Your child's? Your spouse's? Your girlfriend's, your sibling's, your neighbors?
Are you just a bit pissed off that I am asking you to put a price tag on a human being? You should be. We all should be. As human beings, no matter what walk of life we come from, we should be furious that humans, primarily women and children, are being treated as currency and forced into the most deplorable conditions.
Human trafficking is a disease that has been allowed to run rampant across the planet yet it does not receive nearly enough attention. Today, on #HumanTraffickingAwarenessDay, I found a smattering of posts drawing attention to the disgusting practice of peddling humans - primarily from human rights groups.
The statistics on human trafficking are staggering but more than that, they are disturbing. When I lived in Seattle (2010-2012) there was a surge in anti-trafficking groups including a number of billboards with hotline numbers posted larger than life. On the heels of the Liam Neeson film, Taken, and accompanied by a push by President Obama and Congress, the move to strike down human trafficking seemed to gain some traction.
Though I was appalled by the practice, I found inspiration for a story. Spades (working title for the project), quickly evolved into the darkest piece I'd ever undertaken but it also had more to say, more gravity and substance than the Emerald Seer Series. Unlike my other works, Spades has taken years to research and structure so that I can be true to the victims of human trafficking and, hopefully, expand awareness of a truly deplorable practice that debases human life in the worst possible way. I'm still working away and as I sit here today considering the stories I've read, the sickening tidbits of traumatic tales I've stumbled upon, my drive to complete that story is renewed. I hope you'll feel the same and do something, anything, to help pick away at the human trafficking problem that claims new victims every day.
I'm a writer so my natural response is to write through my emotions. To that end, I'd like to shine a spotlight on human trafficking via the greatest tool at my disposal at this time.
What is Human Trafficking?
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, human trafficking is the "recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs."In simpler terms, it involves forcing a human being into servitude. Think about that. Now, imagine having your own base rights truly stripped away until you have none at all.
Signs of Human Trafficking
This isn't a comprehensive list by any means, for more, check out this resource via the National Human Trafficking Hotline.- Cannot move about freely, cannot come or go as s/he likes
- Works in the sex trade under a "manager"
- Entered job under false pretenses
- Receives no compensation (or very little) for the work
- Exhibits signs of anxiety, depression, paranoid or nervous tendencies, and/or is overly fearful
- Avoids eye contact
- Poor physical health, possibly malnourished, and may show signs of abuse or confinement
- Has no control over personal information/identity/finances
- Inconsistencies noted when the individual tells his/her story including inability to clarify address and background
No comments:
Post a Comment