This is one of the more shameful parts of United States history, one we would like to leave behind.
We point out that human history has moved beyond slavery, that it no longer exists in the world. Unfortunately, that's not true.
Kristof and WuDunn point out that at the peak of the transatlantic slave trade in the 1780s, approximately 80,000 slaves were transported from Africa to the New World each year and that the number dropped to approximately 50,000 each year from 1811 to 1850. These are shocking numbers, but these numbers are minimal compared to the 600,000 to 800,000 people who are currently trafficked across the borders each year.
It's stunning. How do we not know about this? Why don't we hear about it?
Is it because 80 percent of these individuals are women? Because they are primarily trafficked for sex?
Why are these numbers increasing?
Given that this slavery is technically illegal across the globe, what can be done to stop the slave trade?
You may wish to discuss the challenges in fighting an underground business, or you may wish to comment on what the group out of Seattle is doing.
You may also wish to discuss some differences between prostitution and trafficking or how changing attitudes about prostitution may make it more difficult to fight against slavery.
Of note, San Diego is not immune to human trafficking.
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/jan/30/san-diego-leaders-announce-new-campaign-combat-sex/
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/mar/13/young-san-diego-filmmaker-attempts-tell-truth-abou/
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/mar/12/study-san-diego-street-gangs-deeply-involved-comme/
Right off the start it goes right into how girls are kidnapped and forced to go into slavery and are used to sell themselves for sex and if they refuse they'll get beat by the owners. There are about 2 to 3 million prostitutes in India but chill have almost four times that, they have about 10 million but the difference are some aren't forced to do it like they do in India. India, Pakistan, and Iran are the countries who force girls into prostitution. it's not looked down upon as much as it would here because people turn their back on it just because it's a poor country. Most women keep doing it once they aren't forced to do so because it's all they know how to do in order to make money and later on get their daughter to do it too. 1 million children are brought into prostitution every year which only goes up with time. it's sad to see this going on because of the poverty within these regions and nothing is done about it, the police and higher authority are often involved with it so there's no one really to go to when they need help. In The U.S it's looked down upon with tremendous disgust and no one really results in doing that. Trafficking is when you take someone and force them to have sex for money while prostitution is more voluntary because no one is forcing them or having them against their own will to do it. Many girls who are forced have their self-esteem broken, beaten, and embarrassed so it's easier to have them give in. It's not right to do these to anyone especially children and a lot of people are clueless to what goes on. Most people who aren't from the country would think girls are there because they want to be to make money but no one knows the real story unless it's told by the person themselves. But brothel owners are dangerous and take the business very serious so it's not easy for these girls at all, if they are angered they send death threats and go out of their way to make their point. While fighting slavery from Seattle they believe education is key because when girls who live in poor areas tend to work more to make money to help family but once they can't they end up resulting in prostitution. getting others educated on poverty and the struggles and helping isn't easy but thats what's key when abolishing something like this. Once going in to depth with poverty, prostitution and Human trafficking are along side with it.
ReplyDeleteThe comparison of sex trafficking and prostitution to slavery may seem exaggerated to some; indeed it’s not. Don’t let the glitz and glamour of the Las Vegas strip fool you, the living conditions of the poor women who were coerced or even born into sexual exploitation are squalor, at best. As far as many of us know, the abusive environments of the brothels described in the first chapter of Half the Sky hold no more prevalence in the United States than polio. The attitudes toward prostitution are mixed, to say the least. However, the general public views prostitution in America with a sympathetic scorn. Some see it as a last and desperate attempt to make quick money, while also blaming the prostitutes for bringing that lifestyle upon themselves. On the other hand, others see prostitution as much as being a career choice inherent with the risk of death and disease, as being a police officer or a doctor. Nevada, for instance has about 19 legal brothels with their employees being legal as well. For the most part, none of the women working in the legal brothels, as far as I know from research, were forced to work into the business. Those views on prostitution are particularly dangerous because it allows people to dismiss the fact the prostitution and sex trafficking - (whether in the traditional sense, i.e. across international borders, or in in a technical sense, i.e. within borders) - is particularly cruel and abusive and those views are also a hindrance when it comes to getting people involved in freeing sex slaves. Now, what can be done to put an end to this vicious business? I have no idea. But, while I don’t know what the plan should be exactly, I know that it should address the following concerns: the attitudes currently held about prostitution, education, economy, and the way other countries view the female members of their society; among many other things. Also, in underdeveloped countries, prostitution is pretty underground. I mean it is no secret to the locals or even the local authorities that sexual slavery is an issue. But, it is underground only because many people choose to turn a blind eye to it justifying it as a necessary evil to improve their economy. So in a way, the citizens of those underdeveloped countries make prostitution seem underground even though it really isn’t. On the bright side, with education women can offer more to their country’s economy than just their bodies, they can also offer an unparalleled wit accompanied with a creative mind and business savvy. This is why I applaud the Overlake School in America and its Principal Frank Girjalva for instilling education in communities where it is highly sought after, especially by the citizens who were deprived the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteHuman trafficking is a modern day slavery. Countless women and children, girls and boys alike, fall victims into the world of sex trade everyday and yet no concrete solution is readily available in sight to combat this widespread disease. Why should it be in the first place? Just like illegal drugs, sex trade is a profitable business. If there are drug lords, so are the madams and pimps. In some European countries like Holland, the city of Amsterdam is world-famous for its Red Light District where prostitution is legal. There are brothels or private houses here where working girls rent small rooms with big glass windows to display their flesh merchandise to passers-by under the glow of red lights. It is a local and tourist attraction. Prostitution, dubbed as the oldest profession in the world, whether voluntary or forced, is thriving on all corners of this planet.
