Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott has announced that the Governor’s Response Against Child Exploitation (GRACE) initiative will host a statewide interfaith Week of Prayer to End Human Trafficking on January 11 through January 17, 2021. The week of prayer coincides with Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the state of Texas and serves as a call to action to the faith-based community to unite in prayer, learn more about human trafficking, and discern opportunities to prevent exploitation and support survivors.
GRACE will launch the Week of Prayer to End Human Trafficking through a virtual interfaith event on January 11th at 6pm on Facebook. The event will include remarks from state officials, prayer, and a panel discussion of faith leaders and members of the Office of the Governor’s Child Sex Trafficking Team (CSTT).
“The Governor’s GRACE Initiative is working closely with communities of faith all across Texas to help prevent human trafficking and bring hope and healing to survivors — and the Week of Prayer to End Human Trafficking is an important part of our efforts,” said First Lady Cecilia Abbott. “I urge Texans of all faiths across the state to join us in prayer and action so that we can put an end to human trafficking once and for all.”
GRACE is a collaboration between the Office of the Texas First Lady, CSTT, the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), and a diverse group of faith leaders across Texas that work together to develop effective strategies to end human trafficking. The initiative launched in December 2019.
Additionally, Governor Greg Abbott has proclaimed January 2021 to be Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the state of Texas. The Governor also issued a proclamation recognizing January 11-17, 2021 as the Week of Prayer to End Human Trafficking.
Daily Prayer Intentions for the Week of Prayer include:
- Monday, January 11 – Pray for an end to human trafficking.
- Tuesday, January 12 – Pray for prevention efforts and those who are vulnerable.
- Wednesday, January 13 – Pray for all those working on the front line to support survivors.
- Thursday, January 14 – Pray for survivors to find healing.
- Friday, January 15 – Pray for all those working to bring traffickers and exploiters to justice.
- Saturday, January 16 – Pray for an end to demand and societal factors that lead to exploitation.
- Sunday, January 17 – Pray for discernment on the actions you can personally take to address human trafficking.
Texans can use the hashtag #TXPraysToEndHT on social media to share their support for the Week of Prayer to End Human Trafficking. To coincide with the announcement, the First Lady released a video encouraging Texans to participate in the Week of Prayer: Click Here
