There are so many issues going on in this world, that it can sometimes feel overwhelming to try and figure it all out and try to determine what your role is in the midst of it. But at this moment in time, I'm asking you to focus on this one issue.
Human Trafficking.
Human Trafficking is a crime against humanity. It involves an act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving a person through the use of force, coercion, or other means for the purpose of exploiting them.
There are 3 main types of human trafficking.
1) Sexual
2) Forced Labor
3) Forced Labor while Imprisoned
I recently did an event on my college campus that explored the depths of Sex Slavery. There was a photography exhibit that showcased 75 pictures of representations of victims. Each victim in the picture had a fact, statistic, or quote from a trafficked survivor written on their body. The photos are explicit and somewhat uncomfortable to look at, so if that is something you're not okay with, I suggest you stop reading this blog post.
I also hired a guest speaker from an organization in Minnesota called Breaking Free. It's a program that helps victims of sex trafficking and prostitution work through their pain and get back on their feet. It's an amazing establishment with outstanding people working there. The woman who came to speak at our college was a trafficking victim herself. She had been trafficked off the streets when she was only 12 years old and only recently got out of it. She's in her 40's. Her story was incredibly powerful.
I am about to show some of the pictures that were taken and displayed at my campus. Please remember that everything written on their body is either a fact, statistic, or quote from an actual victim. Please refrain from objectifying, as these are representations of victims. The black and white photos represent the people who have passed away due to them being trafficked. There are captions to some of the photos that describe what you're seeing.
Human Trafficking.
Human Trafficking is a crime against humanity. It involves an act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving a person through the use of force, coercion, or other means for the purpose of exploiting them.
There are 3 main types of human trafficking.
1) Sexual
2) Forced Labor
3) Forced Labor while Imprisoned
I recently did an event on my college campus that explored the depths of Sex Slavery. There was a photography exhibit that showcased 75 pictures of representations of victims. Each victim in the picture had a fact, statistic, or quote from a trafficked survivor written on their body. The photos are explicit and somewhat uncomfortable to look at, so if that is something you're not okay with, I suggest you stop reading this blog post.
I also hired a guest speaker from an organization in Minnesota called Breaking Free. It's a program that helps victims of sex trafficking and prostitution work through their pain and get back on their feet. It's an amazing establishment with outstanding people working there. The woman who came to speak at our college was a trafficking victim herself. She had been trafficked off the streets when she was only 12 years old and only recently got out of it. She's in her 40's. Her story was incredibly powerful.
I am about to show some of the pictures that were taken and displayed at my campus. Please remember that everything written on their body is either a fact, statistic, or quote from an actual victim. Please refrain from objectifying, as these are representations of victims. The black and white photos represent the people who have passed away due to them being trafficked. There are captions to some of the photos that describe what you're seeing.
I will show the rest of the photos throughout the blog. But the point of the photos was to show the vulnerability and shame that victims feel and go through. The pictures should make you feel uncomfortable.
Side Rant: I am not allowed to post these photos directly on facebook because they prohibit nudity. But they allow sexualized pictures of men and women to be posted. They allow explicit videos to be posted of people having sex or pictures of topless Playboy models. All of these are allowed on facebook, despite the anti-nudity clause. But pictures that are not sexualized....pictures that make people uncomfortable are not allowed. Our society has this messed up view of how bodies should be portrayed. Nudity and sex are okay to watch as long as the people fit a certain standard of beauty and body type. Society does not want to admit that the body is anything but a sex object. And if we try to show images that are not "sexy" or are not able to be objectified, they are prohibited.
The thirst for sex is so prevalent in our society that is is causing millions of people to be trafficked. There is such a high demand for sex, that more and more people are being trafficked in order to supply that demand. Naked women on billboards, shirtless men on posters in the mall, pornography, and more are making society as a whole want more and more sex. Sex is a 30 Billion dollar industry. Human trafficking is illegal and yet it is the second largest grossing industry in the world.
Side Rant: I am not allowed to post these photos directly on facebook because they prohibit nudity. But they allow sexualized pictures of men and women to be posted. They allow explicit videos to be posted of people having sex or pictures of topless Playboy models. All of these are allowed on facebook, despite the anti-nudity clause. But pictures that are not sexualized....pictures that make people uncomfortable are not allowed. Our society has this messed up view of how bodies should be portrayed. Nudity and sex are okay to watch as long as the people fit a certain standard of beauty and body type. Society does not want to admit that the body is anything but a sex object. And if we try to show images that are not "sexy" or are not able to be objectified, they are prohibited.
The thirst for sex is so prevalent in our society that is is causing millions of people to be trafficked. There is such a high demand for sex, that more and more people are being trafficked in order to supply that demand. Naked women on billboards, shirtless men on posters in the mall, pornography, and more are making society as a whole want more and more sex. Sex is a 30 Billion dollar industry. Human trafficking is illegal and yet it is the second largest grossing industry in the world.
As people were viewing the photography exhibit in the middle of our campus, there were a few people who walked by and proved that there is something seriously wrong with what our society is teaching us.
A few guys walked by laughing and said, "I would buy the one on the left."
Another man walked by and said, "Look at all these prostitutes! They're usually too busy f*****g to pose for pictures!"
I'm not surprised as one of the most popular video games out right now is Grand Theft Auto. This video game rewards you for murdering prostitutes. Here is Grand Theft Auto's description, "They are mainly out on the streets at night, and to receive their services, you must drive close to them and stop. Prostitutes can raise your health to more than 100% in the 3D universe. Players must pay for their services. However, the player can kill the hooker and take the money back when finished."
