Until all are free

Along with other corporate giants, Starbucks and Amazon reap tremendous success in today’s consumption-driven world. In 2024, Starbucks reported consolidated net revenues of $36.2 billion. In 2025, Amazon estimated a generated net income of $63 billion. However, there is a rapidly growing criminal enterprise that far surpasses the staggering figures of these two business giants. Despite the efforts of countless nonprofits and the intervention of government agencies, global human trafficking continues to generate over $236 billion annually. That represents a 274.6% higher revenue than Amazon, and 551.9% greater than Starbucks.

Over 24.9 million people currently live as victims of human trafficking. Often, common barriers prevent rescue. Due to its elusiveness, its underground nature, and the widespread, sensationalized misconceptions regarding trafficking, victims are often unseen. Even though they interact with the public at places such as health care providers’ offices, beauty salons, restaurants, and hotels, rarely are they identified or offered help.

The Stand recently spoke with David Gamboa, chief of staff at Elijah Rising (elijahrising.org), a faith-based nonprofit organization in Houston. Its primary goal is to end sex trafficking in Houston, a major trafficking hub in the United States. The city’s proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border makes it the halfway point for many smuggling and trafficking operations.

Gamboa addressed common misconceptions surrounding human trafficking and the truths that need to be heard. He also shared that education is one of the most powerful weapons society wields against this criminal activity.

The illusion of freedom

Most victims of human trafficking do not enter trafficking through random, violent abductions, nor are they held captive with heavy chains. Gamboa explained that kids are more likely to be recruited through social media apps and online websites. This danger is now more prevalent with the growth of websites promoting the idea – especially to young girls – that those in the sex industry earn a substantial amount of money.

However, according to Gamboa, it is impossible to characterize who might become a victim of trafficking. Women, young boys, individuals from varying socio-economic backgrounds, and residents of rural and urban areas are all at risk. He said it happens in “a thousand different ways.”

In many situations, victims are prior acquaintances of their traffickers – whether through an online friendship, dating relationship, or even family members. Traffickers often isolate victims by exploiting preexisting feelings of loneliness, insecurity, or instability. These predators might also entice them with gifts, soothing words, and constant companionship.

Additionally, Gamboa said, “Traffickers do their best to isolate victims by driving a wedge between them and their families,” Gamboa said. “And sometimes they’ll do this through introducing drugs or alcohol – some type of addiction or codependency.”

Once individuals are separated from family and friends, traffickers introduce a new form of community – one that is unsafe and dehumanizing.

In the sex industry, victims no longer exist as they once did. Traffickers assign them different names, personas, and IDs to make them harder to identify. Many trafficked women view their pimps as “boyfriend” figures in their lives instead of recognizing them as captors.

“We have seen girls out there being trafficked while pregnant,” Gamboa added. “It is sickening to me, but there is a market for pregnant women. … A child could be used to threaten [the mother] to stay in the industry. We’ve known pimps who will hold children hostage. … Forced abortions are pretty common as well.”

The road to recovery

Once a girl is rescued from a trafficking situation, Gamboa said a 60-to-90-day period of stabilization in necessary. During this time, Elijah Rising helps these women connect with a doctor and a dentist. A well-rounded diet is also a priority, as sex-trafficking victims often eat only snack food.

“There are a lot of health issues that [emerge] when your body’s not constantly running on adrenaline, so we call this phase the emergency crisis phase, where we typically need a safe home that a woman can go to, where we can triage and assess her immediate needs,” Gamboa said.

From there, women begin a long-term program that typically lasts one to two years. During this time, their care focuses on healing and trauma therapy, obtaining legal IDs, and credit repair. Elijah Rising also partners with a dermatologist and tattoo artists who remove or redesign the identification tattoos placed on girls by their traffickers.

“[For] a lot of them, their pimps had taken car loans or house loans out in their names, ruining their credit to where they can’t even open a bank account. … That’s just to get them to the baseline to help them recover, but after that, it’s really healing for the rest of their lives,” Gamboa shared.

The power of prayer

The fight against human trafficking reminds believers that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). This is why prayer is one of the most potent weapons in the battle.

“We really rely on the power of prayer, and we find those times of prayer are ways for us to show them that we care but also really carry their struggles with us,” Gamboa said.

It is also vital for believers to realize that the war against trafficking is also a war against the entire sex industry. Pornography often exploits victims of human trafficking. According to the Elijah Rising website, porn sites receive more traffic than Netflix, Amazon, and the social media platform X combined. This exploitation increases the demand for in-person sexual encounters, causing a rise in the demand for sex trafficking.

God designed humans in His image, and He created the gift of sexual intimacy to be enjoyed within marriage. Both of these have been wildly distorted by culture’s insatiable crave for sex and novelty.

Elijah Rising conducts more than 36 outreach interventions a year, providing women and men with resources such as an exit hotline and prayer. They also share the love of Jesus with every victim they encounter.

Christians who want to partner with organizations such as Elijah Rising should never discount the importance of interceding for them through prayer. They should also realize the value of their own unique, God-given gifts. Health care providers can undergo training to help them recognize victims of human trafficking. Real estate agents can teach recovering women the skills required for them to begin a new career.

“Whatever you do, there’s a way for you to use what you are doing – either professionally or [by pursuing] your passion – to come alongside not just our organization, but any anti-trafficking organization.”

Gamboa added, “There is a wealth of need, and we need many hands to come in. I always say, ‘If we’ll just help one person,’ and if everyone has that mindset, we could really make a dent in the issue of trafficking.”