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the return of slavery "We must show new energy in fighting back an old evil. Nearly two centuries after the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and more than a century after slavery was officially ended in its last strongholds, the trade in human beings for any purpose must not be allowed to thrive in our time." -- President George W. Bush, September 23, 2003 Last night my husband and I watched a movie about the sex trafficking of children and women called TRADE. We were both deeply moved yet disturbed by this movie. (Clink on the link and watch the trailer and you will get a glimpse of what I'm talking about). Later, I went to bed, snuggled up to my son who was already sound asleep in bed, inhaled his baby smell and listened to the sound of him breathing. I must have stared at the silhoutte of his profile for a good hour, vowing to protect him from all the evil in the world, unable to sleep as haunting images of the faceless women and children would not leave me. And what of these human beings that we neither see, nor hear, and rarely consider? Most of them from poor countries, preyed upon by cunning men with black souls who promise them glamorous jobs, buy them airline tickets, arrange for visas, and then hand them over to the highest bidder - their passports stolen, their identities lost, their spirits crushed and their dignity destroyed. Forced to engage in unthinkable sexual acts, told that if they resist or try to escape their families will be killed. Some of them are captured by bandits who are paid small sums of money to bring them into ring leaders, who then sell them for much larger sums at auctions. Children, just like yours and mine. And it's happening right HERE in New York City and allover the United States. Over the years the US government has provided up to 275 million dollars to causes dedicated to abolishing sex trafficking. That's great, you say. At least we're doing something, right? But if you have any idea how much our government spends on the Iraq War every day then you know we're not doing enough. Maybe our president should stop talking and DO something. Put OUR money where your mouth is Mr. President. But is it fair of me to criticize my government when I too have done so little to help this cause, as I sit here in the safety of my home, my child once again sleeping safely in our bed, wondering what I can do to make a difference? If you want to know more about sex trafficking you can watch clips from THIS Frontline documentary online. And if you want to know what you can do to help, donate to the GLOBAL FUND FOR WOMEN or the COALITION AGAINST TRAFFICKING IN WOMEN
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