If you believe that human trafficking is a problem that only exists overseas, perhaps you've been watching "Taken" just one too many times (see the film's IMDB profile for more information on that caper).
Not to say that "Taken" is not an extremely powerful vehicle, possibly used to enhance awareness of the worldwide problem of human trafficking. It is a likely story, too - it features naive American female tourists, easily swayed by the alluring prospect of modeling -- and not just modeling, but modeling in Europe.
However, the problem is not just paramount in Europe, or in Asia, or in Africa -- but it's right here at home. According to a story published by U.S. News via NBC News Online, written by Matthew DeLuca, "nine 7-Eleven store owners and managers who authorities say ran a 'modern-day plantation system,' ... were just one thread in a vast human trafficking and forced labor web that stretches around the world and into American homes."
Modern-day plantation system is putting it nicely. DeLuca goes on to quote Secretary of State John Kerry, who stated, in essence, that our government loses track of potential trafficking victims. Due to ineffective statistics and cases which are not always reported by trafficking victims, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (brought into effect in 2000) becomes difficult to enforce - at least according to Ambassador Luis C. deBaca, listed in DeLuca's story as the "Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons."
Stats also indicate that 100,000 children in the U.S. alone - we are talking our own citizens - "may be victims of domestic human trafficking," cited in this story from a 2013 Congressional Research Service report.
Another telling statistic: there are currently 21 countries designated as "Tier Three" - if they're on the list, they don't give a shit about complying with anti-trafficking legislation - and yet, "the number of traffickers convicted by the Department of Justice fell over the past year."
It is telling that we are not talking about sex slavery alone when discussing trafficking - no, these people (using migrant slaves at New York and Virginia 7-11 stores...yes, I did just say slaves...wait, slaves still exist?I thought Abraham Linc-yeah, no), used immigrants as unpaid workers. Not to say that sex slavery is not - and should be - a paramount issue. But where is our outrage that any kind of slavery still exists?
Clearly, legislation isn't doing the job by itself (though we could make that statement over and over about multiple issues...). Why are so many potential victims slipping through the cracks? Why have the numbers of traffickers, statistically speaking, fallen over the past year - but we have yet to realize that is only due to the fact that these modern-day slaves aren't reporting their situations.
Maybe because they have the fear of God inside them - they have kids whose lives would be ruined if they were to report that they are working for no pay in some 7-Eleven off a back road in Virginia. Maybe we can't wait for the victims to come to us - maybe we need to find the true statistics ourselves. One would think that an issue we fought so hard to end back when Honest Abe was indeed President would be one that we would fight to end.
Awareness - now, that's a problem. This article wasn't headline news. This story wasn't sharing headlines with Kim Kardashian. We still think that we freed the slaves - if we stick to that story, maybe we can keep up with the Kardashians just for a little while longer.
Modern-day plantation system is putting it nicely. DeLuca goes on to quote Secretary of State John Kerry, who stated, in essence, that our government loses track of potential trafficking victims. Due to ineffective statistics and cases which are not always reported by trafficking victims, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (brought into effect in 2000) becomes difficult to enforce - at least according to Ambassador Luis C. deBaca, listed in DeLuca's story as the "Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons."
Stats also indicate that 100,000 children in the U.S. alone - we are talking our own citizens - "may be victims of domestic human trafficking," cited in this story from a 2013 Congressional Research Service report.
Another telling statistic: there are currently 21 countries designated as "Tier Three" - if they're on the list, they don't give a shit about complying with anti-trafficking legislation - and yet, "the number of traffickers convicted by the Department of Justice fell over the past year."
It is telling that we are not talking about sex slavery alone when discussing trafficking - no, these people (using migrant slaves at New York and Virginia 7-11 stores...yes, I did just say slaves...wait, slaves still exist?I thought Abraham Linc-yeah, no), used immigrants as unpaid workers. Not to say that sex slavery is not - and should be - a paramount issue. But where is our outrage that any kind of slavery still exists?
Clearly, legislation isn't doing the job by itself (though we could make that statement over and over about multiple issues...). Why are so many potential victims slipping through the cracks? Why have the numbers of traffickers, statistically speaking, fallen over the past year - but we have yet to realize that is only due to the fact that these modern-day slaves aren't reporting their situations.
Maybe because they have the fear of God inside them - they have kids whose lives would be ruined if they were to report that they are working for no pay in some 7-Eleven off a back road in Virginia. Maybe we can't wait for the victims to come to us - maybe we need to find the true statistics ourselves. One would think that an issue we fought so hard to end back when Honest Abe was indeed President would be one that we would fight to end.
Awareness - now, that's a problem. This article wasn't headline news. This story wasn't sharing headlines with Kim Kardashian. We still think that we freed the slaves - if we stick to that story, maybe we can keep up with the Kardashians just for a little while longer.
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