Living Cultures- ROUGH DRAFT 

 

 

 

 

Key:

Green - Jasmyne

Orange - Andrea

Blue - Jenna

Purple - David

Pink - Amber

Red - Sheena

 

Culture is life. Or is it? Culture, in the language of Sanskrit, means activities that hold a society and community together. So maybe culture isn't life. We are living the American life and connect ourselves to the American culture, but we have not always held our community and society together. We break down our peers and hurt them physically, mentally, and emotionally. We're barely building each other up. When I think of culture with reference to the Sanskrit language, I think of bonding. According to Shiva, "To be civilized is to live and let live, both at the individual and societal level."

 

Earth Democracy, by Vandana Shiva, is focused on cultures with a living base. Living cultures are also based on multiple and diverse people that live well together that make up a community with different human beings. It is important for a society to have activities that hold the community together.  Diversity is important because it allows interaction between different peoples values and beliefs. To nourish life, one is supposed to spread peace and acceptance. I feel eliminating violence is important, thus insuring the community feels safe.

 

Diversity is a very important way of life because without diversity we would never mix together as one. If diversity never happened segregation throughout our world would still be happening today. With diversity the link to peace is an easy link to happiness. This seems like you're suggesting there is not segregation. There is too much segregation, especially in our American society. Throughout all societies there is segregation, because of diversity. There needs to be an understanding of unity with such a diverse culture as ours. There are many values that connect us as Americans, even in such a diverse society. Diversity needs to be seen as one, not as separate entities for there to be peace.

 

But, on Earth in 2010, we are not a successful living culture. We do not successfully intergrate diversity. In fact, we have murderers and government officials that execute prisoners with no problem. We have homewreckers. We have a trade business based around sexually exploiting women. 

 

Globalization and Crimes Against Women

As Shiva explains, sexual exploitation of women is global. It's not just in the third world countries, it's in America. It's everywhere. Women are being seen as disposable. As something, instead of someone. It's sad to say but very true, some women put themselves out in the public to become victims of the sex culture. "Violence against women in any form is a crime, whether the abuser is a family member; someone you date; a current or past spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend; an acquaintance; or a stranger." tears them down, even when they feel as though they are at the top of the world. Some  I'm reminded of a book that I read called Confessions of a Video Vixen. This female ran from one celebrity to the next and they were only getting with her for sexual pleasure. She was nothing to them. They paid her and she went about her way.

One of the specific crimes against women is:

 

Sex Trafficking 

 I had heard about sex trafficking of women in my high school newspaper my junior year. A sophomore wanted to inform our school of the terrible, terrible secret of this trading industry so that we would realize just how lucky we are here in America. Women and children have been the victims of sex trafficking for thousands of years....

Over 50,000 women are trafficked into the United States every year.

 

 

 

In this video the messages tying to be conveyed to us are extremely strong and will definitely make a difference if seen. A video such as this one should be shown to as many people as possible to make sure that message of making a difference is taught.

 

To hear about these women's stories, and why sex trafficking occurs, visit The Price of Sex. What is most surprising to me, is to hear that most often times women get stuck in prostitution because their friends refer them to an agency. And it goes so deep, it even reaches the bloodline. Mothers and sisters recruiting daughters and siblings. What a catastrophe!  To have men use you for sexual pleasure and treat you as an object, as if you hold no emotions or desires. In my research, I discovered the number one reason women enter this business is because of poverty. Villages in Moldova don't have positions open for young women, and so their choices are either to leave and risk being trafficked, or commit crimes.

 

You have probably heard of sex trafficking before, the movie Taken put a spin on it. An ex government agent's daughter goes to Europe for a vacation, and when she arrives, is kidnapped and put into the sex trafficking trade with her best friend. The whole movie is the agent's journey to finding his daughter.

 

There is even a Human Trafficking Fact Sheet that provides a number to call if you believe you have come into contact with someone who is stuck into this disgusting trade.

 

This all sounds like something that would happen in third world countries, right?

 

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Wrong.

 

Human trafficking happens in our own country, what's scarier, is it happens in Florida. Florida, in fact, has one of the highest numbers of human trafficking in our country.

 

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In January 2008, Shared Hope International conducted a comprehensive assessment of domestic minor sex trafficking in Clearwater, Florida. Their key findings were as follows:

“In the Clearwater/Tampa Bay area, domestic minor sex trafficking victims are rarely identified and often misidentified. There is an acute lack of awareness about the crime of domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST), and professionals seldom identify its victims.”

 

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=1596778&page=1

 

This article is an perfect example of how transactions are being made and the amount. This living culture is most definitely unacceptable and must be changed for the better. Women under no circumstances should be treated this way. 

 "Predators ... are going to do everything in their power to try to convince young girls, young boys, to come with them and enter this particular lifestyle." siad by, FBI Deputy Assistant Director. This quote shows the exact problem to sex trafficing. If these people continue trying to keep thier buisnees going we will constantly continue to have problems in stoping them. Also predators are some crazy people and they will go to limits that we would never think a human would go to.

