Sex Trafficking: Time for Action?
Tue, April 24, 2007
Despite the fact that human trafficking is getting a lot of important exposure, the number of victims remains on the rise. How do we, as a world community, move from Exposure to Constructive Action? Nicholas Kristof wrote a big piece on the NYT Op Ed page last week. He mentions one of our favorite divas Ruchira Gupta, who founded the resource organization Apne Aap for women of the red light districts of India. She’s featured in our documentary “Holy Cow." Kristoff was taken to task by Alexandar Cockburn online and in the Nation for being among the journalists who cover these stories, somewhat breathlessly, without responsibly getting to the crux of the problem. In the case of India’s rise in trafficking and sex slavery, that woud be The World Bank and its damaging policies. What do you think?
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... because Alexander Cockburn’s out there in the trenches.
I don’t totally understand how the issue is because of the World Bank, but I think that better education is a part of the solution. If men were better educated, they wouldn’t have ideas such as having sex with a virgin would cure them of Aids, etc. STD education for both males and females would go a long way, and if it were mandatory that those girls were in school, they would have options.
I don’t know how people from outside of the situation can really help. It seems like the major changes have to come from within the countries themselves. They need social change, and change in government, which also boils down to needing a better education setup.
I like Cockburn’s core point and I am glad Wolfowitz has been shown the door at the WB. AND bringing attention to the immediate plight of individuals is a tried and true method of getting people’s attention and Kristof’s actions have a place because they make it personal. I do think outsiders can have an affect for positive change. I mean, if the situation is being caused by outside forces (what Cockburn refers to as “neo-liberal” but I think of as “corporate-industrial"), then other outside forces such as Global social activism can play a role too.