Fighting Sexual Slavery
Remember this children’s rhyme with this verse? “Up and down the London road, in and out the Eagle; that’s the way the money goes, pop goes the weasel.” ‘The Eagle’ was the most notorious pub in London that had ruined countless families. ‘Pop’ was slang for pawning something and a ‘weasel’ was a watch. The children sang in the streets of how men and women would pawn anything that had value to get money for drink.
When William Booth’s son, Bramwell, got married, the wedding had a one shilling admission. When 6,000 people turned up and paid their shilling, the Salvation Army had enough money to buy the pub and thoroughly convert it!
By the end of 1882 the Salvation Army had 440 corps, 1019 officers and had expanded to Australia, the United States, India and France, as well as Great Britain.
Their next battle was a little unexpected. Child prostitution was rife but the police turned a blind eye to the problem. Young girls were often sold by their own families. The age of consent was 13 and girls that young were often kidnapped, drugged and then put inside coffin-sized boxes with a few breathing holes, to be shipped off to Paris, Antwerp or Brussels, never to be heard of again.
William Booth and a local reporter, W. T. Stead, got together with the Anglican and Catholic Archbishops to concoct a plan. They would have to prove the practice of kidnapping and forced sexual slavery was happening; so they found a young volunteer from their own ranks who they “sold” for one pound to an unsuspecting racketeer. The girl was rescued at the last minute. When the reporter wrote articles about the sexual slave trade, many supporters of the practice in high places had the articles declared “indecent” and the newsboys selling the papers were arrested. Civic leaders, many parliamentarians and even the royalty condemned the Salvation Army. But once Great Britain realised what was happening, public opinion turned away from the traffickers and in favour of the Salvation Army. W. T. Stead was jailed for 6 months and Bramwell, William Booth’s son, barely escaped a prison sentence. But the populace were appalled and even successfully demanded the age of consent be increased to 16!
Some are called to lead battles for righteousness and the rest are called to support them. Christians are in one group or the other.