 

In the eyes of the predators having thier buisness possibly being shut down is not right. This is thier way of life even though it is completly wrong. They are just the poeple that file girls and boys to the pimps, by having this set up is the only reason they still thrive from selling poeple.

 

“Estimates suggest that more than 400 DMST victims have had contact with professionals in Florida in the past six years but were not identified as victims of sex trafficking. Significant barriers exist preventing professionals from identifying DMST victims. Specific barriers include: lack of training in identifying DMST victims, the hidden nature of sex crimes, the inability or unwillingness of victims to self-identify, and the lack of systematic data tracking of DMST victims, which makes it difficult to establish an accurate estimate of the total number of victims.” "

 

A factbook on sexual exploitation in the United States gives true stories such as this one: "Marvin Hersh, a Florida Atlantic University professor, was charged with alien smuggling and passport fraud for going to Honduras and bringing a teen-age boy back to Boca Raton, Florida for sex".

 

It is a very scary and horrible thing to think that millions of women are being kidnapped and transported from their homes. Shiva argues that the sex trafficking industry devalues women and women's rights, and, along with other policies, are rendering women useless.

 

 

Sex Trafficking and Children 

 

   Sex trafficking has become very popular in Portland stated by the Oregon city police, “it has become a national hub for child sex trafficking.” Each year, there is about 200,000 U.S. children that are at risk of the sex industry according to the anti-trafficking organization Polaris Project. The Oregon police also stated that there are more than 100 underage girls taken to hotel rooms, and sent to work on the streets or dance in strip-clubs. This is starting to occur to girls from ages between 12 and 13, the Polaris Project says. If one wants to try and help the stop sex trafficking, then join the Polaris Project. This project is a national organization that works international, national, and local levels to stop trafficking. This project specifically trains leaders on how to combat trafficking and also writes polices that are aimed to curb the second largest crime in the world.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/portland-emerges-hub-child-sex-trafficking/story?id=11690544

Click to watch video of seventh grader teenager start prositution at 13 years old because she thought the boy was being a boyfriend to her.

 

Consequences of Sex Trafficking:

 

Sex trafficking can lead to teen pregnancy, Sexually transmitted infections, and drug or alcohol abuse along with depression, insomnia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (The Advocates for Human Rights).

 

The Problem is that women who escape this horrendous life often have no place to go afterward. There are few shelters where they can stay, and the lists to stay are long. Most victims do not have good credit, money, or financial stability to rent an apartment or house. There have been efforts to give these survivors a place to live, in refugee camps, but most were not securely implemented.  "Research among refugees living in camps in Dadaab, Kenya, undertaken almost 10 years ago, found that

 more than 90 percent of reported rapes occurred under these circumstances."

The Problem is that women who escape this horrendous life often have no place to go afterward. There are few shelters where they can stay, and the lists to stay are long. Most victims do not have good credit, money, or financial stability to rent an apartment or house. There have been efforts to give these survivors a place to live, in refugee camps, but most were not securely implemented. 

As refugees, women are vulnerable to sexual assault and sexual violence—as well as other forms of violence against women—in many ways. The legal definition of "refugee" is a person who flees his or her country of origin because he or she fears persecution on the basis of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Refugee women may be victims of sexual assault perpetrated during their flight, while in a refugee camp in the host country, and during and on their return to their home countries. 

During their flight, women refugees may be assaulted by the military, by gangs, or by other refugees. Women are vulnerable during their flight not only because they lack community supports and infrastructure, but also because they may be required to travel through unsafe areas. As the Special

Refugee women and girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual attacks whilst in flight. There are reports of gang-rape, forced 'marriages' and sexual mutilation by bandits, members of armed groups or fellow refugees. The need to cross military lines or areas affected by anarchy or civil war in order to reach safety puts women and girls in especially perilous circumstances as they are at great risk of being subjected to sexual exploitation in return for passage to safety, the grant of refugee status, or legal documentation. Women may also be vulnerable to border guards, who may detain and abuse them, or smugglers and pirates, who may escort sex in exchange for safe passage. Refugee women are also vulnerable to sexual assault in the host country. Women may be particularly vulnerable to sexual assault and sexual violence because of the conditions of dependency that are often created in refugee camps. Refugees, particularly women, are likely to be dependent on others for food or assistance. This dependency renders them vulnerable to demands for sexual access in exchange for such assistance. Refugee women may also be vulnerable to sexual violence because of the design and layout of the camp.

 

The Advocates for Human Rights: Sexual Assault Against Refugees

 

 

  But it's more than just sex trafficking; some cultures firmly believe boys are more valuable than girls. 

