RESCUE, RESTORE, AND RAISE UP

Forty million. Let that number sink in. That’s the consensus total estimate for the number of people in the world who are trapped in modern slavery. That’s more people than the entire state of California and more than the populations of Sweden, Greece, and Portugal combined. It’s not happening behind closed doors; it’s hiding in plain sight, and taking on various forms from sex trafficking to human trafficking to labor slavery and debt slavery, where people have borrowed money, been charged ridiculous interest, and can’t pay it back, which often results in multiple generations of servitude.

“When I go and speak, you can see some people react, and it’s like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe this.’ Other people, they just blank out, they check out on you,” explains Bruce Ladebu, founder of the Children’s Rescue Initiative. “I think everybody processes it differently, but I think now there’s enough information out there that people are becoming very aware that we have a global epidemic and a rising epidemic here in the United States.”

Ladebu isn’t just talking about it, he’s doing something about it. A former military serviceman and professional wilderness and adventure guide, Ladebu founded The Children’s Rescue Initiative (CRI) designed to save men, women, and children who are trapped in countries around the world. To date, the organization has rescued 2,204 victims, while also nurturing and preparing them for life outside of slavery. “When you walk into a factory and you literally see dozens, or sometimes hundreds of people enslaved, and you rescue a couple and you’re walking out with dozens and dozens of other slaves begging you to help free them, I just couldn’t sleep. So, I realized I had to raise