The Polaris Project

Founded in 2002, the Polaris Project is one of the largest anti-trafficking organizations in the United States. Its name comes from the North Star, which in the past has helped to lead slaves to freedom. The organization aims for just -- all around the globe.

Human trafficking is the second largest criminal industry in the world and one that exploits more than 12 million people globally, according to its website. The Polaris Project works at local, nation and international levels to spread awarness and conquer modern day slavery in the following ways:

"Polaris Project's comprehensive approach to combating human trafficking includes conducting direct outreach and victim identification, providing social services and transitional housing to victims, operating the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) serving as the central national hotline on human trafficking, advocating for stronger state and Federal anti-trafficking legislation, and engaging community members in local and national grassroots efforts."

-- from Polarisproject.org

While the Polaris Project looks at several areas around the globe, it also draws attention to the human trafficking problem that exists within our own borders. Currently, women and children in the United States are forced to become a part of the sex industry, and labor workers are abused in our agricultural and restaurant industries. It's startling that many don't know that this type of injustice exists in our country. Slavery did not end with the Civil War, as many people believe.


Do yourself and favor: explore the Polaris Project website. There are so many people in our own country and around the world being exploited in ways that we cannot even imagine. LEARN about this problem and SHARE it with others. Awareness is the key to making a difference in the lives of so many people.

A (young) woman's journey to freedom

I hate to be the person to steer us away from the triumphs of women throughout the last century. Women, especially in America, have come so far in obtaining rights and fighting for equality in all areas of life that it is sometimes easy for us to forget that there are women in different areas of the world that struggle everyday just to be treated as human beings.

While enrolled in a sociology class, (SOC 119 with Professor Sam Richards) I was required to read the book "Disposable People" by Kevin Bales which discussed the prevalence of modern day slavery across the world. The second chapter, entitled "Thailand: Because She Looks Like a Child," captured me in an awful way as Bales discussed the country's sex industry through stories from its victims.

As you read Siri's story, consider how fortunate you are to have control over your own whereabouts and body. This story breaks my heart every time.

"When Siri wakes it is about noon. In the instant of waking she knows exactly who and what she has become. As she explained to me, the soreness in her genitals reminds her of the fifteen men she had sex with the night before. Siri is fifteen years old. Sold by her parents a year ago her resistance and her desire to escape the brothel are breaking down and acceptance and resignation are taking their place.

…

At about five, Siri and the other girls are told to dress, put on their makeup, and prepare for the night’s work. By seven the men are coming in, purchasing drinks and choosing girls, and Siri will have been chosen by one or two of the ten to eighteen men who will buy her that night. Many men choose Siri because she looks much younger than her fifteen years. Slight and round faced, dressed to accentuate her youth, she might be eleven or twelve. Because she looks like a child she can be sold as a “new” girl at a higher price, about $15, which is more than twice that charged for the other girls.

Siri is very frightened that she will get AIDS. Long before she understood prostitution she knew about HIV, as many girls from her village returned home to die from AIDS after being sold into the brothels. Every day she prays to Buddha, trying to earn the merit that will preserve her from the disease. She also tries to insist that her clients use condoms, and in most cases she is successful as the pimp backs her up. But when policemen use her, or the pimp himself, they will do as they please; if she tries to insist, she will be beaten and raped. She also fears pregnancy, and like the other girls she receives injections of the contraceptive drug Depo-Provera. Once a month she has an HIV test, and so far it has been negative. She knows that if she tests positive she will be thrown out of the brothel to starve."

I'm too sexy for...Halloween

Roaming the streets of State College this weekend, I saw a lot of female Halloween costumes that would have probably made many fathers uncomfortable: high heels, low necklines, short hemlines, and in some cases, close to nothing at all. Despite the low temperatures, it seemed like very few girls chose comfort over fashion. I've come to accept this Halloween tradition at college, and while I chose to dress as Elmo instead of a sexy Disney Princess, I support fully the idea of women having enough freedrom and confidence to embrace their femininity through dress. The disturbing part of this weekend was seeing pictures of girls in middle school and high school wearing corset tops and "booty shorts" as costumes. Many of my friends younger sisters opted for "sexy" costumes -- many of which took innocent icons and cartoons and raised the hemline. It's scary to see how quickly young girls seem to be growing up. It's even scarier to consider what this trend could lead to.

Check out this blog by a woman who works to spread awareness of modern slavery, including human trafficking. She addresses the idea of an over-sexified Halloween and the potential consequences.

Also, consider this Newsweek article from 2007 which addresses this issue as well.

Sex Trafficking of Women

Sex trafficking, also known as sex slavery, is a horrific problem that is growing worldwide. Trafficking is defined as a type of slavery that involves the transport or trade of people for the purpose of work. According to the U.N., about 2.5 million people around the world are being held in the trap that is human trafficking at any point in time (Soroptimist 2010). Human trafficking is a 42 billion dollar annual industry, and it is flourishing every day.

Sex trafficking specifically is the exploitation of women and children for the purposes of forced sex work. This can include pornography and prostitution of those that are trafficked. About 800,000 women and children are trafficked across international borders each year, and additional numbers are trafficked within their native countries (Soroptimist 2010).

Many people know that this type of forced sex is occurring throughout the country, but as with most issues, people think that it could never happen to them. It is a common misconception that no one should believe. In the movie “Taken”, two young American girls travel to France alone and are captured by a group of Albanian men whose specialty is sex slave trading. The father of one of the girls is a former CIA operative who takes it upon himself to travel to France and save his daughter. The movie takes the journey with him throughout France as he is looking for his daughter and it shows the audience a close interpretation of how sex trading can happen. In the following clip from the movie, you get an idea of how atrocious sex trafficking can be.

Taken Trailer

            As you can see from the clip, sex trafficking among women is a major problem and one that is extremely serious. It is a growing epidemic that reaches just about every country on the globe and it is something that can happen to ANYONE. To read more stories about human trafficking, and specifically sex trafficking among women,  check out Soroptimist's website.