Oasis Refuge 3rd Annual Banquet

On May 11^th, AGCU sponsored a banquet to raise money for Oasis Refuge. Their goal is to bring healing to underage survivors of sex trafficking by providing refuge. There are currently only two other shelters in Missouri for domestic minor sex trafficking survivors.

Oasis is a residential treatment home for female survivors of sex trafficking (12-17 years-old), who are given a safe place to heal through a trauma-informed restoration program that includes therapy, education, and spiritual development.

Sex trafficking has continued to grow despite our growing awareness, but awareness needs to be followed by action to stop statistics like these.

• There are 2.8 million runaways each year. *NCMEC
  • 33% of them are approached by a trafficker within forty-eight hours of leaving home *NCMEC
  • 66% are approached within seventy-two hours.*NCMEC
• In 2013, they estimated that 1 in 7 endangered runaways reported to them were likely victims of sex trafficking. NCMEC*
• The age when a child is first prostituted is only 11-14 years old in the United States.*FBI

It is hard to imagine from our place of comfort safety and refuge that young females are being manipulated and abused at these rates. One can’t help but think of how we would feel if someone close to us had to experience the horrors that these girls are going through.

Here are 5 important rules to follow to help avoid being targeted by human traffickers.

• Be aware of your surroundings – don’t look at your cellphone while you’re walking.
• Avoid being approached while you are alone and trust your intuition.
• Carry pepper spray on your key chain, and be prepared to fight.
• Never reveal private information.
• Be aware of exits or safe places nearby.

While these rules are helpful, some victims find themselves in situations without these options. It is heartbreaking to think that we live in a world where vulnerable young women who are targeted and enslaved by traffickers have no place to retreat.

What would happen to our communities? These girls are not just being stolen from their families. They are being robbed of hope in Jesus Christ and all the wonderful things he has planned for their future. Only God knows the positive roles they could serve in schools, businesses, and churches. These opportunities remain empty without someone to respond to their cry for help and return them to a meaningful purpose.

Oasis ministry provides refuge for underage survivors of sex trafficking to find hope, restoration, and dignity. Girls experience restoration and healing for their trauma, through support, care, counseling, and long-term mentoring.

Centrally located in the U.S., Oasis is a safe haven that offers the girls abundant opportunities for recreation, education, and life skills development.

The home provides spacious bedrooms for survivors of sex trafficking, a resident suite for staff, a space for art and music therapy, an education room, a room for socializing, a full kitchen, and acres of property for recreation and gardening.

Ministries like Oasis depend on private donors like AGCU to help provide a space for these girls to experience safety, comfort, and dignity while they heal from the traumas that they have experienced.

AGCU believes in ministries like Oasis, so we donate part of our earnings to support them as they intervene, comfort, and redirect these women to a hopeful and greater purpose.

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