Human Trafficking In A Nutshell

Doing this blog on human trafficking taught me a lot that I didn't previously know about sex slavery. I learned that human trafficking is not just sex slavery but also any form of recruiting, transporting, or receiving a person through a use of force for the purpose of exploiting them. I learned through studying about Invisible Children that abducting child soldiers to fight in an army is another form of human trafficking. No matter what form of trafficking that is being used, thousands of men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers every year, in their own countries and across the globe. One of the most interesting things I learned was that "last year, the sex slave industry profited $32 billion. That is more than Starbucks, Google, and Nike combined..." This just goes to show that even though many people don't know much about this topic, it's a huge deal.

After everything I learned throughout this project I would still like to know how human trafficking is such a big deal, but it is so hard to prevent. That just doesn't make much sense to me because it is a massive industry raking in billions of dollars and yet so many people still don't know about it. Although the awareness for human trafficking is daily gaining popularity, in my opinion, not enough people are informed of this industry that so greatly affects all countries. I didn't really have a favorite part of the project but one thing I did enjoy was learning the different testimonies of teenagers like me being trafficked or sold into prostitution. Whether it was a mom from Michigan or a young girl from Cambodia, I read a variety of stories and loved seeing how courageous these women could be in boldly telling their story to the public. It was definately inspiring. The only thing I would have done differently about my project is that I would've actually done my live interaction. I procrastinated and my idea fell through and I ended up not having my interview. Other than that I loved my topic and everything for my project.

So after reading many articles, stories, and studying different issues my opinion is still the same, but stronger. I firmly disagree with human trafficking and think all forms of it should be ridded of immediately. I hate the thought of young girls being sold into prostitution and stripped of their innocence. It isn't fair and the sex slave industry is one of the harshest in our society today. I also don't agree with abducting children to fight in war as soldiers. I believe that everyone should be able to live in freedom without having to worry of the thought of being forcefully kindapped or sold and later on, taken advantage of. I'll continue to learn more about human trafficking and help raise the awareness of this issue in hopes to end it.

Sold

I read the book Sold by Patricia McCormick for my book review. This book was a novel about a thirteen year old girl from Nepal named Lakshmi. Ever since Lakshmi's father died and her mother remarried, she spends most of her time working to earn money for her family. They are one of the low income families in their village and Lakshmi dreams of having a tin roof because that would symbolize that her family was wealthy. At one point in the book Lakshmi finds out that she has to leave her home and become a maid in the city because her family's crops were destroyed and she must help support them. Lakshmi is lied to multiple times and sold from stranger to stranger without even realizing it. Finally, when she is sold to a lady named Mumtaz who runs a brothel in India, she recognizes that all along she was never sold to be a maid, but a prostitute. At first, Lakshmi refuses to take part in the sex industry and is beaten, starved and even drugged before she finally becomes one. Mumtaz tells her that she will work in the brothel until she can pay off her family's debt, which she claims will never happen. Throughout the book, Lakshmi learns a lot about herself and the people around her. She gains friendships with other girls in the brothel that help her get through the shame and regret she feels after every night. But at the end of the novel and after being with several men she can also still look in the mirror and see the young girl from Nepal that she was when she first arrived. One day an American arrives at the brothel and shows Lakshmi a picture of a safe place he can take her where she no longer has to be a prostitute and she has to make the decision of whether she will risk her life trying to escape or stay imprisoned in the place she hates most.

There were very few things I didn't like about this book. The biggest one that stuck out was the ending. After everything that Lakshmi went through from being lied to, sold multiple times, trafficked across India's border, living in a brothel, beaten, starved and used over and over I would have hoped that the ending wouldn't have been so vague. Lakshmi musters up the courage to escape the brothel with the Americans but it ends right after she says "My name is Lakshmi...I am from Nepal. I am fourteen years old." It is neat because it shows that she abandoned everything that happened to her and is finding her true self again. I like that about the ending but I wish it would have shown her finding her family or actually escaping rather than just ending with her still standing in the brothel.

However, there were many things I loved about this book. One of them was that it was such an easy read. Each chapter ranged from one to three pages so it helped me read much faster. Another thing I liked was how detailed it was about her life in the brothel. Some parts got kind of awkward because it was so graphic but I loved that what the author spoke was real and she didn't hold back and sugar coat anything. I also loved how the novel displayed her whole journey, starting from her everyday life in Nepal to being trafficked to her rescue. This was a really great book all around and I enjoyed reading it because it constantly kept me interested.

McCormick, Patricia. Sold. First Hyperion Paperbacks. New York: Hyperion Paperbacks, 2008. Print.

