We hear about human trafficking happening overseas, in places like Thailand and Cambodia. But did you know that it happens here, in our own backyard? Law enforcement agencies estimate that 45,000-50,000 people are trafficked into the United States every year. 15,000 of them are children, and most of them wind up working in the sex trade.

The Evangelical Covenant Church’s Department of Women Ministries (yay us!) has just published a booklet called PROTECT: A Strategy to Prevent Human Trafficking in Our Communities. And It. Is. Fabulous. 40 pages jam-packed with practical ways individuals and churches can prevent, recognize, and combat human trafficking. (And you thought we Covenant Women were only good for singing Swedish hymns and whipping up Jello salads!)

PROTECT focuses on 7 different ways individuals and churches can get involved in combatting human trafficking:

P: The Power of Prosecution: Enacting Laws to Prevent Trafficking

R: Responsible Consumerism

O: Orientation to Healthy Relationships

T: Training to Identify and Report Human Trafficking

E: Education to Protect the Most Vulnerable

C: Community Response

T: Training to Support At-Risk Youth

You can order the booklet or download the PDF (for free!) here. And we won’t even make you sing in Swedish or eat Jello salad to get it! But, you know, you can do that if you want to. We’re flexible like that.