As is common with any form of abuse, the act becomes an ingrained cycle passed from person to person or even generation to generation. The authors discussed this briefly in Chapter 2 when examining their experience with Momm, a trafficked girl in Cambodia who began to climb the ranks within the brothel that purchased her by taking on the responsibilities of managing new arrivals, "The slave was becoming the overseer," the authors stated. This information has reached the point of common knowledge so, the conversation has now developed into a discussion on how to stop and prevent the abuse by breaking the cycle.
The authors discussed several routes taken by nation throughout the world, from Sweden's approach of severely punishing those who purchase sex rather than those providing it, to the Netherlands efforts to curb trafficking by legalizing prostitution and enforcing health screenings within the legal brothels. While evidence supports the Swedish approach more than the method used by the Netherlands, the creation of laws means nothing without the enforcement of them by local police under the active regulation of the nation's governmental system.
I am inclined to agree with the authors when they said, "Our focus has to be on changing reality, not changing laws." While laws are nice on paper and when placed on the desk in front of a politician during a photo opportunity, they mean little if actions are not being taken by the government and by NGOs. Projects like "Pivot" that create innovative ways of reaching out to trafficked girls in a confidential way through water soluble messages in sanitary napkins should be commended, not just for their efforts, but for devising a way to get a message to a girl and allowing her to dispose of the evidence before her captor beats her after finding it in her possession. However, this particular method does limit the number of girls reached to those who live in cultures where disposable napkins and working toilets are used.
Many individuals are setting out to create active change, like former victim, Somaly Mam who rightfully boasts about the 7,000 or so trafficked girls that she and her organization have rescued from brothels. I can understand how some can criticize smaller efforts, such as the products from "Pivot" or Mam's work to transform the lives of trafficked girls, but I would argue that it only takes one stone to creating a lasting ripple in a pond.
You make some really great points, Stephanie! When I was reading the chapter and came across the statement of, "The slave was becoming the overseer," my mind began to race with dozens of thoughts. How could a girl that has gone through so much pain and suffering now be in charge of younger/newer girls that are entering the brothels? Why would she now be okay with inflicting pain on the more recent enslaved girls when she knows how awful the situation is, and when she potentially has more authority to do something about it? So many more questions that I have that I know have no solid answer. Each girl in the brothel has a different background behind her, which makes saving every girl a near impossible feat.
ReplyDeleteWhen watching the video on "Pivot" I strongly agree that the program that they have set up is beneficial and that the system they use with the disposable "help" is useful for some girls. What needs to be done is a similar program that can be beneficial for girls who are in areas more like Srey Neth and Srey Momm. Although a program is much harder to set up in situations that involve girls like Neth and Momm because their conditions are much different than girls in America. The current programs that are set up I strongly commend, saving the thousands of girls is notable and so much better than saving none of them. All it takes is one initial "push" of action to create something much, much bigger and more powerful.
When I read this chapter I also agreed with the authors comment "Our focus has to be on changing reality, not changing laws." Changing laws to allow people to prostitute themselves or others to prosritute other girls is not changing this world. They believe it will make them not want to go and pay for it, but some people always will. People need to try and stop the people in charge of the girls, not the ones paying for sex. It really makes me sick to think the government thinks allowing it to be legal is going to stop it. They need to get their facts straight.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that it only takes one person to create a movement. If more people become aware and passionate about advocating for these victims I believe more individuals will gain the courage to also take a stand. Prostitution is a very controversial subject and like you pointed out, many governments don't know how to control it or deal with the issue. I agree with Melissa that you have to go to the source to stop prostitution. Law enforcement should be focusing on the individuals who provide and sell the girls with the goal of shutting down these businesses. Education is also a major part of this issue. If people had more opportunities and choices rather than poverty I believe far fewer people would turn or be forced into trafficking and prostitution. The more aware people are to job options and educational opportunities the less likely they are to find themselves in these horrible situations.
ReplyDeleteI remembered that Chinese government arrested a lot of girls and managers from the most luxury brothel, and they closed the brothel. To everyone's surprise, most of the girls were graduate or phd students from the best universities in China. The girls thought that it was a high paid "job" to be a hooker, and they might get to know rich people who could help them with their career or marry them if they wanted. The girls were treated nice by the managers, and it seemed like a "peace" place: the girls got money from the guys, the managers got money from their customers, and the guys had fun with the girls. Even though the government have law to restrict prostitution, people need to restrict themselves. Just like the quote: "Our focus has to be on changing reality, not changing laws".
