The information in the infographic below is from the University of New England’s Online Social Work program titled “Human Sex Trafficking – An Online Epidemic.” We’ve discussed the internet’s negative impact on human trafficking before, and this graphic does a stellar job of detailing the scale of the impact. “Between 2007 and 2012, online recruitment was the third most popular method
“Between 2007 and 2012, online recruitment was the third most popular method of pimp-led prostitution,” according to theNational Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC). The NHTRC is “a national, toll-free hotline, available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year in more than 200 languages. The NHTRC is operated by Polaris, a non-profit, non-governmental organization working exclusively on the issue of human trafficking.”
The following message came to me in an email a few days ago. “I am currently working on a film that deals with the little known system of bondage in Ghana, called Trokosi,” Christene Browne wrote to me. “Trokosi is a religious practice whereby young virgin girls are made slaves to shrines for offenses committed by a member of their family. To appease local gods, the girls are bonded to the priest of the shrine for life and become their domestic and sexual servants.”
Christene, via Syncopated Productions, is still seeking funds to finish Sena – A Film About Slavery. The film is based on the stories she was told during visits to Ghana. The film takes its name from the main character, Sena, whose dreams of being a nun are shattered when she is secretly sent off to a shrine to atone for a crime that she did not submit. The film tells the story of how she endures through numerous atrocities and inhumanities.
A short interview. I asked Christene if I could ask her a few questions to learn more about how she came to make the film, and what she hoped it would accomplish.
How did you first become aware of child slavery?
I first became aware of Trokosi practice ( a form of child slavery) back in 2000 while I was visiting Ghana for the first time. There was a news report about the practice on a local TV station one night.
What surprised you most about your experience with child slavery?
What surprised me most about the practice was that it could still exist in the present day even in the face of some serious opposition/ legislation (It existed for centuries but had been criminalized in 1998.) The fact that the practice was/is sanctioned by many of the traditional religious practitioners was also very surprising. According to them the young girls were/are being sent to the shrines for educational purposes.
How did you first come into contact with a former Trokosi?
After my first trip to Ghana – I returned home and applied for some research funding with CIDA ( Canadian International Development Agency). Before returning to Ghana I contacted a number of organizations and individuals who were doing work with the Trokosi. ( I had friend in Ghana helping) My main contact was a man by the name of Elvis Adikah – who was in the midst of doing research on the practise. He was the one who put me in direct direct contact with former Trokosi – he also acted as my interpreter.
We travelled for about five weeks in the Volta region of Ghana to remote hard to reach villages- meeting young and older former Trokosi – and collecting testimonies. During this trip I was also able to visit some active shrines, meet with some of the priests of the shrines, some government officials, a number of NGO groups and some leaders in the African traditional religion movement. In one of the active shrines, I met an older woman whose job was to oversee the Trokosi – she had been in the shrine for over 60 years. (She is featured in the research interview clip below)
My meetings with the former Trokosi took place in their homes and at so called rehabilitation centers. The majority of the younger former Trokosi were at these rehabilitation centers where they were learning skills, like sewing, to help them better reintegrate into society.
There is a great stigma associated with former Trokosi – many people believe that they bring misfortunes – so reintegration is very difficult.
Why did you decide to make your film?
Ever since I had the opportunity to meet and interview a number of former Trokosi , I felt compelled to tell their story. The stories that I heard were devastating and touched me greatly.
What do you hope people will do as a result of watching the film?
I hope the film will spark a new debate about the practice and bring the silent suffering of the Trokosi to the forefront. Giving a voice to the voiceless is something that I have done in many of my past projects. Ultimately I hope to inspire people to take decisive actions towards stopping this archaic system of bondage.
If you’ve read this far, I hope that you will help me in spreading the word about Christene’s film, Sena – A Story Of Slavery, or prehaps, even contributing to the completion of the film.
News of the alleged rape of a 16-year old Steubenville, Ohio girl by two 16-year old Steubenville High School football players is disturbing on many levels. Perhaps most disturbing is the solid evidence of the criminal behavior’s acceptance coming forth via postings on social media.
“She is so raped right now,” was the callous comment on videos posted to YouTube the night of the event. Those videos have since been removed, but the simple fact that they were ever posted should be a signal that something is terribly wrong with the collective consciousness of our youth. The 12 minute video that has surfaced is horrific in how it makes light of the rape and talks about the girl as if she were dead.
There are so many factors that play a role in this kind of behavior. Certainly, even kids with a decent moral compass can be pressured into going along with the crowd in a situation like this, even more so if they are under the influence of alcohol. And I would argue that the barrage of pornographic material that rains down on our youth via theInternet contributes to the objectification of women, especially teens.
As a parent, this case is a wake up call. It exposes the tremendous power of the Internet to influence behavior, and to chronicle behavior. I would love to assume my boys would take a stand in a situation like this. I would love to assume that they would speak out and and step up to defend the defenseless girl, but I refuse to make that assumption. A passive, “not my kid” approach to confronting this problem is not an option for me.
I’ve been blocking access to porn sites from our home wireless network for a long time. And while I realize this is a bandaid on an open wound, it’s my way of making sure I’m not passively encouraging looking at women as sex objects. Now it’s time to sit down with my boys and make sure they understand that it is not just the rape that is reprehensible, but this kind of supportive behavior as well.
A culture that encourages and supports the objectification of young women should not be surprised that it is also a culture that can allow child sexual slavery to exist, as it does today.
