Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos
· Pray for the children of Cambodia who have been or continue to be sexually abused by foreigners who travel to Cambodia for the purpose of child sex tourism. Pray for children who are trafficked into brothels and prostituted at very young ages—some as young as 3 years old. Pray for those who are exposed to sexual violence and pornography. http://tinyurl.com/7mfezrj
· Pray for the safety, freedom, and emotional and physical healing of children abused by traveling sex offenders and pimps. Pray for an increase in country-wide rehabilitation services and shelters for children who have been exploited in child sex tourism or the commercial sex industry.
· Please pray for justice for each child affected by sexual abuse or violence. Pray that sex offenders, brothel owners, and those who use children as sexual commodities will be caught, prosecuted, and held accountable for their abuse of children. Pray for the redemption and healing of those who sexually abuse children.
· Give God thanks for the international program, Project Childhood, that will help community leaders educate children and their families in the Mekong Delta region (including Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos) about how to prevent the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The program (involving the Australian Agency for International Development, the UN Office of Drugs and Crime, Interpol, and World Vision) will also involve police and courts in an effort to increase enforcement of child exploitation laws. http://tinyurl.com/7nm8p8t
· Pray the conditions that make children vulnerable to this abuse will improve. Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world and has the second highest number of landmines because of bombings during the Vietnam War, and genocide, and then a civil war.
Ethiopia (CURE International – http://cure.org/hospitals/ethiopia/)
· Please pray for the children receiving treatment at the CURE International Hospital in Ethiopia and for the staff and volunteers who serve them. Pray especially for a 12-year-old boy, Siraje, and for a 14-year-old girl, Bekelech.
Kenya (Naomi’s Village – http://naomisvillage.com/
· Please continue to pray for Maxwell, a 4-month-old infant who was abandoned and is in a hospital waiting to be placed into a foster home. Pray that the meeting between the Naomi’s Village social worker and those who have the authority to release baby Maxwell will go well. Pray those in charge of making decisions about Maxwell and his placement will keep this baby’s best interests in mind.
· Pray for James, a staff member at Naomi’s Village, who recently had surgery on his hand. Pray the surgery was able to repair the cut tendons in his hand and that he will heal completely…that he will have full use of his hand and fingers.
· Give God thanks for the staff and volunteers with Naomi’s Village and the compassion and love they have for abandoned, neglected, and at-risk children in Kenya.
United States
· Please pray for children who are abused and neglected. In Texas alone last year, nearly 66,000 victims of child abuse or neglect were confirmed. Pray for the safety and healing of each child abuse victim. Pray they have someone they can turn to in times of crisis or emergency. Pray that every child has the opportunity to grow up in a nurturing environment, free from harm and fear.
· Pray for the women and men who work for child protective organizations around the country as they serve abused and at-risk children and struggling families. Give God thanks they are willing do very challenging and difficult work—investigating situations of abuse and neglect, removing children who have been hurt, working with parents to help them regain custody of their children, and placing children in safe homes. Pray for the safety, emotional health, spiritual wellbeing, and leadership skills of these workers. Pray God will bless them with wisdom in their interactions with children, parents, advocates, and those in the legal system.
· Pray for raised public awareness of child abuse and neglect. Pray that more people will step forward when they recognize a situation of child abuse and report it. Give thanks to God for the state-wide focus on preventing child abuse and for the national day of prayer, Blue Sunday, April 29, 2012, where churches will unite to pray for children who have been abused and for those who rescue and advocate for them.