ReplyDeleteBut what is most appalling is knowing that there are those women and children, especially in poor countries, who at a very young age are readily groomed, brainwashed, and coerced into prostitution. In a country like India or Pakistan, it seems that most babies born, girls in particular, are already doomed to a life of hardship and misery from the very beginning. What is worse, though not all, are the patriarchs, matriarchs, and the law enforcers who condone what looks like an old customary practice. So who can these poor victims turn to for help? Even worse are those women and children being abducted, tortured, raped, and sold as sex slaves. Some of them like Srey Rath and Meena Hasina, were lucky to escape and started rebuild their lives, but others unfortunately, died in the hands of their perpetrators. Where is justice for them? Where is the government and the arms of the law to protect them? In other progressive and developing countries, sex trade is now readily accessible on the Internet. There is cyber sex, though looks harmless because there is no physical contact between the performer and the viewer, still is a form of human trafficking. Although most adult participants are willing to perform for the money, there are also minors who are forced or conned to do sexual acts in front of the camera. Over a year ago, I've seen the news on the Filipino cable TV of a cyber sex den raided by the NBI (National Bureau of Investigations) in the Philippines where young boys and girls, were involved. The operators were arrested, however, because of corruption and red tape, are still out of jail.
To abolish human trafficking, every country's government should take an active and aggressive role in combating this heinous crime. Like in the state of Texas, a law has been passed that human trafficking is now a first-degree felony punishable by 5 to 99 years to life in prison. And to those countries whose majority of its citizenry are still uneducated, an extensive education program should be introduced and implemented by their government. Education is the very essence of progress and prosperity. This should be a good start.
Human trafficking is a big problem along side extreme poverty. Both these issues can be found region to region, so it’s no secret that any of this is happening. Many women and young girls including boys are victims of human trafficking in which in many cases are put into the sex trade. It is very frightening to know that, we live really close to where many of these caseses are taken place. I am referring to the Mexican-U.S. border, according to the Department of Justice, about 17,500 are victims of human trafficking into the country each year. Also, about 82% are put into the sex trade while 10% are put into the agricultural labor. Now, the Mexico-U.S. border is not the only problem, Mexico’s other border is an issue as well. Many Central and South Americans want to cross to Mexico to find better opportunities, whether in Mexico or in the U.S. Unfortunately, that come with a consequence, as Eduardo Rosario said, “Just like illegal drugs, the sex trade is a profitable business.” So many people who cross(many women) will fall into the arms of the drug cartels. Many will say, “Is there a solution to this,” and I would answer, sure there is; it is already happening. According to Bernard Kishar, founder of the American Assistance of Cambodia, the only way to save them(Women and children) is by preventing them from being trafficked, and that is by keeping them in schools. At first it seems to be a case of “easier said than done.” A perfect example, is what the student of Overlake from Seattle, Washington are doing. With a 13,000 donation, a school in Cambodia will be built for about 270 students. And apart from that, after it’s built, 19 student go and see the schools as an experience and validity on how public schools are important. I truly believe this is an innovative idea and at the same time a solution to this extreme issue. It is sad that human trafficking is a side effect of sex-trade, agricultural labor, and many other disturbing methods. It is also sad that many of the victims are manipulated by their culture in which decides from what we consider to be right from wrong. Ultimately, it is truly up to the education system, that are being built by organization to help redefine their lives.
