Going the Distance | 7 Continents | 7 Marathons | 1 Justice Mission
I was walking back to my hotel on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok after a meeting at a nearby NGO when they passed me on the sidewalk. He was Caucasian, probably six feet tall, around 250 pounds, maybe in his mid-thirties. She looked Thai, not more than 5’2”, maybe 13 or 14. Something about the picture didn’t look right, although she showed no signs of resistance and seemed to be accompanying the man to their destination quite willingly. But, in spite of my concern that I might be witnessing a case of child sex tourism, I did nothing but surreptitiously take a photograph on my cellphone as I followed them down the street.
I am still haunted by the image of those two walking hand-in-hand down the street, years later. What should I have done? Should I have reported my concern to someone? If so, to whom? I didn’t know then that Thailand had a hotline for reporting suspected sexual crimes against children. And did I really have a reason to be suspicious? Frankly, although the scene troubled me it didn’t surprise me. Thailand, along with Cambodia and the Philippines, has long been regarded as a destination for adults who wish to travel abroad to sexually exploit children. It’s difficult to obtain reliable data on the number of children victimized by child sex tourism in Thailand, but estimates have ranged as high as 60,000 children under the age of 18. While the Thai government has taken steps to prevent child sex tourism– including the launch of a public awareness campaign warning tourists of the strict penalties for engaging in sex with minors – it is still a serious problem in that country (and others like Mexico and Dominican Republic). And that’s without talking about the growing problem of cybersex trafficking of children. Globally, there may be as many as 4.5 million victims of forced sexual exploitation.
So what ought I to do in response to what I saw that day in Bangkok? I often tell others, “You are responsible for what you see. If you see something happening that you don’t agree with but do nothing, then you are effectively condoning it.” Professionally, I lead International Justice Mission Canada, which enables Canadians to show up and make a difference in IJM’s global efforts to combat sex trafficking and cybersex trafficking of children. But a sense of responsibility to do something that costs me personally has motivated me to launch “Going the Distance”— a seven-year plan to run a marathon on each of the seven continents (yes, including Antarctica). Over the course of seven years, I plan to raise $280,000 to support global efforts to protect the poor from violence.
I’m excited to now have a greater purpose for running—to raise awareness of the daily violence that robs billions of the world’s poorest of their freedom and security, and to raise money to enable IJM to continue its vital work.
I ran my first marathon in 2002 and since then have completed more than 20. I’ve never been competitive and never have been concerned about my time. I’m a plodder, not a speedster. I run for the sake of running, because of the discipline that it introduces to my life, the opportunity that it provides for reflection, and the joy of engaging in shared activity with Judy, my wife. But I’m excited to now have a greater purpose for running—to raise awareness of the daily violence that robs billions of the world’s poorest of their freedom and security, and to raise money to enable IJM to continue its vital work. The first stop in the seven-year “Going the Distance: 7 Marathons, 7 Continents, 1 Justice Mission” campaign is Europe — Amsterdam, the Netherlands on October 15, 2017. Judy and I will run the Amsterdam Marathon, all 42.2 kilometres of it, with a goal of raising $10,000 to help IJM protect children from sex trafficking and restore survivors to safety and strength. 100% of the funds I raise this fall will be directed to this purpose.
Will you go the distance with me and help me reach my fundraising goal? I’m not asking you to run with me, but I am asking you to thoughtfully consider what you should do, in response to the violence you know affects millions of girls and women in our world today. To make your contribution, visit my personal giving page today at https://support.ijm.ca/going-the-distance. As an expression of my appreciation for your support, everyone who contributes $250 or more will receive an autographed finisher’s photograph. Everyone who contributes $1000 or more will receive an autographed official Amsterdam Marathon t-shirt.
Thank you for visiting https://support.ijm.ca/going-the-distance and helping IJM protect children from sex trafficking!
