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Packed and piled in the pulverized pickup, our team trekked through the tropical terrain of Haiti, and as the rain showered us, we showered those around us with songs. “Build your kingdom here; let the darkness fear; show your mighty hand; heal our streets and lands (Rend Collective),” we screamed as we made our way through the surrounding area. I knew from then on that I wanted to make a difference in this damaged world. When I was given the opportunity to write a blog on a global issue, I knew it was how I could share my stories from Haiti and spread awareness about an issue that not only plagues Haiti but also the entire world. Sex trafficking, the kidnapping and selling of individuals for profit, has an origin and outcomes and is spread throughout our homeland, and our world. And I desire to discontinue this deplorable deed.
Human trafficking is on an incline with “1.5 million” people being trafficked each year (Mcclelland). This growth can be contributed to corrupt governments, like the government in Eritrea, which has caused thousands of refugees to flee to eastern Sudan, the decision to either provide for a family or live in poverty, and the normality of buying women for pleasure. These woman are being used and as a result suffer from not only physical reminders, like abortions and sexually transmitted diseases, but also emotional scars. Post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and Stockholm Syndrome are only a few of the scars a sex trafficking victim may face (Behnke). Crackling and creaking, the ancient speakers hum the age old tune, the star spangled banner, ending with the words land of the free and home of the brave. The now peaceful crowd turns into a chaotic commotion. Facing off, each team forms a line and the pint-sized player charges. The ball hurls toward the enemy and the game has begun. America's favorite pastime, football, attracts millions of people to stadiums across America, especially when it is the Super Bowl, but with the masses of fans follows masses of prostitutes (House). Not only is sex trafficking glorified in football, it is also praised in today’s culture. Our culture glorifies pimps by making them normal, praising them in songs, and even idolizing them, and with the normalizing of sex trafficking in the United States there is a growing need for treatment centers in the United States (Nichols). “Fewer than fifty beds are available in the country for teens escaping sex trafficking”(Cooper). Sex trafficking is not only a global issue. It is our issue. Each year, every country in the world is ranked on a scale of one to three on how much sex trafficking goes on within their borders and how they are combating it. The Hindu caste system, gender discrimination, and poverty pushes women to join the sex trade in Nepal and is why Nepal is ranked on tier two (Janardhanan). While in other countries sex trafficking victims are commonly women, Afghanistan sex traffickers prey on adolescent boys. A practice known as bacha baazi is prevalent in Afghanistan. “Bacha baazi is where men, including some government officials and security forces, use young boys for social and sexual entertainment”(“Trafficking in Persons”). The reason I wrote this blog was because when we were in Haiti children would flock towards us. They did not want food, money, or clothes. They just wanted to hold our hands. And when I found out the Haitian government only helped “ninety seven child trafficking victims”(“Trafficking in Persons”), I knew I needed to do something. Modern slavery has sources and side effects, it happens in our surroundings, and it is sourced across the world. Now we need to end it. This blog is for those who have been affected by sex trafficking and have both physical and emotional scars. For those that were promised freedom in the land of the free but do not have it. Those that live in countries that are ranked on tier one, tier two, or tier three. This blog is for the children of Haiti who have changed my life forever. This blog is for you (“Shake the Dust”). Now let us go build your kingdom here. Work Cited Behnke, Alison. Up for Sale. Twenty-First Century Books, 2015. Cooper, Elissa. "Sexual slavery on Main Street: trafficking of teenagers in the U.S. is getting worse. Here's what some Christians are trying to do about it." Christianity Today, May 010, p. 17+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=5166pchs&v=2.1&id= GALE%7CA226632188&it=r&asid=f9d86f45983034124fc09128106a2be0. Accessed 7 Feb. 2017. House, Billy. "Study Links Super Bowl and Sex Trafficking." Nationaljournal.com, 4 Mar. 2014. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=5166pchs&v=2.1&id= GALE%7CA360506183&it=r&asid=84fa52b3715490cca167935a22aeb689. Accessed 1 Mar. 2017. Janardhanan, Vinod. "Mary Crawford. Sex Trafficking in South Asia: Telling Maya's Story." Journal of International and Global Studies, vol. 4, no. 2, 2013, p. 126+. Academic OneFile,go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=5166pchs&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA359999183&it=r&asid=813011f1e7116b839052a6ecbe7a0988. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017. Mcclelland, Susan. "Inside The Sex Trade: Trafficking in foreign prostitutes is one of the fastest-growing illicit activities in the world. Welcome to a hidden Canada -- and lives of quiet desperation." Maclean's, 3 Dec. 2001, p. 20. