Chapter 3 left me feeling like I should be outside doing something better with my life and my education to "be that change". I felt strongly encouraged that women in these countires are finding their voices. Not that they didn't have one, but now they are hopefully using it. So many times throughout a week do I wish I had the courage to speak up in certain situations, or just believed in myself that my opinion or thoughts weren't less superior than others. I found hope in reading about Usha's journey and how she didn't doubt herself or back down because of fear. She was confident in her education, and didn't give in to the threats of Akku Yadav.
Although it is important to encourage women to stand up for themselves and to speak up, I agree with Nick Kristof on page 53 where he states that education is key; "More broadly, the single most important way to encourage women and girls to stand up for their rights is education, and we can do far more to promote universal education in poor countries." I think that these women, and more girls starting at a young age should be encouraged to attend school and to pursue an education. These girls will learn their rights as humans and other key survival information that they need to know especially in these countries where sex traffickers are on the hunt for poor, weak, uneducated girls. The more educated women these countries have, the more women like Usha and Sunitha, more and more girls will be rescued and can also find a hope that there is freedom.
I found it heartbreaking that many of the women started committing suicide when they had the chance to break free when the brothels closed with no provision for the girls working there. Although I can imagine it being scary when you're finally finding freedom, but there is no place to go, and no way to earn money. On the the brighter side, I love that Sunitha's organization, Prajwala, provides job training to help former prostitutes start new careers and new lives by finding family members and getting married.
Even though Sunitha plays down her success of 85% of women being able to stay out of prostitution, while 15% have returned, I admire the courage and passion she has for rescuing women and educating them with new skills. Do you guys think that even though Sunitha states that "There's more prostitution now than when we started," what she has begun and so far done was worth it?
I'll end with the quote from the beginning of the chapter:" Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress, therefore, depends on unreasonable people." - George Bernard Shaw. How can we, like unreasonable people, stop letting the world change us, and let us change the world?
I think when Sunitha states that “There’s more prostitution now than when we started,” is a strong quote. Many people think of this quote as more people are being trafficked which is true. But there is also more people in the population and more traffickers. The percent of people who are being trafficked is probably higher due to a higher population now and more people are trafficking people to get more money. I do believe what Sunitha has done is worth it so far. She has touched the heart of many, however she cannot touch the hearts of all of the people. Everyone should try have help educate more people on trafficking and help educate those who know nothing.
ReplyDeleteI can relate with you when you talk about realizing how brave these women must be to have the courage to speak up and make a change. Reading about all these brave women has also made me realize, that if they found the courage to speak up than so can I. I find some of these woman's stories to be amazing, and it makes me realize how weak I am as opposed to any of them. To have endured being trafficked, raped, beaten, yet still find the courage to break free and do something about it is incredible. I think you made a good point about it. It definitely has made me realize that I can do much more each and everyday to be a part of the change. I can even be the beginning of that change. Everyone thinks it's impossible to solve the issue of sex trafficking, but I believe if more woman had the courage to speak up we could see a difference and hear more stories of woman getting out.
ReplyDeleteGood education can encourage people to fight for their rights if they think they are not treated fairly. I think most people don't want to fight for their rights because they want to get in any trouble, and there will be someone who would like to fight for everyone, so they would just wait until they succeed. If they fail, they just get what they have, and freedom is just a dream for them. However, if those people are educated, they may change their minds to try to realize their dreams by themselves. Therefore, I think education is one of the significant part in people's lives.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes feel the same way when I read this book, like I should be doing more with my life considering how easy I have it compared to some people. It is nice to read about one of the victims taking action and standing up for themselves and others. It is encouraging to hear that prostitution and rape are not inevitable and change is possible. Of course I always believe it was possible but after reading the first two chapters and hearing about failed attempts to help victims or the reluctance to help them left me feeling depressed.
ReplyDeleteIt is reassuring to hear that education is a viable solution to improve the chances of the poor girls born into poverty. It makes sense that spending time and money trying to stop people from being bad is futile however spending time and money to help the young people better themselves through education is feasible and will (has) effectively deterred predators.
I am with you when you say you feel as though you should be doing more. That thought has entered my mind throughout these first 3 chapters. I'm inspired by women like Usha Narayane and Sunitha Krishnan who see injustice and ACT! Knowledge is definitely power and these two strong women use their knowledge to fight what they know is wrong and show the less educated that there IS a way out. They refused to be trapped by the mentality that this was just the way things were and look the other way. The greatest thing Usha did wasn't that her actions ultimately and inadvertantly led to Akku Yadav's death, but that she provided the women of the commuity an example of the power that they themselves held. Until then, I don't think the women realized it was within themselves to make a difference. The community had looked upon Usha and her family with reverance for the education they had but until she showed them HOW to stand up, they had never had anything to emulate.
