Survivors have their voices heard at the UN

Equally worthy news sources Time Magazine and FMF blogger Kat have been getting buzz going: the recession has brought with it an increase in human trafficking, particularly in cases of child sex trafficking.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 12.3 million people are being trafficked at any given time, with that number mostly being compiled of women and girls.

In response to this dangerous snowballing threat to safety, the UN responded with a series of recently-held hearings specifically on the issue. Truth be told, this is not the first time human trafficking has been brought up in the halls of the UN; its an issue they've been grappling with for quite some time. It is, however, the first time the UN has approached the topic by putting the specialists to the side and the spotlight on survivors. The results were fascinating.


Heart-wrenching stories were shared from all walks of life from Rachel Lloyd (who founded the non-profit GEMS after escaping her own forced sexual exploitation horror story) to Charlotte Awino of Uganda (who was imprisoned 8 years by Ugandan rebels at the age of 14,) Buddhi Gurung of Nepal (who, unlike many, survived being duped by a false work ad, having his passport confiscated and forced to work in a war-zone) and Kikka Cerpa of Venezuela (who was taken to NYC by her boyfriend, under the guise of being a nanny, only to get sold into his family's brothel.)

While the stories came from different corners of the globe, they oozed of the same plea: these people are victims and the official world needs to start seeing them as victims.

In all cases, there was an opportunity for action that was not taken. Awino explained when found by authorities, people in her situation are often mistaken as compliant terrorists, and treated as such. Cerpa reported the multiple times the police raided her brothel, either to demand sex or to arrest the workers. Each time, she was denied the aid she needed because it was never assumed that she was there against her will. Gurung is currently suing the US government (specifically the federal contractors KRB) for human trafficking and is still shocked that in his many encounters with officials, it was always assumed he was a voluntary immigrant worker, even though his papers did not match.

UN Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons Joy Ngozi Ezeilo emphasized penalizing the guilty, not the victims, pushing for stronger law enforcement in each country and financial compensation for the victims.

Reminding those in the hearing of shared humanity, Ezeilo closed by saying "it will be irresponsible if we fail to act. We are humans and we should not support inhuman action...The slave trade has been abolished and we can't accept that in our world today.""

photo credit: mvcorks on flickr.com

Movie Review: Playground.

Where does child prostitution happen? Why does child prostitution happen? Is it a problem Americans have to worry about?

The majority of Americans would probably not like to think about child prostitution as an issue that we have to worry about; we would prefer to maintain the ideas that it happens in other countries, that the only people who have to worry about their children being kidnapped for exploitation are those who are poor or come from impoverished families. But, as the new documentary "The Playground" points out, not only are they wrong, but the mindset of cheerful ignorance helps fuel the robust domestic child prostitution trade.

"The Playground" demonstrates that children in every city are being forced into prostitution and pornography across the nation, from every class and racial demographic. It interviews law enforcement officers, social workers, victims of trafficking, committed sex offenders, and investigators and through their testimonies uncovers startling facts about the domestic child sex trade.

Children as young as 11 are being forced into the sex trade--being arrested for being part of a trade that was forced on them while the "john" that rapes them goes free. (Think about it: if she weren't a prostitute, her rapist would be deemed a pedophile and would be prosecuted as such.)

The Sex Offender registry is so bloated (in some states 6-year olds are being registered as sex offenders) that actual dangerous sex offenders AREN'T LISTED, and can get away with crimes.

By looking at tragic statistics, the viewer must re-examine their understanding of the American legal system, its foster care system, and the American culture--which various interviewees claimed promoted the child sex trade on account of its sexualization of women and children.

For more about the documentary, check out http://www.playgroundproject.com/film/
For more about child sex trafficking, check out http://www.sharedhope.org/

Photo Credit: striatic on flickr.com

Global Economic Downturn Fuels Child Sex Trade

Poverty leads to vulnerability leads to child sexual exploitation--its not a direct correlation or a direct equation, but most studies would agree that those facing poverty are at a much higher risk for sexual exploitation.

With the Global Economic Recession, more people have been pushed into poverty, and more children being sexually exploited. According to the Global Post, approximately 1.8 million children are sexually exploited every year.

Its a pattern familiar to many countries. The recession forced the closure of many work establishments, government services are cut, children have to quit school either because their parents can't afford it or because they have to help earn money, living conditions deteriorate--and as part of these conditions, children become more vulnerable to exploitation. Whether it be through the promise of quick money, the nice words of a stranger, children are increasingly being "recruited" into this multi-billion dollar industry at startling rates every year.

Photo Credit: Yan Pritzker on flickr.com

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

The Dark Side of Making Ends Meet

The fact that women often turn to the sex trade in times of economic difficulty is not new, but the fact that it has been going on for centuries doesn't make it any less tragic to hear about. The Salon has a piece today about the increasing numbers of educated and qualified women who have lost their jobs and are now turning to selling sexual favors.

The article opens with the story of a woman who has lost her $45,000 a year job and, after applying to jobs she was over-qualified for, has gone to posting sexual favors on Craigslist.

The stories of these women are sad and speak to the options available to women. It also speaks to the important place sex has in our society. People may stop buying expensive foods and cars, but they will still pay for sex.

What I thought was especially sad was the fact that these women, after having to engage in degrading or uncomfortable behavior to make money to survive, often have to hide the entire thing from their families because of the stigma. So, they are struggling to negotiate between their comfort and morals and the necessity of making money, and they do not have a group of people that they can talk about it with.
Photo courtesy of www.flickr/nyki_m

Human Trafficking Report Issued, and For Good Reason!

Today Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued the ninth annual Department of State Trafficking Persons Report. The document is over 300 pages of action initiatives and narratives from 175 countries worldwide. This document gives the reader a true sense of what people experience who are thrown into human trafficking. Full of personal and heart breaking experiences, the report is over 300 pages long!

The sex trade is a multi billion dollar industry, full of coercion, torture, rape and violence against women and children. President Bill Clinton issued the first US government policy concerning human trafficking in 1998. In the late 1990's to 2002 The Penguin Atlas was able to better understand the documented flows of sex trafficking through research and survivors stories. At that time, main originating countries of sex trafficking included China, Indonesia, Brazil, Peru, Algeria, Niger, and Ethiopia. From the 2009 Report, a personal story from a Nigerian woman named Anita who was trafficked through Ghana into Italy was almost unrealistic. She was carted between Milan, Rome, and Turin and raped nearly 25 times a day. Anita survived to tell her story but few do. The horror stories that come from around the world seem to be distant to those of us who live in the US, in actuality, it is just hidden. The clues of human trafficking can be found all around the US.

In fact, the US and Canada were considered main destinations and transit countries in 2002. An estimated 50,000 women are trafficked into the US every year, yet go undetected. It is important to understand that these women are being held against their will. They are often coerced and tricked into slavery, believing they are entering some sort of workforce. Or in some cases, tricked and sold by their own friends and family. They are constantly beaten, threatened, raped, and scared for their lives. According to UNICEF, as many as two million children are subjected to prostitution in the global commercial sex trade. While sex trafficking is definitely one of the larger forms there is also involuntary domestic servitude, child labor, bonded labor, and child soldiers.

Child soldiers is a relatively untouched and uneducated issue for youth of America. That is until 3 Southern Californian filmmakers created a documentary and then the non profit organization Invisible Children. The film brought light to the war in Northern Uganda, and how children are kidnapped turned into child soldiers and used as weapons. Since 2003, Invisible Children has worked to bring light about this war and these children to mainstream America and to help in the change and process toward peace in Africa.