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=5166pchs&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA80353265&it=r&asid=6f984eca2b22a5ad8843018ed2625642. Accessed 27 Jan. 2017. Nichols, Andrea. Sex Trafficking in the United States. Columbia University Press, 2016. Rend Collective. “Build Your Kingdom Here.” Homemade Worship by Handmade People, Capital, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbdJXKqVgtg Hand in hand, our growing group of Haitians and Iowans began to trek through the town of Sylvain, Haiti. Enthusiastically, the children attempted to talk to us in English, asking our names, how we were, and beginning to count. Soon a game was started. As we paraded through the village, we chanted,“one, two, three.” On three, all of us leaped as far as we could. Filling us with joy, this set the mood for the entirety of our trip in Haiti. It broke my heart when I discovered that the country I love, a beautiful country filled with beautiful people, is broken by the evil of sex trafficking. Every year each country in the world is ranked one to three based on the amount of human trafficking that goes on within their borders. Tier one means that there is barely any sex trafficking occurring within their border while tier three has an abundance of sex trafficking. Due to a gender discrimination, diminishing government, deplorable leaders, and no federal deliverance, countries like Nepal, Afghanistan, and Haiti are ranked on the lowest two tiers.
Nepal, ranked on tier two, is “one of the of the poorest nations in the word”(Janardhanan). The Hindu caste system, gender discrimination, and poverty pushes women to join the sex trade. Gender discrimination, in particular, is a vast obstacle to overcome against the fight of sex trafficking. A well known Nepal proverb states,“To be born a daughter is a lost destiny”(Janardhanan). Women in Nepal are marginalized and defined only as a wife, mother, or a daughter, not as an individual. Gender discrimination is not the only thing that leads women to choose prostitution. Past events in Nepal’s history also play a role in the abundance of sex trafficking (Janardhanan). Two million Nepalese fled and thirteen thousand were killed during an event known as the Maoist Insurgency (Janardhanan). The Maoist Insurgency transpired as a result of the dissolving government. Because of the insurgency, women were left abandoned because the men fled. Left to fend for themselves, women resorted to other forms of income, like prostitution, and became vulnerable to sex trafficking. But women are not the only ones vulnerable to sex trafficking.(Janardhanan). Sex trafficking victims are ordinarily women, but in Afghanistan sex traffickers prey on adolescent boys. A practice known as bacha baazi is prevalent in Afghanistan. “Bacha baazi is where men, including some government officials and security forces, use young boys for social and sexual entertainment”(“Trafficking in Persons”). Some officials accept this as a bribe so one could dodge discipline. Bacha baazi is one of the reasons Afghanistan is ranked on the tier two watch list. But it is prevalent for a family to sell their children into sex trafficking to pay off debts, and child labor also happens frequently in order for families to survive. Unlike other countries though the government encourages victims to press charges though they do not provide enough support(“Trafficking in Persons”). Beaten up and broken down, our Toyota truck pulled up to a barricade of cacti, and before piling out we were informed that the woman we were about to meet had a story. Her name was Angela. She was a middle aged woman with three children. Five years ago she was declared dead and buried, but about a month before we came to Haiti she was found promenading home, scars blanketing her bare body. Angela was defined as a zombie by the Haitians, but in reality she was a victim of human trafficking, trafficked by a local witch doctor. Angela had no justice and is feared by other Haitians who do not comprehend her situation. Angela and those like her are why Haiti is ranked on the bottom tier, tier three. The Haitian government lacks funding to prosecute traffickers and only helped “ninety seven child trafficking victims”(“Trafficking in Persons”). Though Haiti did outlaw human trafficking, it has no effect if it is not being enforced by police (“Trafficking in Persons”). Nepal’s sexism and dissipated government, Afghanistan's scandalous leaders, and the lack of Haitian salvation are why these countries are ranked on the bottom two tiers. This blog is for those that live in countries that are are ranked on tier one, tier two, and tier three. For those living in countries where the government does nothing to help. This blog is for not only the women and girls that are affected by sex trafficking but for the boys as well. For those that live in the beautiful country of Haiti and this is for Angela, may your scars, both physical and mental, tell your story to those around you (“Shake the Dust”). Work Cited Janardhanan, Vinod. "Mary Crawford. Sex Trafficking in South Asia: Telling Maya's Story." Journal of International and Global Studies, vol. 4, no. 2, 2013, p. 126+. Academic OneFile,go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=5166pchs&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA359999183&it=r&asid=813011f1e7116b839052a6ecbe7a0988. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017. Shake the Dust. Perf. Anis Mojgani. Vimeo. N.p., 2008. Web.https://vimeo.com/9527194. