Acts of Justice In a World of Abuse

I would like to tell you about my recent journey with a rather extraordinary organisation which has a heart for justice and the restoration of people’s humanity. Justice Acts International is an organisation which targets all forms of human trafficking and is currently stepping in to the lives of the prostitutes around Muizenburg to give them hope of freedom and a better life. Working with them has been an amazing experience where I was taken out of my comfort zone and encouraged to do things I would not normally do. It was challenging, but seeing the impact that these things have made has been more rewarding then I ever could have anticipated.

For the last 12 weeks we have been going on weekly outreaches down the M5 in Muizenburg which is known for the many prostitutes that use it as their place to find clients. We wanted to connect with these girls and begin forming relationships with them where they would trust us and take the helping hand that Justice Acts was offering. On Thursday nights we walked up and down the M5 talking to every one of the girls we encountered. At first there was no success. The girls would see the group of us walking towards them and, assuming we were a gang, would run away. After a few attempts we joined up with a man which ended up being exactly what we needed. He used to be a pimp for some of the girls in the area and had in the last few years come to Christ, given up that lifestyle and joined YWAM. He turned out to be a wonderful asset because now we had someone who when we saw any of the girls afar off, could call them by name and introduce us to them. They trusted us so much more easily and were willing to listen to what we had to say.

After connecting with the girls on our Thursday night M5 walk, Justice Acts hosted a counselling and bible study time on Tuesday mornings in the girls’ community. The Tuesday mornings stared to gain momentum to the point where most of the prostitutes in the area were attending.  They told us their stories and we were saddened by the reoccurring presence of rejection, abuse, and drug addiction in their lives. Each of these girls had quite the road still to walk, but there is an undeniable hunger in each of them for healing and a better life. After a few weeks of the Tuesday morning meeting, a very interesting thing happened. The girls were often dropped off at these meetings by their pimps for their protection. After seeing what Justice Acts was doing for the girls, they asked if Justice Acts could not start something similar for them! So now not only has Justice Acts been plugged in to the lives of the prostitutes, but have been welcomed into the lives of the pimps as well. It has been incredible to see that even the people we see to be in such bondage have a desire for their lives to change. They know they are missing something, and it has been such a privilege to help show them what that something is.