ReplyDeleteI think that one of the many reasons why we don't really hear stories about human trafficking and modern slavery as they call it, it's because it sometimes involves countries far away, and like we have all heard of, it seems so far away and it affects so many people that it seems almost impossible to help. One of the ways we can help is through Aid organizations, yet some people grow skeptical , for example, if a person donates money, say 100 or even 50 dollars, that person might ask him/herself how is the money managed? how is it distributed or put to good use so that it can help a large number of people? That might also explain why people are more likely to help if they hear about one individual in need of help. I truly respect what Frank Grijalva from Seattle and the American Assistance for Cambodia created by Krisher have done and continue doing for the girls and boys in Cambodia. Krisher created this group in order to rescue girls- and boys who are treated as servants- from brothels by keeping them in school. Together Krisher and Gijalva partnered up to provide assistance not just charity to the rural children in Cambodia. They believe Americans should also be exposed to life abroad so they can learn and grow and help tackle the problem. Corruption, jealousy, sexual harrasment, among others impede the progress of young children like Kum Sokkea who finished elementary school but dropped out of middle school due to transportation problems. It made me really angry when a woman asked to use her bicycle and sold it. Then again, that woman was probably in desperate need of money, and so she probably didnt understand how important that bike was for Sokkea. I see the woman as an example of why I agree with people who believe educating young girls and boys is important.
ReplyDeleteFrom my own perspective, I believe that the reason first world citizens do not realize the going-on’s of far away lands is because with so much information being distributed rapidly throughout all types of media at an unprecedented rate, people are pushed to determine which pieces of information are significant enough to listen to and which pieces seem to not require more than a mere glance from the viewer, much like how the human brain takes all visual, auditory, and olfactory stimuli of a chaotic environment, picks out the most notable ones, and brings into perspective a scenic image of a quiet front yard versus previously said chaos. I have been guilty of consciously choosing not to mind the troubles of foreign countries, and I am sure there are many others who are guilty as well. However, I often avoid news of child trafficking and forced prostitution for the fact that I create in myself such vivid and horrific images that are debilitating because I often over think it, and I’m well afraid that those “over exaggerated” scenes I make up in my head may actually be a grim reality for many people in several parts of the world. Luckily, there are teachers in the world that expose students such as myself to these global dilemmas, slowly convincing a few at a time that people must free and support the women who are being taken advantage of in human trafficking and forced prostitution, or as Kristof puts it, modern slavery. I now have the belief that supporting the women in developing countries will greatly contribute to the reduction of extreme global poverty. Time to time, I will hear someone reiterate the saying, “The children are our future.” However, those developing countries where women are oppressed will have no bright future if they don’t allow the women to cultivate a new generation of open-minded children, individuals who should have the right to have the same opportunities as first world citizens. The task to eliminate modern slavery is daunting, especially since the human population won’t stop growing exponentially, supposedly creating more supply of uneducated girls and attracting more ignorant consumers. I believe that an effective way of helping reduce modern slavery is to create attractive jobs, careers, and businesses that are focused on fighting against human trafficking. I am sure many Americans feel they already have too many problems to think about than to have concern for a girl’s suffering in a brothel. But I believe that if there was a way gain benefits or payment for committing altruistic acts for impoverished girls and women around the globe, that may be a good start for the uninitiated to start fighting against the oppression on mothers and their children.
ReplyDeleteSometimes people think that if someone is working as a prostitute that it’s their decision to sell their body and then they label them with harsh, cruel words. But in reality, we don’t really know if that person on the street decided for herself to go into prostitution or if she was forced into it. Although there are some people who willingly sell their body for sex, a large amount of people entered the sex industry unwillingly. Sex trafficking ultimately leads to prostitution as the girl is used to pay off debts and make money. They usually have no way out of it because they are being threatened or their families are threatened. They get brutally abused and beaten whether they cried or refused to have sex with a client. Meena shared how the brothel owners beat her up due to her resistance and eventually drugged her up and got her drunk. By getting beaten up various times in a day girls lose their strength and soon become broken, which is what the brothel owners want to happen. Kristof and WuDunn have considered the word “sex trafficking” as a misnomer. They believe that it should be labeled as slavery since girls aren’t usually transported in great distances for forced prostitution. In Washington, providing education to rural children, especially girls, can keep them from being trafficked. Their financial burdens wouldn’t result them to taking jobs that they aren’t positive about and be lured into the sex trafficking world. This is one way to prevent girls from being forced into prostitution. Why don’t we hear about these things? One of the reasons is it’s taboo. People don’t like talking about prostitution and immediately have a preconceived thought against it. It’s an underground business. I recall reading in the past that one way that these “pimps” or “bosses” get girls is through the “Loverboy” method. The guy starts dating a girl and acts as the perfect boyfriend and after a few months offers the girl to go to another country with him and then sell her. All the expenses the guy paid for her to get her there is issued as a debt on her and she has to repay it by having sex with multiple guys. She is bought and owned by somebody now. It’s horrifying to hear stories about this, but it’s happening today and people need to be aware of it. Police officers aren’t even reliable when it comes to rescuing girls from brothels or sex trafficking because they are regular customers themselves. Meena went to a police station, but they didn’t even help. Instead, they brought her back to the brothel. It’s good that there are people and organizations spreading awareness about this modern day slavery, but these are issues that people should be fed with everyday so that they can gain some knowledge about what’s been happening around them.