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017. “Trafficking in Persons 2016 Report:Country Narratives.” U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of State, 2016, www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/countries/2016/index.htm. Accessed 23 Mar. 2017. Silence fell on the crowd. What was once a chaotic commotion was now cordial coordination. Bystanders stand at attention like toy soldiers anticipating battle, frozen in position. The speakers begin to hum, and a familiar melody begins to play. People place their hands over their hearts. Proudly uttering the well known theme, the people sing the ending of “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” This anthem symbolizes what our country stands for - freedom. What most independant Americans do not know is that even after one hundred and fifty one years of slaves being free there are still slaves in the United States. Slaves in America today are hidden in football, hailed in pop culture, and their treatment is withheld.
America's favorite pastime, football, attracts millions of people to stadiums across America, especially when it is the Super Bowl. But with the masses of fans follows masses of prostitutes. It was “February 2, 2014, the Denver Broncos were going to play the Seattle Seahawks in New Jersey”(House). Days leading up to the game, investigators found “820 online ads for prostitution in the New York and New Jersey area” which may have been sex trafficking victims (House). And ten days before the game, “fifty advertisements”(House) on prostitution websites were of minors. Not only is sex trafficking a hidden crime in the United States, but it is a hidden crime that surrounds football (House). Today's culture glorifies pimps by making them normal, praising them in songs, and even idolizing them. To be a pimp in the United States today represents respect, wealth, and power. It does not represent what it truly means, which is an individual who sells sex for a profit. Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, and 50 Cent, all famous rappers and hip-hop artists, take part in the glorification of pimps. Snoop Dogg buys women to sleep with, Ludacris has written a song “Pimpin’ All Over the World”(Nichols 132) supporting the sex industry, and 50 Cent recorded a song called “P.I.M.P”, which earned the number three spot on the charts (132). Pimping has become so widespread that it now has its own award show named Players Balls; it is an event for pimps across the globe to flaunt their wealth. Our world praises the slave drivers for ruining the lives of millions of women and children (Nichols). Jordan, who was a naive fouteen year old, ran away with her older boyfriend, who promised what every fourteen year old wants: love but also food and shelter. Instead of love, food, and shelter Jordan was forced into prostitution, beaten, and had a miscarriage. Later on she was arrested because she was a prostitute and ended up in the Hope House. Hope House is a Christian treatment center for sex trafficking victims founded by Emily Fitchpatrick, who had a rough childhood but gave her life to Christ. She was called to begin a ministry involving women that are at risk sexually. There is a growing need for treatment centers in the United States. “Fewer than fifty beds are available in the country for teens escaping sex trafficking”(Cooper). Not only are there no places for sex trafficking victims to stay while they are recuperating, many victims that need treatment do not want it. Through the Hope House, Jordan has come to know that there is a new life waiting for her. But her captor walks free (Cooper). Sex trafficking is incorporated in football, is involved in today's culture, and impedes treatment. This blog is not only for those that are trafficked to the United States but for those that are trafficked globally. For those that have been promised the American Dream and instead receive a life of slavery. This blog is for the women and children living in the land of the free but not being free. For those who are silent, let this be their voice. This blog is for you (“Shake the Dust”). Work Cited Cooper, Elissa. "Sexual slavery on Main Street: trafficking of teenagers in the U.S. is getting worse. Here's what some Christians are trying to do about it." Christianity Today, May 010, p. 17+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=5166pchs&v=2.1&id= GALE%7CA226632188&it=r&asid=f9d86f45983034124fc09128106a2be0. Accessed 7 Feb. 2017. House, Billy. "Study Links Super Bowl and Sex Trafficking." Nationaljournal.com, 4 Mar. 2014. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=5166pchs&v=2.1&id= GALE%7CA360506183&it=r&asid=84fa52b3715490cca167935a22aeb689. Accessed 1 Mar. 2017. Nichols, Andrea. Sex Trafficking in the United States. Columbia University Press, 2016. Shake the Dust. Perf. Anis Mojgani. Vimeo. N.p., 2008. Web.https://vimeo.com/9527194. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017. Battered, beaten, broken, left with only physical and emotional blemishes. Victims of the sex industry are disposed of once they contract a sexually transmitted disease or become pregnant. Traffickers not only leave them physically scarred but emotionally unstable. Sex trafficking leaves its victims with not only physical reminders, like pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, but also emotional memories.
