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WTI Blog

Page history last edited by April Sopczak 13 years, 6 months ago

Well I didn't know a whole lot about sex trafficking and sexual exploitation of women. I saw the topic and remember how important abuse on women was to a classmate. I never even gave it a look because it didn't directly affect me. I still don't think it affects me, but it kinda bothers me to know women somewhere deal with being bought and sold like a sex slave. By connecting to the group, I'm becoming more informed already and we have barely began to start writing. Once I get into doing more and more research, I'm sure I'll understand why this subject is so crucial. I'm not as passionate about this topic, but I'm hoping something will JUMP OUT at me and give me another reason as to why I chose this SEXtion. When I thought of trafficking, I thought it was something people voluntarily did just to get money. Like a prosititute or illegal stripper. I'm sure I can't compare it to stripping, but it's the same concept right? Hm. How could I help get the word out about this? I'm not gonna run to the police because I already know they know whats going on. But this is not just local, it's GLOBALIZED! What will the world do!?

 

-Jasmyne:-?

 

 

I commend you for putting your thoughts out there so bravely; you have the same thought that many do - why should I care? As you pointed out, this is a local and a global problem, but I am going to focus on the local aspect right now. First of all, human trafficking is a very fancy name for slavery. Slavery based on race poisoned American soil for nearly 250 years after the first African slaves were brought to Jamestown in 1619. We fought a war with ourselves to eradicate it, and ever since, some 150 years later, we are still fighting to eliminate the effects this evil had on our society. Think about it, the 13th Ammendment passed in 1865 making slavery illegal, but it took 99 years and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to make it illegal to force African Americans to be anything but full fledged members of society. That's just on paper! Discrimination takes place everyday in America.

 

Slavery still exists today, but it is not based on race and it is not in the public eye. This slavery, called human trafficking, has wormed its way into our society quietly and is not talked about in polite company. Forced labor exists in many forms in the US -  from sex slaves and prostitutes to seemingly free workers such as domestic workers, farm workers and even hospitality workers, who are being held against their will. Though some are physically imprisoned, the imprisonment of many is much more systematic through routine threats of violence against the slaves and their families, tenement housing, withholding travel documents and threats of imprisonment for those who lack documents. The youngest victims require much less to be held against their will, as children are much more easily controlled. Appallingly, parents are actually often involved in trafficking their own children either directly for profit or indirectly through neglect and abuse.

 

As abolistionist Enestine L. Rose said, "If you allow one single germ, one single seed of slavery to remain in the soil of America... that germ will spring up, that noxious weed will thrive, and again stifle the growth, wither the leaves, blast the flowers and poison the fair fruits of freedom." The germ of slavery remained and has proliferated into the human trafficking weed of society today. Why must we care that such an enormous evil exists in our society? Because as a free society, we must not allow this to exist. Because children are being exploited and it is our duty to protect them. Because NONE of these people volunteered for this; they were stolen - some through trickery and some through outright capture. What is keeping you, your children, your family from being next?

 

-April

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