Cohen's Little Angel

Aaron Cohen, founder of AbolishSlavery.org, is a human rights advocate who visits brothels and karaoke bars in Cambodia to combat child sex slavery. He visits the places as an undercover sex vice but his hopes are to rescue these girls. Jonty Thern is one of the many girls Cohen met working at a local karaoke bar. Her mother had sold her at the Cambodia-Thailand border when she was just ten years old and expected her to be working selling flowers. However, she was in a rude awakening when she found out that her daughter was raped and beaten for three years. Jonty and her sister Channy worked there for three years until they were allowed to return to their home in Battambang. Soon after, she and her sister willingly went to work at a karaoke bar to help the family pay off their debt. This is where Cohen first spotted her, working and gulping down a beer faster than he could. It was here that he learned that “as evidenced in the State Department report, it is a poorly-kept secret in Cambodia that many of these establishments are also operating brothels” (Coorlim). Cohen used the solicitation video from that night, recorded on a cell phone camera, to provide police with the information they needed to raid the karaoke brothel. More than a dozen girls, including Jonty and her sister, Channy, were freed that night and sent to live in a victim's shelter, where they received counseling, care and an education. This article ends when Cohen went back to his yearly visit of Cambodia, but this time to say goodbye to Jonty. She had passed away from liver failure in which her family says is a result of alcohol and drug abuse while working in the night clubs. The death of Jonty is one thing that keeps Cohen fighting to end child sex slavery in Cambodia and the rest of the world.

This article reminds me of some of the others simply because I have read a lot of articles that related to human trafficking in Asia. I have also learned a lot of facts and that Asia is an extremely popular place for sex slavery. This, just like many others, has been a sad article to read because it resulted in a death of a human trafficking victim. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like for my own goddaughter to die from something that resulted in her being a victim of sex trafficking. That is so sad. And I don’t know what culture is like in Asia but after reading all the stories, I keep wondering why so many parents are trusting total strangers with their daughters’ lives. Maybe people are more trusting over in Asia, but obviously they aren’t trustworthy. If it were me, I wouldn’t dare sell my daughter to a complete stranger. That’s ignorant. It is so sad because Jonty didn’t deserve death for something she didn’t have much control over at all. If it shows you anything about the sex industry, take into consideration that even after her and Channy escaped the brothels, they ended up going back to work for a karaoke bar to pay off debt. It’s crazy how being a part of that lifestyle and being taken advantage of can altar your mindset. I say Cohen should keep doing what he is doing and use being undercover to his advantage to rescue these girls and end sex trafficking.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/02/09/cambodia.wus.child.sex.trafficking/index.html


Coorlim, Leif. "Man goes undercover to combat child sex slavery." CNN World. Cable News Network, 09 February 2010. Web. 21 Apr 2010. .

Shady Lady

I read an article about a brothel in Nevada where the owner, Bobbi Davis, is attempting to get male prostitution legalized. She believes that offering male service could be a boost in the economy we face. Up until now, men couldn't offer their services because they were required to frequently be tested for sexually transmitted diseases. Bobbi Davis was interviewed about her plans with this brothel and is determined to get what she wants. According to the article,"The health board approved a regulation to allow urethral testing for men – a crucial rule change by the state agency with ultimate power over whether prostitutes can or can’t work." The county health commission has to look at the overall idea and decide if they will agree to legalize Davis' idea to add men to her brothel. If Davis gets the approval from Nevada legislature, Shady Lady Ranch will be the first of twenty-four brothels in the state to offer a lineup of men.

Personally, I hate the idea of a brothel even existing because I think it is so degrading. The idea of a brothel adding men to their lineup of prostitutes is kind of out there because it's nothing that too many people would think of. Usually, when someone thinks of a prostitute a woman comes to mind. I mean, if brothels are going to exist than I think it's only fair that men be put in the same sucky situation that so many women have been put through over the years (as bad as that might sound.) Although, one thing that did kind of scar me is that the lineup of men are being offered to MALE clients. I understand that acceptance of homosexuality is growing across the U.S. but that disgusts me. This article was very interesting to say the least, but I would hope that Bobbi Davis' hope of legalizing male prostitutes wouldn't be legalized.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://woldcnews.com/files/2009/12/shady-lady-ranch-male-brothel-las-vegas.jpg&imgrefurl=http://woldcnews.com/national/nigel/nevada-legalizes-male-prostitution/&usg=__3wAxE76O57poATP_vu-xvDJN0r0=&h=600&w=682&sz=89&hl=en&start=13&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=b5WI--oNXVhROM:&tbnh=122&tbnw=139&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbrothel%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26tbs%3Disch:1

Stephen, Nigel. "Nevada Legalizes Male Prostitution." WOLDC News 14 Dec 2009, National.Print.

