In September 2019, Donna experienced trafficking on her and her neighbor’s doorsteps in a quiet part of Ramsey. Their doorsteps were covered in blood and a young man in his 20s couldn’t even speak his name in English.
While in prayer during February of 2021, Donna kept hearing His Hands, Our Feet. Most people have heard of “being the hands and feet” so she kept asking what this meant. She learned quickly as the Lord spoke a specific mission to her and she drew it out with five pillars of service. Exploitation/Sex Trafficking is the first pillar with four others coming soon!
His Hands, Our Feet was spoken directly to her saying, “You and others will be walking out what I have commissioned ALL to do; love others by meeting their needs while offering hope and opportunity to self-sustaining freedom.” She turned to her Bible and this is the verse she came upon:
“And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.” ~ Titus 3:14 NKJV
Donna knew it was time to quit thinking about helping more and take a leap of faith. Minnesota Good Works was incorporated on April 29, 2021.
Human trafficking is a public safety, public health, and human rights abuse that occurs around the world and in communities throughout Minnesota. Human trafficking includes both labor and sex trafficking and international and domestic victims. Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force (MNHTTF) recognizes the legal definitions of sex trafficking and labor trafficking in Minnesota. The first human trafficking laws were passed in Minnesota in 2005.
A sexually exploited youth is someone under the age of 18 who may be subject to sexual exploitation because they engaged, agreed to engage, or were forced into sexual conduct in return for a fee, food, clothing, or a place to stay. A youth also can be sexually exploited if he or she has engaged in exotic dancing, been filmed doing sexual acts, traded sex for drugs, or has been found guilty of engaging in prostitution or prostitution-related crimes. Not only does sexual exploitation lead to immediate and long-term physical, mental, and emotional harm, but until recently Minnesota could charge and treat sexually exploited youth as criminals – juvenile delinquents engaging in acts of prostitution.
In 2011, Minnesota passed the Safe Harbors for Sexually Exploited Youth law. Safe Harbors for Sexually Exploited Youth, which went into full effect August 2014, increases the penalties for buyers and adds the term “sexual exploitation” to the state’s child protection code, recognizing sexually exploited youth as victims, rather than criminals. Please see Safe Harbor for more inform
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