Slavery Post #3: Sex is NOT for Sale

Sex Is Not For Sale

Did you notice the picture included in my last post about slavery? 45.8 million people are estimated to be slaves in the world, and 68% of them are forced into labor.

Wait, so what are the other 32% of slaves forced into? Isn’t slavery about labor?

Only sometimes.

Sometimes slavery is about sex.

Around the world, women, children, and (and sometimes men) are kidnapped, lied to, illegally hired, coerced, drugged, physically abused, cheated, or frightened into sexual slavery. Oftentimes the enslavers (or “pimps”) are making mega-profit. Oftentimes they are forcing their victims to pretend they are peddling sexual favors by their own free will. If the victims refuse or attempt to escape?

Physical abuse.

Threats to harm family.

Death.

Many of these people are forced into sex slavery in their pre-teen or teenage years. The psychological abuse and scare tactics that have been used on them over the years have so shaped their young minds that they don’t even know what freedom is anymore, let alone how to fight for it. They don’t dare disobey their captors. They don’t dare not meet their quota of “clients” – sometimes as many as 40 per night.1 They fear for their lives.

Of all forms of slavery, this is the one America is particularly guilty of. We are the source and the destination of sex slaves from around the world.  

So where are these people? The Polaris Project tells us, “Sex trafficking occurs in a range of venues including fake massage businesses, via online ads or escort services, in residential brothels, on the street or at truck stops, or at hotels and motels.”2 People mistakenly think women in the commercial sex “business” are free, but professor and researcher Dominque Roe-Sepowitz tells us that’s a delusion. In fact, "‘All those women care about is that they meet their quota and get the money to their pimp or trafficker,’ she says. Otherwise, they often face dire consequences. Ads perpetuate this myth, often worded as though they are written by the women themselves, and that they ‘can't wait’ to meet their buyers.”3

And there are plenty of buyers here in the US.

A study published in 2014 found that in one city alone (Atlanta, GA), the sex slave trade has an economic value up to $290 million.4

Think what Atlanta could do with $290,000,000 if it were not spent on sex slavery.

Think what all those women and children could do if they weren’t enslaved for sex.

The point is not to blame Atlanta. The point is that sex slavery is here. It’s everywhere.

Since 2007, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center has received reports of approximately 40,000 victims in the US.5 The actual number of victims is much higher since many instances go unreported.

I could tell you heart-wrenching stories that would tie your stomach in knots. But I won’t. I’m not trying to just make you angry or sad of empathetic or shocked if you’re still helpless to end it.

What I really want to do is tell you that you – yes you – have power to fight against sex slavery. It’s different than fighting labor slavery, but there are small yet powerful things you can do. I’d just like to share them with you.

1. Pray: I believe in a powerful God. He can protect, rescue, heal, convict, and restore. Let’s ask Him to. 
2. Raise awareness: The sex trafficking industry thrives on silence and darkness. Tear down these two pillars by telling the truth about sex trafficking. Go ahead, use social media.

3. Be ready: You never know when you’ll see something suspicious – especially now that you are more aware. Enter the National Human Trafficking Hotline number in your phone so you’ll know whom to contact if something doesn’t seem quite right: 1-888-373-7888. Also, download the Smartphone app “TraffickCam.” When you stay in a hotel, take pictures of the room and submit them via this app. Many ads for exploitation of trafficked women include pictures of the victims in hotel rooms. By creating a database of hotel room photos, we help investigators locate the actual places where exploitation is happening.

4. Say no to pornography: Our culture condemns the injustice of sex trafficking while embracing porn as an expression of freedom. But a little digging shows this to be a false distinction for at least 3 reasons.6 First, pornography feeds the sex trafficking industry because it’s “a primary gateway to the purchase of humans for commercial sex.”7 Second, pornographic material is often created by exploiting trafficking victims on film or photo. Third, the making and consuming of pornography actually fit the legal definition for sex trafficking. America, enough of this double standard. You can’t condemn the sex trafficker while consuming the product he helps create. So use your own eyes, internet, movie choices, etc. as a weapon AGAINST injustice.

5. Help them heal: Organizations like International Justice Mission, Better Way Imports, and A21 have many opportunities for you to support the freedom and healing of sex trafficking victims. From funding rescue missions to writing encouraging letters…from providing after-care packages to buying products made by survivors who need a source of income…you can help them in their journey of recovery.

We are not helpless. They are not hopeless. Our voices must be heard:

Sex is not for sale because humans are not for sale.

Footnotes:

1.        Sacharay’s story: http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/20/us/sex-trafficking/index.html

2.        The Polaris Project: https://polarisproject.org/sex-trafficking

3.        Dominique Roe Sepowitz interviewed by Deseret News: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865620752/The-Super-Bowl-is-the-largest-human-trafficking-event-in-the-country.html

4.        Research Study of Sex Industry in Major US Cities: https://www.urban.org/research/publication/estimating-size-and-structure-underground-commercial-sex-economy-eight-major-us-cities

5.        National Human Trafficking Hotline Stats: https://humantraffickinghotline.org/states

6.        Connection between Porn & Sex Trafficking: http://www.covenanteyes.com/2011/09/07/the-connections-between-pornography-and-sex-trafficking/

7.        Supply & Demand of Sex Trafficking: https://sharedhope.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/DEMAND.pdf

8.        Image: https://www.tes.com/lessons/j2880sRPYQGZ8g/human-trafficking

Say Goodbye to Slavery

Today's post is 2 of 3 by Mrs. Jennafer Ort - who's been invested in understanding this problem for quite a few years now.

