If the Government won’t help, who will?

Nachary Hernandez

Humanities 10D

(Source: DigitalJournal.com)

Countries usually develop governments because they have certain purposes, such as dealing with social injustices and issues. Why is it then, that  many countries fail to do so with sex trafficking ? The sex trafficking business is a very large industry run by gangsters, pimps and even past slaves themselves. It is defined by the government as follows :“All acts involved in the transport, harboring, or sale of persons within national or across international borders through coercion, force, kidnaping, deception or fraud, for purposes of placing persons in situations of forced labor or services, such as forced prostitution, domestic servitude, debt bondage or other slavery-like practices.(CRS report for congress).” Many people ( Mainly women and children) are forced or tricked out of their home countries and sold to brothels where they beaten, raped and broken down until they finally give in and provide service for customers.  According to the CRS report for Congress, “The overwhelming majority of those trafficked are women and children. More than 700,000 people are believed to be trafficked each year worldwide; some 50,000 to the United States. Trafficking is now considered the third largest source of profits for organized crime, behind only drugs and weapons, generating billions of dollars annually.” It does not take a genius to see how big of a problem sex trafficking really is and to see that more action needs to be taken by the governments of  countries where this problem is the worst. Although sex trafficking is worst in  countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh and India, It is a worldwide issue that does not get the attention it deserves.

The story of Srey Pov is a heartbreaking one. Srey Pov’s own family had sold her to a brothel when she was just 6 years old. Srey pov was just a young who had no idea about what sex even was, but she was soon introduced. One night, a westerner bought her virginity from the pimps at the brothels. They tied a young naked Srey pov to a bed, making sure her legs were spread open so she could be raped easily. “I was so scared,” she recalled. “I was crying and asking, ‘Why are you doing this to me?’ ” After that Srey Pov was in high demand because she was so young. She remembers that 20 men or so would rape her nightly.  They had even stitched her vagina so that she could be sold as a virgin. Twice. When Srey Pov would try to escape or fight back she was brutally beaten, raped and even electrically shocked. They would lock her ( and many of the other girls in the brothel) in a room full of vermin and scorpions that would sting her. She had remained there once for a week.  Finally at age 9, Srey Pov was able to outrun the brothel owners and escape with her life. She ended up in a shelter run by Somaly Mam, who has an organization called the Somaly Mam Foundation.  Srey Pov was able to learn english and live her life with the help of the shelter.  Millions of young girls and women go through what Srey Pov has through every day, even right now.  Not every young girl will get the chance to escape. Millions never do.

So what exactly has been done? There has been help from UN organizations like UNODC which helps draft and create laws/ acts in places where there is help needed, Create anti-trafficking strategies, and implementing them. There are also organizations create by regular everyday people such as the Somaly Mam Foundation mentioned earlier. This Organization was founded by Somaly Mam, who was a former prostitute herself.  Somaly is creating a large group of educated and strong women who have been rescued from brothels. Many of the young girls have grown determined to end sex trafficking, some joining in assisting other organizations, some even going on to become journalist and spread the word. Now what can we do? We have so many opportunities to do great things. We are the future and we should try and make the world a better place anyway we can. We can join and volunteer for organizations that help stop sex trafficking, we can start our own organizations, we can write in order to spread the word. We can start organizations at schools, raise money. The littlest acts could have such a huge impact, even if it’s only helping one girl. The possibilities are endless.

Ultimately, it is clear that sex trafficking is one of the worlds biggest issues today. It is also often referred to as the worlds oldest profession, and maybe we can never completely end it but we can try and we can decrease it’s numbers. If nothing is done and these countries governments do not get more involved, these numbers will only increase. So it is up to the people around the world and the wonderful organizations to help end this awful industry that brings so much profit to those who participate. Every woman and child have the right to a happy and normal life, and no one should ever have to go through what young women like Srey Pov went through.  It is time that we take action to end sex trafficking in the 21st century.