Exploiting Dreams and Destroying Lives

Human trafficking is probably one of the most serious and inhumane problems affecting women and children today. The more you hear about it, the most upset and angry you get. This monstrous business is almost unbelievable.

Global Post has a piece about the increasing rates of young women in Mongolia being tricked into entering the sex trade. These women are told that they are starting a new job or college, and are flown to a different country and are suddenly in an incomprehensible nightmare. They are forced into prostitution and are often beaten.

Many are trapped, unable to get away and return to their homes. And, as this article points out, even if they are able to escape, their lives are still completely destroyed. They may be out of the sex trade, but they often face depression, poverty, and the risk of re-entering the trade either as a prostitute or as a trafficker.

You have to wonder what kind of person becomes a trafficker. How can they do that to another person? I don't think that we can only blame the individuals themselves because in many parts of the world, it is almost impossible to earn a living. It is devastating that in order to survive in the world, some people have to lie, kidnap and force women into the sex trade.

Certainly there are some just plain bad people who do it, but I think that there is more to this issue than just that. It makes me incredibly angry and it tears me up inside that there are so many women and children who are forced into doing something that is not only degrading, but also extremely dangerous. These are people who have their own dreams and lives, they are not objects that can be traded and sold.

Photo courtesy of www.flickr/mvcorks