ReplyDeleteGood discussion; it's very much like we talked about on Tuesday morning.
DeleteUnfortunately sex traffic or even slave trafficing is basically one of the oldest known trades since the dawn of time. Its crazy to think that China has the most abundant postitutes. In the first Chapter of Half the Sky it mentioned that India has about 2-3 million prostitutes,however China has about 10 million or more.Those numbers seem to be climbing due to financial hardships...most of the prostitutes have no other choice. The majority of non forced prostitution isnt due to sex or physical stimulation,however its due to financial stability. Its crazy how they bring out that the International Labour Organization(UN agency) estimates that at any one time there are 12.3 million people engaged in forced labour of all kinds, not just sexual servitude. The story of Meena is a tragic story but unfortunately...its probably pretty common in the dark underworld known as the "RED LIGHT" district. Most rural area's around the world are so poor that parents have to sell their children inorder to feed the family. In Meena's case even with attempts of successful escape into the midst of law enforcement....there was no justice available. I find it sad that you cant even go to the authorities sometimes for help because they too also engage in illegal activities. I think thats why this problem of sex trafficing will never go away in rural countries where economic hardships exsits. The problem of trafficing is also affecting us here as well in the USA. The US state Dept. has estimated that between 600,000 and 800,000 people are trafficed across international borders each year, 80 percent of them women and girls, mostly for sexual explotation. human trafficing dosent necessarily just mean sexual exploitation...in some cases actual slavery is still exsiting today. Its crazy how even in our present times with the supposed evolvement of our species...some people believe its ok to still own another human being. I remember seeing that news broadcast on channel 7 news about how gangs now are the running the prostitution ring here in San Diego. I believe education can help these young women in other countries, and maybe even in our own country. Too be honest though,however, i dont ever see this problem of human trafficking to go away. This problem has been around since the start of civilizations. Wether or not people are forced into human slavery,because of the financial instability happening around the world.....some of those in invovled in trafficking have no other way of surviving!
ReplyDeleteThe frequency of human sex trafficking may not be moderated nor completely eradicated due to the corruption within some of the countries and its authorities. It’s not found as a surprise that officials are bribed, or agree to some extents, to maintain low profiles for several black-market and crime syndicates in favor of some benefit. Though it’s also due to poverty that could direct some individuals to push into the boundaries of their economy, they are left with no other choices rather than enter into prostitution in order to make ends meet or maintain their financial needs for their families. The lack of education could also have individuals at the risk of being kidnapped and trafficked into foreign locations which could play a disadvantage to the captors since they may not have the adequate intellect to talk to others or seek other help. It is interesting to note that of the places that are “straitlaced and sexually conservative societies such as India, Pakistan, and Iran”, they contain the greatest number in prostitution and also implement force and brutality to those who are taken into sex trafficking. A disturbing addition to prostitution comes from the newborns that are inside the brothels that are taken in only to be turned on into slaves of sex trafficking when these children are mature enough. The trouble is that some societies that have the integrated sex trafficking often shun people that are in brothels and prostitution, and may hold the belief that those who are unfortunately in it are of less valuable in their groups or hold a lower caste in their own society. It is difficult to emphasize which concept would be best to support, whether it be directed to better education or simply aiding, to prevent the further increase in human sex trafficking. But the gradual support in one issue can help liberate and relieve some of the effects of other issues and allow greater and exponential progress in alleviating the issues in the future.
ReplyDeletePeople are being forced into prostitution all around the world and many of whom are not able to escape this tragedy. Many girls are taken from a young age and remain as sex slaves for some brothel but there are those such as Meena who went through such events but was still able to escape the horrid situation and change her life for the better. Trafficking people for the use of sex is something that should not even exist in this world but the sad truth is that it does and it is horrible that people could do such action.
