. Some have been able to offer their services pro-bono but others have not had that ability. It has sometimes been a challenge to find help.

About a year and a half ago our European Director, Beni, met a man who is a wonderful leader in Romania. We will call him Joshua. Joshua owns a very successful law farm and was looking for a place to gather his team for a retreat. He asked if he could possibly use the property at The Sanctuary to do some strategic planning with his team for a few days.

He and his team came to The Sanctuary and while they were there, our team shared with him about the work we do to rescue, protect, and restore trafficking survivors.

"They were all shocked and moved by the stories we shared with them," Beni said. This year, our team met up again with Joshua. Since we started to invest in the Sanctuary, Stephen has been watching us. He realized how serious we are about stopping trafficking in Romania. He recently asked Beni to his office.

"They’re all impressed in the work we do, the quality and level of care we plan to provide for survivors," Joshua told Beni at that meeting that he knows the needs the Uncaged team has and he wants to help meet them. "My firm wants to take all the cases you have for survivors in Europe," Joshua told him.

For us, as a center for the assistance and protection of survivors of human trafficking, this means we will have a quality law firm that will represent our survivors in court. We will be able to provide protection and legal assistance to those who need it.

We are so grateful for yet another open door to our ministry, another provision from God. Because someone saw our heart, our passion, and our investment—he chose to get involved. It’s one more piece of the puzzle that is coming together for the Sanctuary. It's one more way we can unlock transformation for survivors!