Several years ago I posted an audio interview with Partrick Trueman on pornography, prostitution and child sex trafficking. I met Mr. Trueman,former Chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Criminal Division, U. S. Department of Justice, face-to-face in Washington, D.C. for the taped interview. The stories he shared in that interview made a case for a clear connection between forced sexual slavery and the internet porn industry.
Sometimes, however, words aren’t enough. We need more.
Chris Johnson sent me this music video by Mr. J. Medeiros and it has haunted me. As the description on YouTube states, this is hip-hop take on how the Philippines has been “victimized by Human Trafficking. It was directed by Sam Sanchez of Stick Productions in 2006. It has inspired an international human rights movement called the “Constance Campaign.” Mr. J spearheaded the movement and has partnered with Non-Profit’s like HumanTrafficking.org.”
he’s about to turn six into six thousand
and all you have to do is click on your web browser
its not illegal to use raping as a cash crop
as long as it says she’s 18 on your laptop
And it’s happening under our noses here in the U.S. as well. What will you do with this information?
No form of child slavery is more defiling than child sex trafficking.
I find it difficult to understand how any reasonable human being could debate that point. Yet, apparently, The Village Voice is having a hard time understanding their role in supporting the trafficking of children for sex. Otherwise, it would not take 60,000 people to convince them to simply do the right thing and take every measure possible, not only to “ban” child sex trafficking ads from their Backpage.com platform, but assist authorities in helping identify and bringing to justice those placing the ads.
“I am a retired teacher and child care worker,” said California resident William Boosinger. “I spent most of my career trying to heal children who had been violated in this foul manner. It’s time to shut down this web site.” I couldn’t agree more. This is a quote from a press release sent out by Change.org this morning. The entirety of the press release is below.
If you agree, add your signature to the petition.
TEACHERS DEMAND VILLAGE VOICE BAN CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING ADS
Active and retired teachers join 60,000 people in supporting interfaith coalition’s growing campaign on Change.org calling on Village Voice Media to block child sex trafficking ads.
NEW YORK, NY – Teachers across the U.S. are joining more than 60,000 people supporting a popular campaign on Change.org calling on Village Voice Media to stop selling child sex trafficking ads on online classified site Backpage.com.
“I am a high school teacher and know what this does to the lives of impressionable young people,” said Brooklyn teacher and father Martin Haber. “It’s not hip or cool, it’s a betrayal of our youth. I have an 18-year old daughter who noticed the graphic nature of Backpage.com the other day. She asked, ‘How is it even legal?’”
“I am a retired teacher and child care worker,” said California resident William Boosinger. “I spent most of my career trying to heal children who had been violated in this foul manner. It’s time to shut down this web site.”
Groundswell, the social action initiative of Auburn Theological Seminary, convened a coalition of leading clergy and religious leaders to launch the campaign on Change.org after multiple ads for sex trafficking victims were identified on Backpage.com, an online classified website owned by Village Voice Media. The campaign has attracted support from parents and grandparents in all 50 states.
“By joining this campaign, teachers like Martin and William are using the power of technology to stand up for their values – that boys and girls shouldn’t be sold for sex on Backpage.com,” said Change.org Director of Organizing Amanda Kloer. “Change.org seeks to empower people to take action on the issues that matter to them, and it has been incredible to watch these teachers advocate for kids.”
Live signature totals from the Groundswell’s campaign:
A staggering 46% of all traffficking in the United States feed prostitution. The average age of beginning in prostitution in the US is 13. Read more: End Slavery Now
Believe it or not, the average age for a girl entering prostitution is 13 years old, and the average age is declining as buyers want younger and younger children. via Why Decriminalize Child Prostitution?.
Children should not be punished for being forced into prostitution. I doubt many would argue with that statement. But will decriminalizing child prostitution help or harm?
This is a post that should be read by anyone interested in seeing victims of child sex trafficking helped. Complex doesn’t begin to describe the issue, but Janice Shaw Crouse and Penny Young Nance present a well thought out argument against decriminalizing child prostitution.
“There is no “war on trafficking” or any similar culture of crime and punishment for selling a 12-year-old girl for sex. Perversely, it is the girls — not the men — who suffer from criminalization.” via U.S. should stop criminalizing sex trafficking victims – CNN.com.
I’ve been saying this for several years. We MUST, as a nation, raise our voices and let our government know that the fight against sex trafficking should NOT be against the children forced into sexual slavery by their traffickers. Instead, we should be enforcing stronger penalties on the buyers, who are rarely arrested or prosecuted for their actions.
Child runaways who are tricked or forced by “pimps” into a life of prostitution should not be treated as criminals. Why is it the girls who are held by police after a raid on a hotel room and not the men buying them? “It is the girl, repeatedly raped by grown men, who is shackled and put behind bars. Rarely are these girls perceived as victims.”
Seattle, Tacoma, Sacramento, Minneapolis, Nashville… There is no corner of our society where this is not a problem. Fool yourself if you’d like, but Child Prostitution, or as I prefer to call it, Child Sex Slavery, is an epidemic.
“Child prostitution continues to be a significant problem in our country, as evidenced by the number of children rescued through the continued efforts of our crimes against children task forces,” said Shawn Henry, executive assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response and Service Branch, in a written statement. “There is no work more important than protecting America’s children and freeing them from the cycle of victimization. Through our strategic partnerships with state and local law enforcement agencies, we are able to make a difference.” via Federal crackdown on child prostitution results in 884 arrests – CNN.com.
