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Vice Trade: One of Satan's Tools to Kill, Steal and Destroy
—by Wesley Kawato
If anyone needs to be convinced that man is sinful, then one needs look no further than the vice trade. These trades are led by people who willingly destroy the lives of hundreds or even thousands of others for their own profit. Drugs, slavery, and prostitution are problems in every nation in today's world, even in "Christian" nations.
The Drug Trade
Heroin, one of the world's most addictive drugs, is a derivative of the opium poppy. A crude form of heroin may have been produced in Mesopotamia as early as 1000 B.C. Arab traders later spread the use of opium and heroin to all parts of Asia by A.D.1700. By the 1830s, British merchants controlled the sale of pipe opium, a form of the drug that could be smoked. In 1839 the Chinese government's efforts to stamp out the sale of opium sparked the Opium War of 1839-42.
After 1949, the United States, through the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), encouraged the Nationalist Chinese exiles to grow opium. They needed a way to make money so they could buy the arms needed to liberate China from the communists. These exiles had fled to Myanmar after the communists took over Mainland China in 1949.
By the 1960s criminal gangs had muscled out the Chinese exiles in Myanmar, taking over the heroin trade. During that decade the growing of opium poppies had spread to Thailand and Laos, which, along with Myanmar, form an opium-growing region known as the Golden Triangle.
During the 1970s Thailand began cracking down on the heroin trade. Today strict law enforcement had reduced the growth of opium poppies in Thailand to almost zero. In 1975 the communists took control of Laos and cracked down on the growing of opium poppies in that country as well. Heroin producers could no longer operate openly. The need to pay ever increasing bribes to corrupt officials caused the growing of poppies to decline. But the growing of opium poppies still goes unchecked in Myanmar and much of the heroin produced in that country winds up in the United States.
Just as heroin production from the Golden Triangle began declining during the 1980s, the growing of opium poppies became a major problem in Afghanistan. In 1979 the Soviet Union invaded that country and the CIA began aiding the resistance groups fighting the Soviets. American spies encouraged Afghan guerillas to grow opium poppies. Sale of heroin produced from these poppies paid for the arms that these groups used to drive Soviet troops out of Afghanistan.
One of the groups which had been encouraged to enter the heroin trade was the Taliban. Its members continued selling heroin after they took power in Afghanistan. Then the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001 created chaos, with warlords taking control of much of the country. Some of these warlords are heavily involved in the heroin trade. As of six months ago, heroin production in Afghanistan was higher than it had been in about 20 years. Much of the heroin produced in Afghanistan ends up in Western Europe or the United States.
The drug traffickers in the Golden Triangle and Afghanistan would not have been able to export in quantity without outside help. That help came from the Italian Mafia. The Mafia established what came to be known as the "French Connection." Opium from Asia was collected in Turkey and then shipped to processing labs in France. From there the now refined heroin would be distributed throughout Europe and to the United States and Canada. This trade route still exists today, with one major difference. Only half of the opium comes from the Golden Triangle. Most of the rest comes from Afghanistan.
During the 1990s other criminal syndicates challenged the Mafia's control of the world heroin distribution network. The drug gangs in Myanmar began shipping small amounts of refined heroin to the United States, cutting out the middleman and causing a slight drop in revenue for the Mafia.
But the Mafia's biggest challenge came from the drug cartels of Colombia. The cartels began operations during the 1970s, by taking control of coca leaf production in Colombia and various neighboring countries. Coca leaves are used to produce cocaine, a drug more addictive than heroin. Today many addicts consider cocaine to be superior to heroin, in terms of the thrill they get from their drug use.
During the 1980s the sale of cocaine soared in the United States and Europe, while the sale of heroin dropped. Turf wars erupted between the Mafia and the cartels. The two groups often use inner city gangs as proxies. After 1990 the Mafia and the cartels began cooperating. There is growing evidence that some Asian heroin is now being smuggled into the United States through cartel controlled distribution routes that run through Mexico.
