Over much of the next two months much of the American sports focus will be on the developing postseasons in college football, the NFL and conference races in college basketball and the NBA.
Starting Feb. 12th, the attention with the Super Bowl over and done with will shift to some degree to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Personally, I’m more of a Summer Olympics guy. I ran track and field in high school and have covered a good deal of that sport and swimming over the years. Plus, the idea of flinging yourself off a hill with a humungous pair of skis still seems like a bit of a dicey proposition.
Kidding aside, the fanfare and attention which will be showered on western Canada could come with an appalling side effect – sex trafficking. Anglican and Catholic bishops have warned about the dangers of trafficking in and around the international masses. The Salvation Army, a lead sponsor of the Olympic torch relay, is also asking Canadian Christians to be mindful of the possibility of a rise in trafficking.
Combating sex trafficking has become a significant cause of the part of Christian communities, non profits and celebrities such as singer Natalie Grant. It is an issue, Olympics or not, worth using financial and spiritual resources to battle against.
It is a sad but true fact that most major events come with such a cost to many innocent victims. But there are many organizations that are working hard to combat sex trafficking- Shared Hope International President and founder, Linda Smith, is advocating for tougher legislation in Washington State against sex trafficking, in part because of proximity of the Vancouver Olympics. For more see: http://www.sharedhope.org/what/Washingtonstatelegislation2010.asp