A lot people did not even want to look at the exhibit. Some people would look at it and look down at their feet or make a disgusted face. They were so uncomfortable with the fact that these images were not sexual. They were indeed real depictions of what is happening in our world.
The guest speaker who came onto campus wanted us to realize that there is no difference between a prostitute and a trafficking victim. A prostitute is a trafficking victim. As much as some people want to tell themselves that "No, they actually like doing this for a living," it's far from the truth. Pimps will make victims believe that what they are doing is enjoyable and that it is a good way to support themselves and him. More than half of a prostitutes earnings go straight to their pimp or brothel owner. Some women who become prostitutes were raped or abused as a young child. They are not mentally stable and all they know is the life that was forced upon them. Once we get out of the mindset that people actually want to be raped, then maybe we can start moving forward as a society.
A few guys walked by laughing and said, "I would buy the one on the left."
Another man walked by and said, "Look at all these prostitutes! They're usually too busy f*****g to pose for pictures!"
I'm not surprised as one of the most popular video games out right now is Grand Theft Auto. This video game rewards you for murdering prostitutes. Here is Grand Theft Auto's description, "They are mainly out on the streets at night, and to receive their services, you must drive close to them and stop. Prostitutes can raise your health to more than 100% in the 3D universe. Players must pay for their services. However, the player can kill the hooker and take the money back when finished."
A lot people did not even want to look at the exhibit. Some people would look at it and look down at their feet or make a disgusted face. They were so uncomfortable with the fact that these images were not sexual. They were indeed real depictions of what is happening in our world.
The guest speaker who came onto campus wanted us to realize that there is no difference between a prostitute and a trafficking victim. A prostitute is a trafficking victim. As much as some people want to tell themselves that "No, they actually like doing this for a living," it's far from the truth. Pimps will make victims believe that what they are doing is enjoyable and that it is a good way to support themselves and him. More than half of a prostitutes earnings go straight to their pimp or brothel owner. Some women who become prostitutes were raped or abused as a young child. They are not mentally stable and all they know is the life that was forced upon them. Once we get out of the mindset that people actually want to be raped, then maybe we can start moving forward as a society.
So with all of this information, what can we do? How can we stop this?
It will be extremely difficult. Most people will make the argument that humans are sexual creatures and there is no way to stop things like this. This is ignorant. Because of our "natural instincts" it's okay to be trafficking and raping 30 million people a year? That kind of thinking is why we are in this situation to begin with.
We have to lower the demand for sex. What was that one box office movie that grossed millions of dollars this past year? Oh yeah, 50 Shades of Grey. Where the man was abusing and forcing the woman to do sexual things for him. The movie tried to overly sexualize abuse and coercion. And our society bought tickets to see and consume it.
Pornography is a 12 billion dollar industry. We are literally purchasing sex. This tells society that we like and want more sex.
The concept is quite simple. The more demand, the more supplied. People are too obsessed with sex to do things to stop the demand for it. How sad is that? That people are more concerned about their own sexual pleasure to help the 30 million people who are being trafficked against their will.
Maybe I am coming off too strong. But the point is that this is one of the most extreme human rights issues that our society is facing, but nobody wants to deal with it because it would mean cutting back on some selfish indulgences.
Overall, I believe that conversation and education are how this issue and others will be solved. 10 years ago, domestic violence was a hushed topic that didn't really have any laws against it. But through conversation and people speaking out about it, there are now multiple laws against domestic violence and abuse. That's what needs to happen now. There needs to education, conversation, and a willingness to change and be uncomfortable in order to fix the issues in our society.
For those of you who have read this, I hope you realize that you have EXTREME power in the outcome of this issue. We are able to tell society what is okay and what isn't-what we want and what we don't want. So what are you okay with? What do you want? Once you decide an answer to these questions, change can start to happen.
It will be extremely difficult. Most people will make the argument that humans are sexual creatures and there is no way to stop things like this. This is ignorant. Because of our "natural instincts" it's okay to be trafficking and raping 30 million people a year? That kind of thinking is why we are in this situation to begin with.
We have to lower the demand for sex. What was that one box office movie that grossed millions of dollars this past year? Oh yeah, 50 Shades of Grey. Where the man was abusing and forcing the woman to do sexual things for him. The movie tried to overly sexualize abuse and coercion. And our society bought tickets to see and consume it.
Pornography is a 12 billion dollar industry. We are literally purchasing sex. This tells society that we like and want more sex.
The concept is quite simple. The more demand, the more supplied. People are too obsessed with sex to do things to stop the demand for it. How sad is that? That people are more concerned about their own sexual pleasure to help the 30 million people who are being trafficked against their will.
Maybe I am coming off too strong. But the point is that this is one of the most extreme human rights issues that our society is facing, but nobody wants to deal with it because it would mean cutting back on some selfish indulgences.
Overall, I believe that conversation and education are how this issue and others will be solved. 10 years ago, domestic violence was a hushed topic that didn't really have any laws against it. But through conversation and people speaking out about it, there are now multiple laws against domestic violence and abuse. That's what needs to happen now. There needs to education, conversation, and a willingness to change and be uncomfortable in order to fix the issues in our society.
For those of you who have read this, I hope you realize that you have EXTREME power in the outcome of this issue. We are able to tell society what is okay and what isn't-what we want and what we don't want. So what are you okay with? What do you want? Once you decide an answer to these questions, change can start to happen.