ReplyDeleteMeena’s story found in Half the Sky is so inspirational because she went through so much starting early in her life where she would always fight back even if it would result in beatings. She was forced to have sex every day with strangers in a brothel which was owned by a matriarch which I found so unusual. This matriarch even put her own daughters in prostitution so they could know what it felt like to go through such awful events. I found Meena inspirational because she was pregnant when she was in the brothel and the matriarch took her two children as hostages but she still managed to help other girls in the brothel escape. Even as years passed Meena escaped the brothel and kept fighting fer her children until her son escaped and then she received help to rescue her daughter who had been starting to have sex with men.
The problem with people not being aware of the events such as human trafficking is that people have to make time for doing the research in order to find these tragedies. Televisions would be a great way to spread awareness but they would rather show a YouTube video which has a a million views in a few hours than the fact that many women are being forced into prostitution then were able to change their lives. People should be aware of the horrid events happening in other places in the world so that they can help make a change in the world.
The kids at Overlake school are amazing for helping earn money to help build a school in Cambodia because they show how important it is to educate kids, especially women, at a young age because they can realize that boys and girls are equal regardless of gender. Not only did they donate money but they also visited the school they helped create which is great because they are able to experience their efforts first hand and not from a distance. More people should go out and help not just donate because they have to get the personal experience to get a stronger feeling of being able to make a difference.
Slavery is one of the most horrific things not only in the history of the United States but around the world. Kristof and Wudunn do point out that at the peak of the transatlantic slave trade approximately 80,000 slaves were transported from Africa to the New World each year. But in actuality the transatlantic slave trade was just as bad. African slaves in the early days were taken from their native lands and tribes and shipped off on slave boats, stripped from their families and homeland. But as slavery got more in demand the market for slaves evolved and changed. Manufacturing sites or places known as Slave Fortresses began manufacturing slaves. They kept many female slaves who would just birth children. It was a cruel system but one of the most infamous slave fortresses called “El Mina” would process between 200,000 to 250,000 slaves a year. This number is just as staggering as this was only one slave fortress. My point is that old day slavery and modern day slavery are both cruel and inhumane. Sex trafficking has been around for a long time and in countries like India and China, sex trafficking is a source of income for many people and gangsters. It’s just a huge problem in countries that suffer from poverty. I actually believe many people have heard about prostitution in developing countries but have just failed to realize the cruelty behind it. I believe many Americans have an out of sight out of mind mentality today. Many people just don’t want to hear about cruel stories they can do nothing about. Rights for African American slaves were fought for in the American Civil War. It’s hard to see a world fighting over the slavery of women being forced into prostitution. Especially, in a world where women are not treated as equal as men. But I believe we can make a change just as the Overlake school did in Washington. We need to help educate women so that they could play a more dominant role in their society. It will be a slow grueling change but the more we do to help empower women or give better job incentives we will be better able to battle this epidemic. But going to school full time is a hard process for many as the students experienced some of the girls dropping out even with incentives given for girls to have perfect attendance by giving them $10 a month. However, I believe we need to keep on trying to force the change by assisting women and young girls because this is something you can’t just take a break from and come back to later. Just as slavery in the US evolved so is the market for sex trafficking women and it’s sad to say but people are getting better at it.
ReplyDeleteLooking at these three links and watching the clips has me still in shock, how is it that we live in San Diego and yet we don't know about all this sex trafficking? I mean we know that it is happening everywhere but so many here in San Diego California home of the free... Within the last four years it has tripled! Sex trafficking and prostitution are considered two different things one being forced into and the other voluntarily; but that doesn't change the fact that this is just getting out of hand and making it harder to help end this worldwide. It's not only San Diego who is struggling with this but everywhere around the world, children as little as 12 are being sex trafficked. With some people like the one who spoke in the video about being a prostitute, she did that to make extra money for herself and her child; taking such an extreme step into selling her body just to know her child is going to have another meal. How are we to know that maybe most of these prostitutes are doing the same because they didn't get the right education to follow through with school or does not have a steady job? There is no right to prostitution but with how poverty is to them that’s their only choice. Sex trafficking is a sad thing i remembered watching a film on netflix about this and it can happen to anyone, girls and boys who are in foster care is twice more a chance of being in trafficking here in San Diego. Kids who run away end up getting stuck with sex trafficking or becoming a prostitute and its sad to know they feel like this is the place for them to be because they have know where else to go, Gang members are even working with each other selling these girls off into sex trafficking and the question is what can we do about this? It's sad to say but I don't think this will be something that will end. All we can do is fight and fight and continue to fight for the sake of these kids.