 

I had always known many families hope to give birth to a baby boy, in celebration that there will be someone to carry on the name of the family. But, I was completely unaware of the fact that there were women and families that had abortions just because their baby wouldn't be a boy. A frightening realization, I asked myself "Why are boys more valuable than girls?"

 

Being a girl myself, I felt shocked and suddenly unwanted. Why wouldn't you want me around? Why wouldn't anyone want more women around? Don't you need us to reproduce?

 

In many cultures, males are the only ones who can inherit wealth, and families without a son are pitied and looked down upon. So, in response, many families dress their girls up as boys when they are children...there is even a word for this practice, "bacha posh" - it means "dressed up as a boy" (New York Times). Mrs. Rafaat, an Afghan woman who works in parliament, has dressed her youngest daughter to be like a boy after giving birth to three other girls.

 

She is not the only case, a ten year old girl, Miina, goes to school as a girl and then when she gets home, Miina changes into a boys outfit and goes to work to help support her 8 sisters, her mother, and her drug-addicted father.

 

“People use bad words for girls. They scream at them on the streets. When I see that, I don’t want to be a girl. When I am a boy, they don’t speak to me like that.” 15 year old Zahra said. Zahra has been dressing up as a boy for as long as she can remember, and she has no intention of ever going back to being a woman (NYT).

 

Zoom over to China and India, and the views are still the same. Here, it is predicted that there will be up to 30-40 million more men than women by the year 2020. This is due to abortions and infantcide and since there will be a growing number of men making up these countries population, there will be less woman to give birth; thus, the birth rate will drop significantly.

 

In China, there is a "one-baby rule", where women are only allowed one baby. Before abortions were available, many baby girls were abandoned. But now with this new technology, pregnant women are having abortions until they have a baby boy. Boys are preferred in China for much of the same reasons they are preferred in Afghanastan - to carry on the name, lead ancestor worship, and provide labor.

 

Outside of Asia, the bias against women are not really there. "Studies show the birth sex ratio of males to females fell in North America and Europe during the latter half of the 20th century, although it was not significantly skewed to begin with. South American countries do not have widespread prenatal sex selection because of Catholic beliefs," (Scientific America).

 

Different Ways Sex Trafficking is Advertised through the Media

"A former teen prostitute, whose ads were posted by her pimp on Village Voice Media's classified advertisement website, has sued the company for abetting sex trafficking. The now 15-year-old former runaway, who goes by M.A. in the lawsuit, claims she was forced into prostitution by her pimp (who has since pleaded guilty to prostitution charges in federal court) when she was 14 years old."

For most people, sex trafficking is thought to be in foreign contries, away from here. What people do not realize is that these crimes are happening right outside our doors, such as this situation in Missouri. Also a lot of people believe that sex trafficking is just physically moving women from place to place, selling them, ultimately using them and abusing them. This is not entirely true, as for our day in age now, with technology growing faster than the public can consume it, sex trafficking has made its way to the internnet through pornographic web sites, craigslist, and now web site ads.

 

This case that I researched is of a 15 year old girl, who was being sold on an ad placed on the web site of Village Voice media, by her pimp. No only is pornography illegal but it is most very illegal with underaged women. Now this advertisement is placed on the WORLD WIDE WEB! Where you could run in to it, your son/daughter, or even your grandmother. There is no way to hide these things, and its not like they are trying too. These kinds of marketing are being made available daily to anyone with a computer. Now I'm sure this is something you don't want your younger brother/sister/son/daughter to see, or even your grandmother! This is a serious issue and this just goes to show you what ways sex trafficking is growing, and for the worst. 

 

Read more on this article: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/09/21/2010-09-21_village_voice_media_sued_by_teen_for_allegedly_aiding_sex_trafficking_on_listing.html#ixzz11UaMJWZl

 

Ways to Stop Sex Trafficking:

Sex trafficking has been occurring around the world for many years, but is there anything that can help prevent this from continuing to occur? Here are some ways that can help people become of how aware of how horrible is tragic event that keeps happening. One way to stop sex trafficking is to LEARN MORE about the subject. One can sign up on the website, http://www.soroptimist.org/trafficking/stopping.html, which allows individuals to receive information on sex trafficking in your community and country. It allows you to look through newspapers and magazines and find out information about this subject. Another way is to EDUCATE others about this problem that exists. To educate people about sex trafficking one can research and learn about it, and tell others what they know to spread information about this topic. One can hold meetings with others to inform them about his problem, print out information and give it to the public, or write articles to try and send to local newspapers and magazines to try and make the community more aware. Also, one can contact the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime which has launched a global human trafficking awareness. One can choice a support group that tries to prevent sex trafficking. Try to advocate for stronger laws that will help against sex trafficking. If one is able to suspect anyone of being a part of sex trafficking try to report the incident. Another way to try to put an end to this problem is to donate to the same website, Soroptimist, so they are able to try and make organizations to try and help woman around the world that are being affected by sex trafficking.  

 

 

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Sheena's Essay on Living Cultures