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.

Human Rights Awareness Through Movies

Every day there are human rights violations occurring around the world; someone is suffering at the hands of someone or some institution. The biggest in the news recently has been the turmoil in Syria. It is certainly a shame that so many innocent lives have to be claimed due to a struggle for political power. People have a right to voice their opinion without getting killed, and they have a right to life, life that someone else has no right to take away. And let's not forget the women in Pakistan who were allegedly killed for "singing" at a wedding because they were not "behaving" according to the conservative traditions of the tribe. Tragic.

But sometimes the news does't impact us as much as the movies we see. Movies make us laugh, move us to tears, touch our hearts, and provoke us to think more than we ever realize. Movies convey values and ideologies in a context where we we can relate; or they enable us to project ourselves into those contexts so that we empathize with what's going on as well as with the characters. I think documentaries and films are an integral part of creating human rights and social justice awareness among people.

So here are some upcoming films in the Long Island area that are related to social justice issues and human rights:


Gasland: this Saturday (6/9)  from 7-9:15, in Babylon, free admission. The movie looks at the controversial issue of fracking.

The Harvest: next Wednesday 6/13 at 7:30 pm, in Huntington, $15 including a reception. This movie looks at the plight of migrant child farmworkers in the US. This film is actually from the same director as The Dark Side of Chocolate, and he will be there in person.

Human Rights Watch Film Festival - New York: June 14 - 28 at the Lincoln Center in New York City, sponsored by Human Rights Watch. Films feature a variety of human rights issues; go to the page for more information on the movies. 

Cashmere at a high price: desertification

I was recently made aware of this situation, although from the looks of things, it has gone on for a while as is usually the case. I always liked cashmere because as thin as the sweater was, I'd be quite warm. Of course I didn't always have it because it was expensive to buy (expensive for me that is); but now I know exactly how expensive it is. Now I won't buy cashmere at all. And I hope you won't either.

Cashmere is generally supplied by few countries around the world and comes from a breed of goats. Mongolia is one of the largest suppliers for cashmere. And as such, many Mongolian herders choose to raise cashmere goats. And why not? It's very profitable and with a significant portion of the country's population living at or below the poverty line, it enables people to make a living as best as they can. But these goats can graze quite heartily, and I mean heartily! Goats are known to chew not just the tips of grass and plants but also through to the roots. And as the number of goats have grown, you can imagine what that does to the habitat, which was limited from the beginning. Take a look here. As the grazing land disappears, the desert creeps in. And while populations of man and goat grow, land that can sustain agriculture and grazing diminishes. As desertification creeps in, challenges to sustain a living creep in as well, not to mention the damage that has been done to the environment. Eventually, one can imagine that the damage caused by desertification will be so great that it will be irreversible and many of these people will have no way to sustain themselves and their families. So perhaps we can help in what small ways we can by not purchasing cashmere and reducing the demand, while the government and other agencies in Mongolia determine how they can involve the locals to work out their own future in harmony with the environment.

Here's an article that came out in 2010.... A bit dated I know, but the most recent I can currently find that's on the topic.

Dolphins are part of our world

This is another blog for the natural world, and for creatures that are perhaps some of the most intelligent on this planet. If we do not become a voice for them, I'm afraid they will be silenced forever. And I'm afraid that the future generations will never experience much of what we can still experience today, despite the precariousness of their survival.

Have you seen the documentary "The Cove"? I just watched it tonight and wondered how I missed it in the theatres. In any event, better now than much later. It is about the cruel slaughter of thousands of dolphins in the waters around Japan and it brings me to tears. For human entertainment and ultimately greed, a massacre occurs every September through March of these wonderfully unique and intelligent creatures. Dolphins have been swimming by Japan for centuries and now they are being lured into a cove in a town called Taiji, lured to their deaths in a cruel way. A sheltered cove turns red with the blood of these slaughtered dolphins, whose mercury-filled meat is sold to an unsuspecting public disguised as something else. But those that are slaughtered endure much more than just a cruel death; they endure the fear, desperation, and separation from their pods/families, some of which are captured for dolphin shows around the world. Those dolphins that are not chosen become part of the bloody massacre in a sheltered cove.

I have watched a dolphin show as a kid at Sea World in San Diego but I have not gone to one since as I have always thought it sad that dolphins and orcas in these shows and in captivity have been taken from the vastness of their ocean home and put in basically what is a small pool to them. But now all the more I will never pay to see a dolphin show again. These forms of entertainment fuel the profitability of the actions that go on in Taiji, Japan. And if you think about it, these atrocities to the natural world happen because of us -- all of us who are enthralled into thinking that we want to be direct participants in taming nature and bringing it close. But we neglect to think about the cruelty of this to the natural world, and we neglect to think what impact and consequence it has on our future.

So sign the petition found on this site:

Save Japan Dolphins

And then, spread the word and reconsider dolphin shows and any "swim with the dolphins" programs. Consider instead the wonder of swimming (or surfing as some do with Surfers for Cetaceans) with them in the wild.