ReplyDeleteHuman trafficking is obviously a horrific and very complex problem. Its an intense cake of culture, bribed authorities, and self serving government officials iced with kidnapping and garnished with beatings and crimes against humanity such as being impaled in the eye by a pull or flogged until bloodied. On the question of why we don’t hear about it I don’t believe its because there women that may be a trifling factor but not the prime reason if any thing I think the fact that there women would make men here more interested in trying to solve the problem. I think the real reason we don’t notice these thing is that we are all seemingly stewing in a miasma of pop culture, celebrity’s, politics, video games, etc. We all live in our own fantasy bubbles that surround us with sights and sounds and synthesizing our own sense of euphoria and most of us don’t want our bubbles popped. So I repeat the reason is not the fact that there women it’s because of our own self absorbed stupor. But when people ask what can we do the answer as of now is not much we cannot even begin to understand the complexity of the issue plus we have to much to worry about on the home front, the truth is they have to be the ones to fight it the most we can do is give the tools and financial and lessons so that they can fight of this scourge they have to be in it to win it and be as ruthless as the criminals that constantly try to control there life’s and It won’t be easy. They must be armed and able to defend themselves against these demons in human skins. Addressing trafficking it is very different then the prostitution, trafficking is the equivalent of slavery the girls are forced into it and if they resist the are beaten to complacent or murdered they are not paid and are often forced to take drugs to make them more complacent. However in prostitution women do it mainly by choice if only by desperation they are paid and in places like Nevada were it is regulated it’s a well paying and relatively safe trade. However I do see how this could skew the lines between prostitution and human trafficking as many “owners” of the slaves are conditioned to create the façade of enjoyment.
ReplyDeleteSex trafficking is a consequence of poverty. People look for easy ways to earn money and ruin someone else’s life. Just how there are drug lords, there are also sickening individuals who believe they can take ownership of a person and sell them to prostitution. Just like others mentioned, sex trafficking is modern slavery. When we think of slavery, we do not imagine prostitution, we imagine black men, women, and children being used and mistreated because that is what we were taught in history books. Therefore, we often ignore the topic of prostitution because our society has taught us that it’s a subject we shouldn’t touch. We view prostitution as something evil that women get involved in by choice, but what we ignore is that most of those women were forced into prostitution and grow up ignorant thinking that it is the only career they can do. We often call these women sluts, and other hurtful words without even knowing their story. I recently attended a presentation given at school about rape. Rape which plays a major role in sex trafficking often initiates by us, the society. The media, society and even the hurtful words we say sometimes contribute to a rapist type of mind. We often refer to words like “bitch”, “sissy”, or even “Gay” and comments such as “You are such a girl”, as if it was an insult to be a girl. We have the mentality that being a girl is such a “gay” thing, therefore we already view girls as an object and that leads to sex trafficking. Now I know there are also young men who are being sold for sex, but the majority of them are girls. I agree with Kristof’s view that the main reason why there is so much extreme poverty is because we are not doing anything to help the women. Women are the main head of the family and they are the ones who keep the family united. We can stop violence against women by simply stop the offenses against them and quit referring to weak men as “sissys” comparing them to girls. If only we would change the way we view women, we would improve the lives of many of them and extreme poverty would slowly vanish.
ReplyDeleteThe amount of individuals taken or sold from their homes to work in prostitution and labor is staggering to say the least. Few of these individuals are male but the majority is under age females. They are forced from their families and threatened to fulfill what the customer wants. If they refuse or resist in anyway, the individual is beaten until they submit. In some cases, the females are so resistant that they would be drugged. Many of the female become pregnant and are encouraged to by their “owners” because when the child grows into an adolescent, they too will be forced into the prostitution ring. The owner now has leverage to bribe and threaten the mother into behaving or harm will come to her children. Even if the victims can manage to escape, the local law enforcement will not do a thing to help. The police that are supposed to help and protect the innocent civilians are returning them from where they had escaped, back into a horrid lifestyle that none of them deserved. There are many places around the world to find brothels, in different countries, and in different area, but one does not have to look far for the “Red Light” district. These are a concentrated area with high numbers of prostitutes and brothels among the city. Anyone can find these areas with minimal effort, but what’s startling is how nothing is being done to stop this abuse. It is shocking how much of a demand there is for prostitution across the world, without it the underground business would but nonexistent. As for a solution to get rid of human trafficking, I wouldn’t know where to begin. But, I believe that Frank Grijalva from Overlake School in Seattle and Bernard Krisher from American Assistance for Cambodia are on the right track to alleviate human trafficking. By having young children in school and giving the parents an incentive to continue to keep them enrolled, can make a major impact to reduce future slave trading. Having the young earn an education in school, they ensure a place of security, a constant in their lives, and an improvement of their living conditions.
