Contact: Ronald D. Kelly, 317-774-7907

MEDIA ADVISORY, May 26 /Christian Newswire/ -- Born in the abolitionist movement of the 19th Century, The Wesleyan Church revisited its heritage by committing to a denomination-wide effort to abolish human trafficking. At its May 5-6, 2009, meeting, the denomination's General Board, which represents over 300,000 constituents worldwide, endorsed "Hands of Hope," an initiative conducted by the Church's Wesleyan Women department to inform and equip responders.

Speaking at The Wesleyan Church World Headquarters in Fishers, Indiana, Georgetown adjunct law professor and former Presidential Advisor on Human Trafficking, Dr. Laura Lederer, commended the Church for its efforts to help stop the trafficking of humans for sex and labor servitude. Dr. Lederer said that trafficking is prevalent in every big city in America, and that up to 17,000 persons (half of them children) are trafficked into America each year. She estimates the total number of trafficked persons at 27 million worldwide and calls the problem "modern-day slavery." She urged Wesleyans to "first of all educate yourself, to read about it, to learn about the harm of it; and then to find a way to bring that information into the community."

The Wesleyan Church will offer a September 9, 2009, community information forum in Indianapolis, Indiana, which will be followed by a September 10-12 training to abolish human trafficking. Nearly 100 registrants are expected at the training, which will be staffed by professionals from World Hope International. General Director of Wesleyan Women and "Hands of Hope" coordinator, Martha Blackburn, says the training will equip men and women with skills to help prevent trafficking and care for its victims.