A 18 year old Vietnamese American girl is at college party when an attractive young man buys her drink. She is already far from sober and well immersed in the euphoric atmosphere of the fraternity party, so she unknowingly sips on the drug laced alcohol while listening to the charming man compliment her. He begins to grow fuzzy in her eyes, and all the raging noise at the party diminishes into nothing. She wakes up dazed, with a splitting headache and pain in her side, barely being able to make out her surroundings; she is in a small concrete room with a barred door surrounded by whimpering girls- much younger than her, some younger than 10 years old- with one cracked open, rusted window in the corner. All the other girls are of Asian descent and are wearing nothing but thin, silk slips adorned with Japanese styled flowers. She again feels the stinging in her side and looks down her slip to find a number branded on her hi; She has no name anymore. She sees through the barred door the charming man talking to another more intimidating women wearing an Ao Dai; the women speaks in Vietnamese and hands the man a stack of cash, and he walks away, never glancing back to look at the huddle of caged prisoners behind the barred door. The other side of the barred door has Vietnamese decor that is familiar to her, as well as a long menu of prices next to words she can't make out through her still blurred vision. She slowly pieces the bits of her scenario together and comes to a horrific realization- human trafficking. She has heard stories about girls kidnapped and trafficked as sex slaves to foreign countries. She infers she must be in an Asian country, due to the ethnicity of all the other girls and the intimidating women as well as the decorations on the other side of the barred door. She stands up and walks toward the window; she expects to smell Bánh Cuốn or Goi Khon; She expects to see crowded fish markets bustling with fisherman; She expects to see rickshaws and stalls filled with young girls selling homemade pottery and other goods. Instead, she sees a Starbucks a a few blocks down; She smells the familiar mix of gasoline and industrial factories spewing out smog; She sees an American flag resting on top of one of many towering buildings. This isn't in a hidden town in a developing country, this is in America. This is an all too familiar situation; human trafficking in the United States. Take the story of Eden- a women kidnapped and sold to men for sex slavery in Utah ; Or Shandra Wowuruntu, who was trafficked for 10 years in Chicago. Many don't even realize where it could be happening: in a hotel, a small house, or even a 'business' store in a strip mall. It’s an issue with which law-enforcement agencies in the U.S. continually struggle because of how appealing it can be to pimps or drug dealers. Why? Contraband can only be sold once, humans on the other hand can be sold hundreds and hundreds of times, providing a greater profit. Many women and girls are leered in by fake job proposals, charming men who promise them of a better life, kidnapped, or come from a poor background and are forced to turn to prostitution as a source of money- which can lead to sex slavery. Traffickers may also trick sex slaves into thinking that they are offenders, threatening to call the police and report them for prostitution if they don't comply with demands. This makes sex trafficking particularly challenging because victims might be fearful of going to law enforcement and being charged with a crime. And the ending isn't pretty for many sex slaves; murder, death, or suicide is all too common in the world of human trafficking. This isn't a foreign problem; this can be happening to your next door neighbor. Do your part and learn the signs on how to identify trafficked victims. Visit: http://aplus.com/a/ways-to-recognize-sex-trafficking-victim for more Domestic violence is a growing problem in the Unites States and around the world. However, more are finally beginning to realize this is a problem that won't go away unless someone does something to bring awareness to the issue; The following are PSAs and ads that depict the detrimental effects of domestic violence. If you are a victim of domestic violence or know someone who is, immediately call: 1.800.799 SAFE WARNING, THE FOLLOWING VIDEOS MAY BE DISTURBING IN NATURE Mom didn't let you go on a date last night? Your curfew has been cut back to 11 pm instead of 12 am? That's pretty amateur compared to the ridiculous and intolerant "precautions" enacted in Saudi Arabia that limit women's rights. Here are six things women can't do in Saudi Arabia: 1. Drive a car Yep. Forgot getting a permit at 15 and a half or even getting close to the wheel. While there is no actual law preventing women from driving, strong pressures and threats from religious leaders have forced women to abandon all hopes of driving. 2. Wear clothes or make-up that show off their "beauty" This isn't a typical dress code like at high schools. Many women wear head scarfs due to their Islamic faith, but even that doesn't stop police from harassing women who don't fully cloak themselves in the abaya. Women aren' even allowed to wear makeup due to violent threats on the street. 3. Interact with men Forgot going out on dates or dming your crush on Instagram. Women in Saudi Arabia aren't allowed to associate with men outside their husband and their home. If they are caught doing so, there can be brutal ramifications. 4. Go for a swim Yep ladies. That Victoria's Secret binge bikini shopping is going to have to be put on hold...forever. Women aren't allowed to attend the few public swimming pools available in Saudi. 5. Compete in Sports No Olympics for you. Women aren't allowed to engage in any type of sports and are expected to remain subordinate at home taking care of their children and doing housework. 6. Try on clothes while clothes shopping. Even the thought of a woman naked behind a closed door scares the crap out of Saudi officials. |
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December 2016
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