The idea of human trafficking, especially those involve innocent children, repulses me to the core of my being. I cannot fathom how such a serious problem can still exist in this world today. Yet, this form of modern-day slavery is the “fastest growing criminal enterprise in the U.S.” (Johnson, 2010). According to the State Department, traffickers sexually exploit an estimated one million children every year worldwide. Not only does this global dilemma continue, it has also gotten worse overtime and affects younger and more children. As Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times reporter, points out, child trafficking continues to get worse because of three main reasons: the collapse of communism/socialism that led to an explosion of markets including prepubescent flesh; increase in mobility making it easier for people to cross borders; and the increase in customers demanding young sexual partners who are less likely to transmit HIV/AIDs.
There are many nonprofits that exist to help put an end to child trafficking. BAWAR, the Bay Area Women Against Rape, is an organization based in Oakland, California that is committed to teaming with police to combat child trafficking locally. FBI special agent Marty Parker declares that “Oakland is a breeding ground for child prostitution” (Johnson, 2010). BAWAR works to pluck young girls off the streets and into safe environments. Many of these children are sold by their families and have nowhere to turn for help. BAWAR serves as an advocate for these voiceless children and seeks to form a partnership with each survivor in order to help him or her regain some sense of control in his/her life. It was established in 1971 and its function centers around two basic goals: to provide quality counseling and advocacy to survivors and to provide community education regarding sexual assault issues.
Another notable organization is World Concern--a religion based humanitarian organization that focuses on sustainable development for the poor in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Its key aim is at preventing child trafficking by teaching children how to stay safe. Job skills are taught to children to provide them with more opportunities to work safely close to home. Teachers are brought to various underdeveloped communities to provide a basic education for children. Last but not least, children are given safety training on how to spot traffickers and avoid them.
I believe that decreasing global and social inequality would in turn lead to a dramatic decline in human trafficking. Many victims of human trafficking come from low-income families and countries. They are helpless and have little if any power over the direction of the course of their lives. Using our sociological imagination, we can see that where we live determines the lives we lead. When will we as citizens of one of the richest nations unite to demand a change in societies where wealth continues to be distributed more and more unequally among the population in the U.S. and abroad?
Works Cited
Johnson, Scott (13 November 2010). Alameda County Ramps Up Efforts to Combat Child Trafficking.
Contra Costa Times, p. A. 10. Retrieved from Proquest.
Stop Child Trafficking (2010). World Concern. Retrieved from:
http://www.worldconcern.org/StopTrafficking.
Trafficking the Child Sex Trade in Southeast Asia (11 Feb 2006). National Public Radio. Retrieved from
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5201813.
No comments:
Post a Comment