“Fifty six million unwanted babies are murdered each year worldwide that means for every one hundred women of childbearing age they will have about three abortions (“How to make it rarer; Abortion”).” Abortions are common in the sex industry. Sex trafficking victims involuntarily participate in unsafe sex which leads to unwanted pregnancies. They are left with a decision to be left with nothing or to be left without a baby, so they chose the abortion. Abortions are performed by an untrained doctor and in the future could lead the woman unable to have children. This is not the only scars victims are left with (Behnke). Siri, a girl from Thailand, was mislead into believing she would be given a well paying job, but instead was unwillingly brought to a brothel where she would have sex with three hundred men a month just to pay her rent. In order to prevent pregnancies, pimps give Siri a birth control injection but they use the same needle each time, increasing the chances of a sexually transmitted disease. “Siri faces a forty percent chance of contracting a disease and can look forward to four more years of work before she will be too sick to work “(Leuchtag). Sexually transmitted diseases happen frequently in the sex industry due to the fact that pimps are unwilling to pay for medicine and the women are unaware of the symptoms. These physical scars are just the on the surface while the emotional scars go far deeper (Behnke). Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, and depression are all mental scars from the physical abuse and trauma these women have endured. Terri was trafficked at age twenty four and when asked if she lived in fear after escaping her captors she stated, “Not anymore. Now I live with depression. My life has been taken away and I can never get it back(Mcclelland)." Many lose hope for the future and in the world. Some even have a mental condition known as Stockholm Syndrome which is when a victim protects themselves from the trauma they have endured by creating feelings for their captors (Behnke). Scars are permanent reminders and for sex trafficking victims they not only cover their body, reminding them of past abortions and their sexually transmitted diseases, they also cover their mind. This blog is not only for sex trafficking victims but it is also for those victims that have survived. Those that have survived an abortion and those that have survived a sexually transmitted disease. This blog is for those who survive each day suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, depression, and Stockholm Syndrome. This blog is for you (“Shake the Dust”). Works Cited: Behnke, Alison. Up for Sale. Twenty-First Century Books, 2015. "How to make it rarer; Abortion." The Economist, 3 Dec. 2016, p. 50(US). General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=5166pchs&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA472368 128&it=r&asid=c7e407c1df1d722e59143607dce7ed4f. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017. Leuchtag, Alice. "Human rights sex trafficking and prostitution. (perspectives on prostitution)." The Humanist, Jan.-Feb. 2003, p. 10+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=5166pchs&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA96417147&it=r&asid=ce13ed97466149710efb80b85ad01a93. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017. MCCLELLAND, SUSAN. "Inside The Sex Trade: Trafficking in foreign prostitutes is one of the fastest-growing illicit activities in the world. Welcome to a hidden Canada -- and lives of quiet desperation." Maclean's, 3 Dec. 2001, p. 20. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=5166pchs&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA80353265&it=r&asid=6f984eca2b22a5ad8843018ed2625642. Accessed 27 Jan. 2017. Shake the Dust. Perf. Anis Mojgani. Vimeo. N.p., 2008. Web.https://vimeo.com/9527194. Accessed 3 Feb. 2017. Starved and susceptible, women across the world are forced to choose a life with dehumanizing effects. But other times the decision is made for them. Poverty, corrupt government, and a demand for sex drives the sex industry. When people are affected by theses situations a decision has to be made; to become a prostitute or to sell their daughter to become a prostitute. As Christians called to help the least of these, how could this happen?
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Josie Te GrotenhuisA girl from Pella Iowa who loves to travel. And witnessed first hand the effects this modern slavery has on an individual especially in another country. Archives
May 2017
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