Children of Cambodia

I watched a video about child sex slavery in Cambodia. It's rare to hear about human trafficking halfway across the world unless you're searching for it; however, "in southeast Asia alone, UNICEF says that one million children are involved in the commercial sex trade." This video tells a story of a girl named Dalyn who stays at a rehab center in Cambodia along with many other children who have been previous victims of sex slavery. She was tricked into prostitution at the age of twelve and at seventeen, is now willing to publicly share her story. Dayln lived at home with her abusive father after her mom passed away and once she couldn't take it anymore she moved in with her grandfather. One day a woman came and pursuaded her to come go work in a clothing factory, but when they arrived the woman sold her to a brothel. After being sold to multiple brothels, being held gunpoint, and starved until surrender, Dalyn began her work as a prostitute. She was locked in a cage under the brothel and only fed when she agreed to a client.




These stories come alive more and more to me every time I see an actual video of someone who has been a victim of sex slavery. It's crazy because I could never picture something like this happening to me but it happens to so many "normal" girls on a daily basis. I prefer videos like this that actually tells a raw story of a girl just like me rather than just reading facts and statistics. It becomes so real when you're hearing the testimony of someone who has faced it all. I can't imagine how hard it would be to go through everything Dalyn did and still have the courage to publicly tell my story and get it out. She has a lot of courage and I respect her for doing it. One thing I hate about is that not only are these girls robbed of their innocence but also, they are seen as outcasts to the towns in which they live. Everything that happens to a victim of human trafficking is against their will and it sucks that they are looked down apon by their communities when it wasn't even their fault. On the bright side, I liked that this video included the rehab center and the life these girls now live.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG89oL_keVs

"Cambodia: CHILD SEX SLAVERY." Youtube. Web. 14 May 2010. .

Invisible Children

Invisible Children started out as three young filmmakers on a journey throughout Africa that resulted in them coming face to face with something unlike anything they had ever seen. They faced the reality of the war in Uganda and children being abducted and forced to become soldiers in the Lord's Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony. Being from the states, this was a complete shock to them so while in Africa they shot a documentary which later became the video that exposed Uganda's trafficking secrets. The more people saw their video and found out about human trafficking in Uganda, the more they wanted to help. With that, Invisible Children Inc. was created as a non-profit organization which gives those who are compassionate about this topic an opportunity to play an active role in raising the awareness of children being trafficked as soldiers in the war. Invisible Children Inc. prove to have pursued a relationship with the Ugandan community by stating "it was not only important but essential to heed the wisdom of people that had not only lived in the war, but were surviving it." Seven years later and Invisible Children is still focused on fighting to end the war in Northern Uganda while building schools and helping educate the future leaders of the Ugandan community.

Before hearing about the child soldiers, I only viewed human trafficking as a sex slave industry. In fact, Invisible Children is the organization that helped me discover that the abduction of children into an army to fight at such a young age is just as much human trafficking as the other. I was enlightened about two years ago and have ever since been interested in following this movement. These three men started with a simple documentary which resulted in a massive media-based awareness tool used to tell people all over the world about the war in Uganda. I support this organization and think that it truly is making a difference, not only in Africa but in America as well. It educates Americans about a huge issue going on across the globe that otherwise, many people would have no reason to know about. I love that Invisible Children uses the advantage of media in every way possible to attract supporters and readers. Not only is this organization enlightening America about a war that has shaped history in Uganda and how it has affected the children of that country, but it's providing an outlet for these people to do something about it. This isn't just an awareness website; it's a revolution.

http://www.invisiblechildren.com/about/whoWeAre/

"Our Story." Invisible Children. Invisible Children, n.d. Web. 14 May 2010. .

Modern Slavery

The video source that I used was mainly just an overview about the overall industry of human trafficking. There was no particular story line other than some facts about modern slavery across the globe. It starts out with four guys on their way to hook up with some girls in a hotel for a bachelor party but their fun hits a quick halt when they notice that a little girl is who is sitting on the edge of the bed. At that point the video takes a turn into some statistics of what human trafficking is like and how secretive it truly is. This video also addresses the issue of child soldiers being abducted and trafficked in Uganda to fight war at such a young age. Despite which type of slavery it may be at the moment, it's occurring all over the world.

For such a secretive and almost unacknowledged industry, modern slavery racks up the big bucks when "last year, the sex slave industry profited $32 billion. That is more than Starbucks, Google, and Nike combined..." Even though CNN may not always be the best literal source for factual information, there are bits and pieces of CNN interviews throughout this video that seem pretty accurate. I have prior research on sex slavery and the war in Uganda to where I can have confidence in believing the facts this video gives. I thought this video did a great job of raising awareness for modern slavery because it caught my attention and learn more about the issue. This video wasn't made for advertisement, but for awareness.

http://www.youtube.com/v/VZTN0TbsRYA&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca

"Modern Slavery-Human Trafficking." Youtube. Web. 14 May 2010. .