Drug addiction is a large problem in the West, but it also affects people in developing countries. Heroin addiction is a problem in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Drug treatment clinics are few and far between. Treatment at such clinics usually consists of strapping the addict to a bed for several days and letting him go "cold turkey."
Slavery and Prostitution in the 21st Century
Prostitution is another component of the vice trade. Often the women who end up as prostitutes have been kidnapped and enslaved. Thus, prostitution and slavery are often intertwined in today's world.
Slavery is a problem that has deep historical roots. In ancient times invading armies enslaved those they captured. Today most countries have outlawed slavery. That means slavers have to use tricks to capture their victims. Poverty often creates the desperation needed to make people vulnerable to being tricked into a life of slavery and prostitution. For example, slavers entice poor Eastern European women with "job offers" in Western Europe. Many victims think they are going to become waitresses or nannies, but wind up as prostitutes.
Thailand is a major prostitute distribution point. Girls kidnapped in Myanmar are often sold to middlemen in Thailand, who then resell them to brothel owners in Malaysia and Singapore. Hill tribe girls from Myanmar are highly prized for their beauty. The prettier ones are often resold to brothels in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia. Sex junkets from Japan often frequent such brothels.
No matter where a prostitute ends up, she lives a life of misery. Often the girl services 10-12 customers a day and sees little of her earnings. Many pimps force their girls to live on starvation wages. Girls who try to escape are beaten up or killed. Most of the time, they wind up either dying of AIDS or going home in disgrace.
Not all slavery is tied in with prostitution. In India, rice mill workers often live in company towns where the only store, owned by the company, charges high prices and forces people into debt. Such people often work 18-hour days for less than the minimum wage in India. Those who try to run away are often beaten up by company security guards, who often make an example out of such people to frighten others out of even thinking about running away.
In Nepal slavery is a problem in the gold mining industry. Large mines are able to pay wages and don't resort to slavery. Small mines often use slave labor in order to remain competitive. Often poor families sell their children to work in Nepal's gold mines. Mine owners highly prize young boys because they are able to crawl into the narrowest tunnels and dig out gold from the smallest of veins. Accidents are common because small mine owners often disregard safety regulations. Slavery is illegal in Nepal, so no records are kept of how many miners die in accidents each year. Corrupt officials allow slavery to continue in Nepal.
Slavery is also a problem in Niger. During colonial times this African nation experienced a series of tribal wars. Prisoners were often sold into slavery. Many families in Niger have known only slavery for over 100 years. Nigerien land barons use male slaves to herd cattle and camels. They use female slaves to do domestic chores. Recently anti-slavery groups got Niger's parliament to pass a law banning slavery, but it isn't being enforced. Corruption is rampant in Niger.
Rebel armies also enslave children. Boys are forced to fight as soldiers and the girls are kept as sex slaves. This is especially true in Africa. Militant groups in Liberia and Sierra Leone often kidnapped children. Though civil wars have ended, there is still fighting in the Congo and in Uganda. The Lord's Resistance Army, a Christian cult in Northern Uganda, is one of Africa's worst culprits. Rebel slave raids have become so common that many parents send their children to government protected shelters each night.
Do Not Grow Weary!
Slave traders, kidnappers, pimps, and drug lords know that they have many levels of intimidation they can use to stop anyone from standing in their way. They can threaten their victims and families directly. If this doesn't work, they can bribe the police so that they take no action. If that doesn't work, then they intimidate or bribe witnesses. If that doesn't work, then they get the court cases delayed until the victim can no longer afford an attorney.
IJM workers and lawyers stay in the struggle until the very end. They defend the victims of the vice trade because they see what the criminals cannot see: the advancing Kingdom of God. "The gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18 ESV). "They do not grow weary in doing good because they believe in the ancient promise from their Maker-They shall reap a harvest if they do not give up" (Gal. 6:9).
Let's Pray!
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