Human trafficking

Today my husband and I, along with some friends, attended an event called "Let My People Go: Equipping NYC Pastors to Fight Modern-Day Slavery". It was an event to equip Christian church pastors and church leaders to involve their congregations in the fight against human trafficking, organized by The Price of Life Campaign. Human trafficking as discussed today encompassed not just sex trafficking but also labor trafficking. In essence, human trafficking was defined as force, fraud, and coercion of the vulnerable; basically, it is an exploitation of vulnerability. The UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) has a diagram that describes more in detail what human trafficking is; to take a look, click here. Whether it's children, adolescents, homeless, or marginalized groups, human trafficking exploits human beings and considers them objects rather than beings with dignity and value. And Christian or not, this should be an issue that concerns all of us.

As those who live in the United States, we ought to know that the U.S. is the number two destination for trafficked persons next to Germany. And in the U.S., Flushing, New York is the epicenter of trafficking for the East Coast. Personally, living on the East Coast (close enough to Flushing) of the U.S., these are terrible facts to know. It is horrific to think that consumerism has extended to the exploitation of vulnerable people for profit. And it is imperative to spread awareness and action in whatever small or large way possible so that this form of slavery will come to an end.

But I'm sure there are people who might ask why we should care as long as we don't participate in it (particularly when it comes to exploitation of persons for sexual purposes, such as girls and women who are being prostituted). Well, it's never that simple because we are talking about forced labor as well as sexual exploitation. And we all contribute in some way to forced labor if we are not aware of what we shop for and where we shop. The clothes we buy, the accessories we wear, the food and drinks we consume (like coffee and chocolate) all have the potential of contributing to forced labor, child labor, and exploitation. So, being informed and aware of all the issues related to human trafficking is certainly an important step in the movement to abolish modern-day slavery. I've blogged about certain things before like chocolate, child soldiers, child miners, and the like. And there will be more related blogs to come in the future I'm sure, so be on the lookout for those.

Some websites for resources aside from what I've mentioned above include:

• The Polaris Project 
• Restore NYC 
• New York City Urban Project 
• List of Organizations that Oppose Human Trafficking  (not a comprehensive list but you can cross-reference with another that I post)
• List of Organizations in the U.S. Working to Combat Human Trafficking

Women around the World

I am back to blogging after a hiatus due to personal circumstances. But human rights and social justice issues were never far from my mind. I have several posts in draft form waiting to be published so I will do that over the next few days.

Recently we celebrated International Women's Day, and though this day has come and gone, celebrating the accomplishments of women around the world as well as acknowledging their hardships should not be a one day thing. As I joined in on the celebrations with my mother-in-law at a local community center and then later that weekend listened to some conversations of women from Latin America who spoke of their stories, I was suddenly struck with the thought -- though not new nor profound -- that women are always so much more affected by violence, poverty, and politics than any other people. Here I was listening to my mother-in-law and her friends, thinking of my own mother's hardships, and thinking of those women still struggling today, when it hit me that it seemed that no matter what continent or what country these women were from their stories resonated in unison of the vulnerability of women everywhere. But their stories did not only speak of vulnerability; they spoke of strength--incredible strength--to overcome the obstacles in order to live a better life, save their children, and be teachers to us all.

Women still face obstacles and challenges everywhere; and crimes are still committed against them simply based on their gender. Think of the young woman who was gang-raped in India towards the end of last year. Think of women who are victims of domestic violence, right here in the United States to prompt the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act. Think of young girls forced to marry because of poverty and hunger in South Sudan. These are just a few examples of what happens around the world today, in the 21st century. I hope that in the coming years, we do not need to take a special day to recognize the plight of women around the world but learn to work together with everyone to build a better, more respectful and peaceful world for the next generation regardless of gender.

And I hope that we can remember that it is up to us to teach the next generation how women should be treated. I will always remember what I heard this past International Women's Day: "If a man treats a woman like a princess it is because he was taught by a queen." It is the attitudes and ideas that we hand down to our children that generally form the basis of ill-treatment of others. Let us be a generation that is aware of the injustices and resolve them for the next generation.