Terrify No More: Young Girls Held Captive and the Daring Undercover Operation to Win Their Freedom (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Gregg Hunter (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Haugen, president of the Christian humanitarian organization International Justice Mission, peoples this account of IJM's efforts to rescue young girls from forced prostitution in Svay Pak, Cambodia, with larger-than-life heroes and villains. Written with the aid of communications consultant Hunter, the story, played for all its terrible drama, tells of girls sold into sex slavery by their families or tricked into it by the promise of legitimate work. IJM members, posing as customers, infiltrated the brothels, interviewed the girls and later staged successful rescue operations. Haugen credits the success of his work to God ("I believe we all yearn for the joy that arrives... when we find our own active place in the struggle against evil and discover the transforming power of life the Divine has granted to mere mortals") and shrugs off doubters ("Some Christians are uncomfortable with the idea that God has been in a dark, repulsive brothel.... Our investigators are not only comfortable with the idea—it's a truth they count on"). Haugen describes other IJM victories, including a raid on a South Asia brick kiln that relies on slave labor, but the focus is on the sex trade and the palpable zeal with which IJM fights it.
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Product Description

In a small village outside of Phnom Pehn, little children as young as five years old were forced to live as sex slaves. Day after day their hope was slipping away. Tireless workers from International Justice Mission (IJM) infiltrated the ring of brothels and gathered evidence to free the children. Headed up by former war-crimes investigator Gary Haugen, IJM faced impossible odds-police corruption, death threats, and mission-thwarting tip-offs. But they used their expert legal finesse and high-tech investigative techniques to save the lives of 37 young girls and secured the arrest and conviction of several perpetrators. Terrify No More focuses on this dramatic rescue story, and uses flashbacks to tell those of many other victims who were given a second chance at life by this amazing organization.

Readers of John Grisham and Ted Dekker novels will appreciate the suspense, plot twists, and relentless pursuit of justice found in the true story of Terrify No More.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (January 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849918383
• ISBN-13: 978-0849918384
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #150,702 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Important issue that needs exposure, February 12, 2005

By	Jason Joyner "Curious Soul" (Southeast Idaho, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is not sensationalism or extremist. It is the critical story of the types of abuses that go on around the world. There is still slavery in much of the world, and it is inexcusable for people to ignore it. It focuses on a specific episode of child sex trafficking in Cambodia, but it touches on forced labor, kidnapping, and other issues throughout the book. One reviewer falsely claims it is anti-prostitution. The book goes out of its way to show that the people involved were taken against their will and wanted to leave, and that it wasn't prostitution "by choice".

The book is written by the founder and president of International Justice Mission, a group dedicated to establishing justice where there is injustice. They work to not only remove the oppressed from the situation, but to change the culture so that it doesn't reoccur with fresh victims. They lobby, educate, train, work with local law enforcement to enforce LOCAL laws, not to establish an American/Western bias on things.

The writing style is a little disjointed, because it cuts from the main story of the Cambodian intervention to introduce characters important for the mission or to highlight other aspects of slavery. This can distract at times, but it is otherwise well-written. It handles very delicate, sometimes very distasteful material with all the respect it deserves.

Jesus said, "If you did it for one of the least of these, you did it for Me". This is an issue that isn't a Christian or non-Christian issue. Anyone should see that this issue deserves attention and support, by anyone's standard of morality.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not sensationalism...at all., March 28, 2005

By	Bob Smith "design by day" (ohio) - See all my reviews

I don't see how anyone can read this book and not see the point. Prostitution is the oldest profession in the world, I don't think Gary is trying to destroy it. That would be impossible. But what this book does go after is the fact that it's not women who are choosing to do this. It is children being kidnapped and brutalized at the hands of those who should be protecting them. I don't care what you say...that is wrong. I would also suggest that you read The Natashas which focuses on the sex trafficing industry in Europe. And for my european friend who commented previously, she might find some interesting insights and realize that just because someone is a prostitute, doesn't mean they are there by choice. Some are, most aren't. It just makes me sick to know that there are true battles and struggles going on, and when someone actually tries to make a difference when no one else will, others criticize them. MSNBC also has a video report on this kind of thing they did a few years back on their website. How can it be sensationalism? No one ever wants to talk about it. This is a worthwhile read.

If you are interested in women's rights in general, Princess Sultana, Princess Sultana's Daughters, and Princess Sultana's Circle are also all very good reads and insights into Saudi Arabia and how women are treated.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read., March 4, 2005

By	metafiz (VA, USA) - See all my reviews

I just finished reading this book. Do yourself and the world a favor and read it. Gary Haugen is a Christian, and that does come across in the book. But whether you are a Christian or not, you will be touched and moved by the stories in this book. Ignore the one negative review here (I don't know why "moderate christians" would not agree that selling children into sex slavery is wrong...). Anyway, this is a powerful book. Read it.