ReplyDeleteI'd be curious to know the particulars about the women who confronted Akku in the courtroom and see what's become of them and their daughters. How many have followed in Usha's footsteps and pursued education or a trade outside of the village...
I can also greatly admire Usha's strength in speaking up for what she believed in. I ,too, don't speak up when I think of something, or when I should. The bravery that Usha had is very admirable and amazing. Especially growing up all around what she did, she had seen what Akku Yadav could do, and she knew how dangerous he was, that he would not hesitate to kill her and she also knew that she had no other options. She knew that no one, not even the police, were coming to help her. It is amazing that despite all of that, she is still alive today and inspiring all women to do what is right. She has also made me want to do more to stand up for what I believe in.
ReplyDeleteThe women who stood up to Akku Yadav are definitely an inspiration. Usha Narayane was the catalyst for the rebellion of the women in Kasturba Nagar, standing up to the Yadav and his thugs when no one else in the village had. The way that Usha and the rest of the women took action made me realize that it is possible to make a difference in even the darkest of situations. Just as those in America and other countries have started successful organizations to help people that are victims of trafficking, prostitution, and rape, I too have the power to start a movement for change. It reminds me of that saying "if you build it, they will come". If you build something that inspires others, people will join your cause and help to take it further. Even though we are reading of these horrible crimes against humanity, it is nice to see that there are those that are willing to fight for what's right, and I hope to be one of those people.
ReplyDeleteI was also stunned by the quote that 15% of women return to prostitution and that even more prostitution existed than when she started. I think this plays into what we learned in the last chapter about Momm and just how hard it can be for those women to change their lives since all they have ever known since birth is that men are in charge and the only skill they think they have is prostitution. It is not an easy process to teach these women that they are valued and that basically everything their culture has taught them about women is wrong. They are important, they should be educated, and if they want they can get a job besides selling their body. Even just helping one woman build a new life makes her program a success in my opinion and its important to support leaders like Prajwala.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to teach a person that they are "valued" as Roberta described when their whole life, they have not been valued. The inability to see a life beyond the abuse and prostitution comes from many things including Stockholm syndrome. They've identified with their abusers and are not truly aware that a different, "normal" life exists. Without knowing what exists outside of the brothel or how to start the process of adapting to a different life, many may see no alternative other than to end their life because to them, life has already ended. I think many of us are overlooking a critical step in the process of "freeing" sex slaves, the social work intervention. In America, we are privileged and have resources for mental health and life coaching after a tragedy that simply do not exist immediately following a brothel closure in other countries. While the invention of job training explained in the book is incredibly important and I do not mean to downplay it's intentions, there needs to be an active social work program that is teamed with the government so that when these closures do finally happen, no matter how rare they are, there is an intervention team on site at the time rather than a rumor of assistance that the girls may or may not hear about or utilize.
ReplyDeleteNick Kristof’s point about education is essential when looking at the bigger picture of why this is happening to women and how it can be stopped. Not only is the value placed on an educated individual higher, but educated individuals are able to use what they have learned to their advantage. Education is empowering, and the more educated a country is, the less disparity there is within that country. In response to your question about the quote that opens up chapter three, I think it is important for us to be actively participating in discussions about the oppression of women worldwide. Sex trafficking is clearly a topic that many of us were unfamiliar with before this class, and our reactions to the statistics and videos that we were shown are proof of this. Shaw’s quote is powerful, but I do feel the idea behind it could really go either way in an argument that supports or opposes sex trafficking. Couldn’t sex traffickers be seen as individuals who are trying to adapt the world to their ideas? I don’t think an unreasonable person is necessarily progressive. And if a reasonable (less progressive) person adapts themselves to the world, wouldn’t sex trafficking be non-existent, since most developed countries are a model or standard of how things should be? Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapter 3, like you Desiree, I felt strongly encouraged. I also know what it feels like to wish I had the courage to say things that I’m thinking and stand up to the people who don’t treat me the way that I think I should be treated. Girls like Usha and Sunitha are incredible examples of people who have began something that has turned into a larger and more effective program. I really admire Sunitha’s program that puts girls that have escaped from the brothel into schooling that will provide them with a job and source of income. Even though Sunitha thinks that the program has failed because more girls are going into the brothels than she’s helping and taking out, I believe that any girl helped is an accomplishment. The destruction of the brothels has to being in some way, shape, or form, and I believe that a larger focus should be placed on the children who have the potential to be captured and put in the brothels. Rescuing children who have yet to be taken away is an important key to the resolution of this horrific problem, and I strongly believe that education and the empowerment it brings will help to save those girls.
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