ReplyDeleteSomething that really stuck out to me, also, during the readings is when the author said "Our focus has to be on changing reality, not changing laws." Because as you have said the very different laws of both the Netherlands and Sweden have been tested out and although Sweden's proved to have worked better in lowering reported cases of this trafficking, it still doesn't solve all of the problems. It may have decreased the number of brothels, but it didn't eliminate the main problem. There are so many grey areas in this subject that it seems impossible to come up with a solution for all, but there is nothing wrong with an attempted fail. As long as we keep trying and don't lose hope, eventually there will be a solution to all of these issues, but as for now, you are correct when you say that "it only takes one stone to create a lasting ripple in a pond." Efforts like "Pivot" are inspiring and really make me think about other creative ways to send for help to these places. It takes a lot of courage and a lot of patience to reach out to places like Nepal and Cambodia, and hope for the best. I have learned so much about this subject already, and it has really opened my eyes to real issues and real people that are suffering in other countries, and in our own country! I really hope that there is a nationwide solution that will eventually solve these terrible, terrible problems!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your statement that they should be commended for their work putting the messages in sanitary napkins. I think one of the biggest problems facing activists trying to get rid of prostitution is getting information to the victims of sex trafficking. Most of them are caught in a cycle that they cannot get out of, they are not allowed to talk to others and they are not allowed to go out without an escort. Although the girls in the more impoverished regions might not have access to these sanitary napkins, every girl counts, and at least they are getting to some! Every girl counts.
ReplyDeleteThe “pivot” idea is great but I agree with you on the part where girls might not have disposable napkins and working toilets readily available to them. I would think that in the less fortunate parts of these countries, they probably do not even have working toilets, let alone if a brothel owner would even let them use one alone.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the point of enforcing the police to keep these laws and not having them being bribed with money to keep it quiet. I also like the fact that that they are punishing the people paying for it instead of the girls themselves because I feel that the girls are not the ones at fault. Half the time they are forced into that life. It’s not fair to the girl if she gets in trouble for things she was forced into.
I actually believe that breaking this chain would be more effective than creating stricter (or laxer) laws relating to trafficking or prostitution. After watching the video in class where we saw one mother who didn't want to send her child away to school (she claim it was to do chores, but that likely wasn't the only reason), we see that she may have already had plans for her daughter to go into prostitution. Somehow we need to remind these mothers that this is not right, this is not the only way to live. We also need to inform the younger children of the same thing.
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly with your views. Laws DON'T mean a thing if there is no enforcement behind them. I was struck throughout this entire chapter by the complacency of all those involved... the trafficking victims, their families, law enforcement meant to protect the girls who actually profitted by demanding bribes from the brothels!! Even the officer dispatched to monitor the border for trafficked girls... "Prostitution is inevitable....These girls are sacrificed so that we can have harmony in society. So that good girls can be safe." It is so easy to see how these girls fall into a level of acceptance and hopelessness that they feel the only place they are deserving of is to be in the brothels. The rejection and shame brought upon them by their villages and their own families make the transition back into any sense of normalcy all the more difficult. In some ways it isn't surprising that they return to the brothel life they know but at the same time, heartbreaking that this is all they see for themselves. I agree with what you say about one stone making a lasting ripple. For the many girls that aren't able to break free or inevitably find themselves returning to the brothels, there are those select few that do break away and find a life away from trafficking. I think those are the ones that keep the hope alive for people like Nick that persevere to break the cycle, one victim at a time.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it would be more effective to "break the chain" rather than make more laws for people to break. Just because you create a law does not mean that everyone will follow it. By breaking the chain you give people a more meaningful and empowering stand, they start to understand why something like this needs to happen. They start to see that their lives can be so much better and more meaningful. When a large group of people take a united stand together, word gets out and people start to listen and tune in on whats going on. There are laws out there that I didn't even know existed, but when you hear about people banning together to support a cause, the impact is much greater. By taking a stand I feel it is more positive than simply just making a law. Heck why make a law when the law enforcement doesn't even enforce it! Some of the stories in this book have proven that the law enforcement can become corrupt. We hear about all these terrible things going on in the world, but I think it is important that we look at the things that good people are trying to do to fix and change these issues, to focus on the positive.
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