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.
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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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