ReplyDeleteHuman trafficking is a known subject everywhere I think people just don't want to believe that it could happen in places like San Diego. I was personally shocked to see what is happening across the world but more on what is happening so close to home.The total amount of women being sold into prostitution everyday increases, some are forced from their homes or some are even sold from their own families. The women involved are not safe at all under the conditions of sickness and being beaten all the time. They have no one to go to because the police are also involved with these brothels. For example, Meena tried to have them help to get her out of the brothel and they just laughed and sent her back where beatings awaited her. There are challenges on taking on the brothels, if you do resist you are beaten up and if you continue they would have you killed to show others that the brothel needs to be taken serious and scare others to not resist.
ReplyDeleteI do not know what to personally do to help to human trafficking but a start could be to have everyone educated on the subject. Also to have everyone have an education so that they do not fall into a society filled with brothels and the only be to turn to prostitution.
from the start the chapter goes into prostitution and how in India there's 2 to 3 million prostitutes. The difference about prostitution in india and in the united states is that for the most part in the united states, prostitution is done by choice. Unlike in india where prostitution is usually forced one a girl from a very younge age and if possible done so for generations. I would also like to point out the fact that not much if these problems are heard in the united states for the reason that it isnt really happening in this country. If it was happening here more attention would fall upon it. Since it is happening in another country, people turn i blind eye for the reason of " not my country, not my problem. It is tough for people mostly girl that live in these conditions to go on day by day. on the other had it is good to hear some positiveness come from alot of negative stuff. For example Meena was a prostitute and los her to first children to her pimps. In the end she escaped and after awhile was reunited with her children. although it wasent a complete happy ending because the family still kept getting threaten by the locals. they still had each other and could live a life together as a family and not in slavery. I do belive human traficking and slavery can be eliminated, but its a goal that is not gonna be seen during our generation. Too many people are too self centered to care about world problems because they have too many problems of their own. Another problem that raises is like in the movie of living on one dollar a day, awareness! not many people know about extreme poverty, not many people will know about human traffiking and prostitution. One may as a person what human traffiking is. You may get a defenition but not where it is happening or what happens when human traffiking is present. In the end it all leads to education. Education is the key to solving alot of problems that this world has.
ReplyDeleteTrafficked across borders or not, sexual slavery is the lowest grade of power one can have amongst another person. A disgrace of sexual exploitation, enslaved in sexual trade by mentally breaking down the victims, in particular women, in order to bring them back up into a slaved “robots” that do and respond like they were told, and prevent them from wanting to flee.
ReplyDeleteThere have been plenty of stories I have either heard or read of why an immense part of why we don’t hear about it, is because there is an underground high demand due to it’s psychological disorders of taboo and empowerment arousals. Many of these clients are successfully wealthy businessmen, politicians, and the highly controversial: certain religious leaders. Many of these people have a “you can trust me” disguise that one would never think otherwise. These people have a great deal of power and can acquire almost anything they want. The fact that the world’s most powerful people are men, also has a lot to do with the prejudice against the empowerment of women, therefore they become the primary trade for sexual enslavation. The numbers are increasing due to economical distress, causing many people to take desperate measures and prostitute themselves to make ends meat, or to lavish themselves in money. Willingly or unwillingly (by becoming forced to partake in sexual acts abusively), both sides use sexual exploitation for money. Underground popularity is also increasing due to supply and demand. Just like with any severe inhumane widespread issue, sexual slavery must be highly monitored by the United Nations and the community. Although many people are too intimidated to get involved for fear of risking their lives and become victimized as well in one way or another, the more people involved, the stronger the unification power will be against the unjustifications. A good strategy to encourage and recruit the audience to help end trafficking is to use celebrities. It’s a great attention grabber to get the audiences attention. I recall watching an interview with Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore talking about this topic and were advocating that something needs to be done to diminish sexual slavery.
As I just finished reading the first chapter of “Half the sky” I am shocked to know how many people are still slaves and being involve into sex Trafficking.
ReplyDeleteSlavery is a topic we do not discuss anymore because we think that it has been abolish all over the world, but sadly no. As we read the story of a young girl named Meena, which tells that she was kidnapped when she was eight or nine years old.Force to live a life she did not choose or wanted. Living in the U.S.A we might think that our country does not suffer with that kind of conflicts, but sadly it does.
Especially because we have border with Mexico, there are so many young adults wanting to live here in the U.S.A. so they would do what it takes to come, even if it is prostituting. When we think of Sex trafficking, we immediately think of only females, but men are often cut their genitals. I think that the percentage of slaves and prostitution is higher in countries that suffer from poverty. I Honestly think that we as Americans shoud do something about it. I mean we could have so many organization to help them, for example education, we could educate them about slavery and sex trafficking. Once they know it, they could find a form to report it. Because once it gets into someone’s live it will be pass from generation to generations. We do not want daughters having to go through everything their mom had to go through.
