Human Sex Toys Sell...

"Human Trafficking," is a two-part mini-series that aired on Lifetime five years ago, that shared the story of three individuals who were victims of trafficking. One reason it stands out is that there is no double-dealing behind the camera. Sex in "Human Trafficking" is depicted as torture and rape, and prostitution as the growth industry of international organized crime. A quote taken from the movie describes just how wrong these girls were treated. "An ounce of cocaine, wholesale is $1,200, but you can only sell it once," an immigration and customs official, Bill Meehan (Donald Sutherland) says. "But a woman or a child are only $50 to $1,000, and you can sell them each day, every day, over and over and over again."

The movie begins by tracing the fate of four young victims: a Czech single mother and waitress who is tricked by a pimp posing as a suitor; a 16-year-old schoolgirl from Ukraine who runs away from home to join what she thinks is a modeling agency; a 12-year-old girl from the Philippines who is sold by her impoverished peasant family; and a 12-year-old girl from New Jersey who is kidnapped while on a holiday trip to the Philippines with her parents.

The movie stars Mira Sorvino, Donald Sutherland, Robert Carlyle. To watch a preview of the movie click here : YouTube.

Happy Mother's Day

While mothers have a powerful force- leading the Girl Scout troop, making cookies for the bake sale, and being a part of the PTA meetings. If there is anyone who has the power to change the world and end slavery, it's definitely moms like her. In honor of Mother's Day, here is a list of five things moms can do to end slavery and make the world a better place:

1. Talk to kids about slavery

** Educate them about the importance of Human Trafficking and Modern-day Slavery.

2. The gift of organization
** Help by volunteering at a local trafficking crisis shelter, making cookies, or helping with campaigns on the weekends. Show your kids there is more to do out there than just juggling a home, soccer practice, and work.

3. Start a giving circle
** Donate clothes to shelters. Show your kids that it’s okay to give away to someone else in need. Each month you can pick a different human trafficking organization to give it to.

4. Empower girls/young women

** Most human trafficking victims are females and many of them have lacked the education and economic opportunities given to men. Share with your children that even organizations such as, girl scouts or cheerleading for a good cause can also be as rewarding, and can help girls from low-income families.

5. Watch your wardrobe
** Buy brands that support human rights. Also teach kids how to dress age appropriately.

Child & Adult Sex Tourism?!?!

Above is a short film that was found on Youtube, that shows some images of sex trafficking.

In addition to the HIV/AIDS post below, sex tourism is another huge way that victims are trafficked and used for prostitution. According to Soroptimist- Best for Women web site, the practice of traveling or vacationing for the purpose of having sex, is a billion dollar industry that further encourages the sexual exploitation of women and girls. Sex trafficking, along with other elements such as kidnapping, rape, prostitution and physical abuse, is illegal in nearly every country in the world and makes it possible for sex trafficking to quickly rise.

In addition to this, an estimated 2 million children worldwide, some as young as 5 years old, are enslaved and used for commercial sex trade. Many are forced, coerced, or tricked into prostitution, just like adults. It is estimated that American citizens account for 25 percent of child sex tourists worldwide. These predators are taking advantage of victims whose only crime is being poor and vulnerable. Child sex tourism can occur through kidnapping or homeless children found and used for the purpose of having sex. These children are also exposed to AIDS transmission and STD's according to World Vision- a child sex tourism web site.World Vision works with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to help identify child sex tourists and provide information that could lead to their prosecution and conviction. For more information on this visit, stopchildtourism@worldvision.org.

HIV/AIDS

According to the 2007 U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report, approximately 42 million people worldwide are

living with HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases due to human sex trafficking. It is currently playing a major role in spreading the epidemic in the U.S.

This epidemic is being propelled by combinations of injecting drug use and commercial sex. After doing some research, I found that most men would pay more and frequently expected to have sex without a condom when meeting with a prostitute. 73 percent of U.S. women reported that men would pay more for sex without a condom, and when told to wear a condom, the men would secretly slip it off during sex. It boggles my mind to imagine that two people would put their lives at risk to trade a disease for pleasure.

AVERT.org, a web site dedicated to helping people with AIDS, states that both prostitution and sex trafficking has contributed to the spread of HIV and AIDS today. As you can see in the chart, domestic services and prostitution are the highest use for trafficking. When put into domestic servitude, some woman are also forced to perform sexual acts. However, 46 percent of traffiicking is strictly prostitution and what is causing a huge rise in AIDS today.

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Apts? Furniture? Used Cars? Human Slaves? Craigslist- the smarter way to shop!

Most people are familiar with Craigslist, the online Web community where people post job opportunities, and items for sale. Over the past years, Craigslist has grown and now has Web sites in over 300 cities across the U.S. Despite its millions of users and various social benefits, there’s a different side of Craigslist that most users don’t see. In the “Erotic” or "Adult" sections, human traffickers have found Craigslist to be one of the most well organized, effective, and free ways to post children and women for sale.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that slavery is a thing of the past, part of the terrible history of the formation of the United States. Slavery is alive and well today. Twenty-seven million people are currently enslaved. So next time you log onto craiglist and come across a sexual advertisement, think to yourself: you are not for sale, I am not for sale, and no one should be for sale.

A group of government, law enforcement, and non-government agencies already track human trafficking schemes, on the Internet and on the streets. These agencies include the U.S. Department of Justice Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, DOJ Child Exploitation and Obscenities Section, DOJ Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforces and, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Organizations and agencies like these are doing their best to keep people from being sexually victimized. Human Trafficking is a crime.

Human Trafficking: Survivor Stories

The CAST organization has been created to help aid the real experiences of the clients it serves. CAST is a one-of-a-kind leadership development program where members of the survivor caucus speak publicly on behalf of all the survivors of trafficking. Survivors have transformed into advocates of trafficking and the impact of their voices on policies and public awareness have led to development of stronger protections for victims.

Esperanza, a human trafficking survivor from Mexico, moved to Los Angeles to work as a seamstress, to help support her family. What she believed to be a legitimate job, Esperanza was sold into slavery, which separated her from her family and prevented her from sending money back home. In the following link, Esperanza shares her story with us.

Many wonder why some victims don't attempt to escape if they are being held against their will. Imagine being in a victims position, if they leave, they fear their families will be threatened, and that they might be deported if they are illegal immigrants. If a victim does escape successfully, their language skills may be limited, they might be unfamiliar with the area, and they might have poor physical and mental health due to their enslavement can leave them helpless. Victims who don't have a job might be unable to earn a living and get themselves out of their situation. A victim’s situation seems hopeless, until they find out that there are organizations like CAST that were created to help them escape their nightmare.