The Sad Story of Shaniya Davis Should Shake Us to the Core
"Innocent until proven guilty" is an axiom we apply in our criminal justice system. But the case of 5 year old Shaniya Davis is one of the saddest I've heard about in a long time. I attended the National Council of Churches of Christ General Assembly held in Denver in 2008 and learned about the horrific problem of human trafficking in our world today. Folks at the PolarisProject.org report that, "over 200,000 children in the United States are at high risk for human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation."

It is Shaniya's mom, Antoinette Davis, who stands accused of starting the chain of events that led to Shaniya's eventual death.

Human trafficking is one of the greatest tragedies of our world today. It happens under the radar screen of the things that often hold our attention. But for people of faith, good will and good conscience there is an organization that is working on this and they deserve and very much need our help. Click on the PolarisProject.org and see how you can help stop human trafficking problems in the future. It would be great if no other 5 year olds like Shaniya would ever have to die again.

Rev. Dr. James E. Fouther, Jr. is the Senior Pastor at The United Church of Montbello (http://ucm.ctsmemberconnect.net). He's from Chicago originally and enjoying the mile high experience. He's married to Angelle Collins Fouther and father of two girls, Danielle and Daryn.

Rev. Fouther enjoys golf, exploring, cooking and reading. His favorite books are many by W.E.B. DuBois, "Biography of a Race" by David Levering Lewis, "Prophetic Fragments" by Cornel West, "God of the Oppressed" by James Cone Lif, "Every Voice" by Susan Thistlewaite & Mary Potter Engel, and "The Third Wave" by Alvin Toffler.