When I hear of prostitution, I think of woman in the United States engaging in sexual relations in exchange for money. When I hear of human trafficking, I think of kidnapping in foreign countries. One is willingly while the other is against their will. In my views they might seem different, but as the book points out, these are very much connected. There are 3 million woman enslaved in the sex trade according to the book. Now, I’ve never done any research on these two topics so the story about Meena was definitely shocking to read. The way the book explains her horrible conditions in the brothel where she was forced into prostitution and constantly beaten and then to have her children taken away from her. The story was sickening. The part I found most shocking was when she managed to escape to a local police station where they just mocked her and told her to go back. That’s a big problem when your local police are in favor of this forced prostitution. I believe to fight trafficking and prostitution it has to begin in the cities where it takes place. People in the United States don’t see these types of things happening so they truly know about what’s going on. This is certainly a challenge in fighting underground business. What I like about this story is how it turns into a positive one with Meena finding love and getting her children back. It almost sounded too good to be true. I was always in favor of this strategy. Kristof believes that stories like this create more of an impact and I agree.
ReplyDeleteTo me sex trafficking and being a slave is the same things, because for me the definition of slavery is being put into a position where you have no power and are forced into involuntary obligations. From the chapter “emancipating first century slaves” from the Book Half The Sky We are presented with a troubling topic which is sex trafficking. A statistic states that India is has more modern slaves, they have 2 to 3 million individuals who are forced into offering sex. Other surveys conducted also show that millions of women are forced into offering sex kidnaped, pimped. Even though these number are surprising it is hard to figure out why as a society we fail to take action and end this epidemic Perhaps the reason why we fail to take much action is because the problem is in a different country and we ignore the problem thinking that, that government will take action. But as we saw sometimes governments and higher authorities fail to take action and ignore victims such as the case of Meena who was sold to a brothel at a very young age and forced into sex trafficking. ¬¬After a successful escape Meena found herself asking for help from local authorities only to find out that they too were involved with the brothel and instead of helping her they returned her to the brothel. This is a heart breaking thing to see because if one cannot depend on police officers in times of need, who else can we depend on to defend and protect us? Perhaps one way to combat this issue is to tackle the problem head on. Speak out so that government around the world hear us and make them see that this is an issue that matters and we want to see a change because no individual should be forced into performing sexual deeds and enslaved for the rest of their lives.
ReplyDeleteProstitution is considered to be one of the world’s oldest professions. Since the beginning of time, for many women prostitution has been the easy way out when they have been in need of fast cash. The reason for this, I believe is because of the low standard women have been given in society. Women are looked down on in society, and thought of as less valuable and also with less dignity than men. The truth is that women and men were created equal, and they both have the same amount of human dignity. This misconception on equality has affected our women in society and taught them to give themselves less value because to society they are less important. For women it is more difficult to acquire jobs and sometime provide for yourself and your children when your husband has passed away or abandoned your family. What should these women do? What if they cannot find a job to feed their children? They are forced to succumb to the low standards of society and sell their bodies just to put food on the table. To me the resilience of women is incredible. We are capable of so much, and society should make an effort to solve this problem so that women can really show what they are capable of. Women can go through so much, work many jobs, bear children and raise them on their own. I think women deserve respect from society for being so strong and unbreakable.
ReplyDeleteSociety should give women the tools to help women overcome poverty and beat sex trafficking. I also believe that young boys should be educated to respect women in schools and not exploit them. This would be effective because these are the boys who will grow up in society and most likely still be the supreme group in society. They should know to respect women and not sell them.
The topic of slave trade is an issue that never fails to disappointment and I am sure it is a subject that brings devastation and frustration to many people as well. Although this is something that is completely illegal and we have supposedly "overcome" this issue, it is sad to say that it still occurs in many parts of the world. I think that the whole idea of the slave trade system should be abolished and extinct once and for all. In today's society, many people have adopted the mindset of looking after one's interest rather than focusing on a bigger picture. People look after their businesses' and their ongoing path to success by utilizing innocent people and taking advantage of their unfortunate surroundings. I think that there are several of things that could be done in order to stop slave trade from happening, but the key to to its end is by gathering as many people as possible to be in agreement to put slavery at its end. I think that one of the most important resources that could help in overcoming slavery, would be having the government's assistance. By having the government in alliance to build a plan in which slavery has an end at its borders, than businesses and big companies could abolish the use and service of slave trade for their business' production.
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