I recently watched Human Trafficing on DVD. This was one of those movies I knew would be moving but I wasn’t sure how and too what extent. However I wasn’t expecting it to effect me the way it did. I think the movie did a fantastic job of dramatizing the reality, the disturbing and horrible reality, of human trafficking in our world.

Although this is an issue that you don’t hear about often, trading humans is the third most common illegally traded thing in our world next to drugs and firearms. And it isn’t slowing down as criminals realize that although they can only sell drugs only once, they can sell women several times a day (stats say 8-15 times). Human trafficking may just seem like just a foreign problem, something that only happens on the other side of the globe, but the fact remains that when it comes to sex trafficing, North America is the main consumer for these women and children (that phrase sounds terrifyingly accurate).

The movie portrays several different ways women (and little boys) get sold into sex slavery. The examples they give are mail-order brides, kidnapping, parents selling their children for money, conning girlfriends, and conning models (especially young models). The methods are vast and the results are devastating.

Anyone who thinks prostitution is just a volitional choice for women (or men) needs to watch this movie and get a glimpse of the manipulation and intimidation these women are put through and how they are treated. There maybe some who volitionally choose prostitution for their career but they are the very very small minority. This issue needs to be seen for the reality it is.

My eyes were opened and something has to happen…I am not sure what my role will be in ending this cruel reality in our world but I can’t sit idly by in ignorance anymore.

Here are just a few stats on human trafficking I found (source: wikiepedia):

• a women will often serve 8-15 men a day.
• 800,000 to 900,000 people are trafficked across borders each year.
• 20,000 to 40,000 people are trafficked into the US each year.
• 800 people are trafficked into Canada each year.