Human trafficking is an American problem too. Last night I watched one of the most riveting documentaries about teenagers being kidnapped and sold into prostitution. MSNBC's Sex Slaves in the Suburbs centered around the horrific story of Shauna Newell, a then 16-year-old who was tricked into a Florida sex trafficking ring. She was repeatedly drugged, raped and beaten and nearly sold off and lost forever to someone in Texas.
When teens go missing the police often chalk it up to them being runaways but with human trafficking and the sex industry becoming more lucrative there's a great chance that teens are getting sucked into that realm. And when you examine the Red Light hot spots around the world you realize that it's not only teens and adults who get caught in its snares. I've seen several documentaries that show little girls (and boys) being sold to the highest bidder, with some being as young as 7-years-old. Can you even begin to imagine the horrific lifestyle that awaits such a child? They lose themselves and become indoctrinated by their pimps and captors that sex is all they're good for and that their life could be taken away from them at any moment. It's a sad reality for countless youth.
There aren't many songs that deal with this heavy subject but Aly & AJ's "I Am One of Them" talks about their concern to help missing children:
It's hard to look outside my door / with all the news reports and more / yet I will do my part and stay on alert / for all the kids out there who are getting hurt / it could have happened to me / can you make me believe / this could have a happy end / 'cause I am one of them
Every time I listen that song it tugs on my heart so deeply and I've kind of made it my theme song to inspire me to find ways to be active in the cause against human trafficking.
You can check out these sites for more info on how to join the fight:
www.klaaskids.org
www.catwinternational.org
www.stopthetraffik.org
Know of any organizations doing work in this area? Share your links in the comment section.
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[photo: random suburban house]
6 comments:
My friend Scott Hodge went to Bankok and saw the horrific sex trade there...I jsut wonder how long this has gone on in america, but it just hasn't recieved the publicity...great post - THANK YOU
International Justice Mission is another group joining the fight...
http://www.ijm.org/
I sure hope people see how porn is like fuel that spreads the fire - and we as a society continue to glamorize it and allow it to go unchecked - all the while people are used and destroyed by it.
Thank you for the post - the more we get the word out the better. check out http://www.beyond-abuse.org and follow us on twitter: breakthesilence
Thanks for the links. I'll check them out.
We need more stories like this one, we always think it happens in other countries.
So true.
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