Hey again,

In my last post I introduced the problem of modern-day slavery. It’s a problem so huge that 45.8 million people are trapped in slavery around the globe. It’s a problem so pervasive that essentially every country in the world has slaves, including the United States. And it’s a problem so personal that many of the daily purchases we make are directly supporting - even demanding - that this slave labor continues.

So did you take the slavery footprint questionnaire to learn how many slaves are working for you? (www.slaveryfootprint.org) It’s a bit unreal to think of dozens of people working in violent, filthy, abusive, dangerous, and inhumane circumstances just so I can have a closet full of clothing, a house full of gadgets, and a cupboard full of food.

So what do we do about it?

Before you freak out, I’m not going to tell you to get rid of everything you own and commit to a life of self-sustaining simplicity in the wilderness. That’s just not practical (for most of us, anyway!). But in light of your new knowledge, I’d challenge you to not ignore the problem either. Let me recommend 3 concrete options for reducing your slavery footprint starting today. These are the same 3 things I did to bring my own slavery footprint down nearly 20% in less than 2 years.

The solution for us all comes down to knowing where your money is going. If you don’t want to support slavery, don’t spend your money on items that were produced by slaves. You have three ways to avoid this:

1.       Ditch it.

2.       Research it.

3.       Localize it.

These actions steps are simpler and more powerful that you’d think:

1.       Ditch it: Not sure whether the item you are planning to buy was ethically sourced? Just don’t buy it. If you are not certain whether an item is ethically sourced, it probably isn’t. Most major brand names for anything we buy – from bananas to running shoes – do not verify their raw materials are ethically sourced. So ask yourself, “Do I really need ____?” If the answer is “no,” just don’t buy it – at least not until you’ve found an ethical source. If the answer is “yes,” (or “no I don’t need it, but I really, really want it,”) then choose option 2 or 3 below!

2.       Research it: There has been a recent wave of counter-action to the problem of slavery and unfair wages: it’s called “fair trade.” A growing number of organizations are ensuring their laborers are earning fair wages for their work – all the way up the supply chain. This isn’t about raising minimum wage. It’s about eliminating slavery. So look for brands with one of the fair trade symbols OR buy from companies who verify their products are fair trade or ethically sourced. (See the end of this post for some websites to help.) As a bonus, you can also buy products that are organic. Since organic items have to verify their sources to prove they’re organic, it’s very unlikely they can hide unethical labor in the process.

 3.       Localize it: When I say “localize,” I don’t mean you have to only buy products that are made locally. What I really mean is making sure your proceeds are staying local. You can most easily do this by buying items second-hand. Think about it: If you buy a t-shirt from Goodwill, the only people benefiting from your dollars are the local Goodwill employees. None of that money makes it back to unethical original sources, so you just made an ethical purchase. But when you buy that same t-shirt brand new from a store like Walmart, your dollars are directly supporting the manufacturing of that product – even if the manufacturing used slave labor somewhere along the line. Buying secondhand not only saves you money, it saves you from supporting slavery. This strategy can be used for electronics, cars, clothes, any of those items you can’t seem to find fair trade – or at least not fair trade and in your budget.

Personally, I’ve used each of these strategies to some degree. For example, I’ve given up chocolate unless it’s fair trade. I’ve researched ethical sources to purchase tennis shoes and dress shoes. I’ve started buying some produce from the local farmer’s market instead of the chain grocery store. And I’ve committed to buying most of my clothing items and electronics secondhand until I can find or afford to buy them fair trade.

Sometimes these choices are inconvenient or expensive. But each change is worth it to know that none of my dollars are being used to exploit slaves.

So now you know.

You can’t do nothing anymore.

You are no longer innocently ignorant.

Your informed silence would implicitly

support the slavery

you now know exists.

So instead, I’d like to invite you to fight against slavery.

I’m asking you to re-think your purchases.

I’m challenging you to try the strategies above, starting with just 1 category or purchase.

You can build from there.

We can all build from there, until, together, we put slavery out of business.

Will you join me?

p.s. For a list of companies who are fair-trade certified or made by survivors, check out this website. It lists companies for everything from accessories to food to makeup to clothing: http://www.endslaverynow.org/act/buy-slave-free/slave-free-companies

The Dark Side of Chocolate ... and Everything Else

Today we have the privilege of coming along side Jennafer Ort - who I introduced last week - and journeying with her as she learned about the global human trafficking problem. There are two more posts after today's - so stay tuned!

Hey there, I’m Jennafer Ort. You’ve probably never heard of me, or – if you have – it was as “Jenna” Young during my 2 years being discipled by Amy Jo in JC’s Village. I’ve been invited to write a 3-part guest series on Amy Jo’s blog. Not because I’m a blogger – I’m not. Not because I’m working with Amy Jo – I’m not. Just because I have something important to share, and it’s too important to limit it to my own sphere of influence. With that, brace yourself. This isn’t a peachy inspirational post. It’s heavy. It’s heart-wrenching – if you let it sink in. But please do because it’s important.

It’s slavery.

If you’re anything like me, your first associations with the word “slavery” might be the Civil War, Africa, William Wilberforce, or some other historical character or time period. You might suppose slavery died with the Emancipation Proclamation of the 1860s. But what if I told you slavery still exists? Then what would you think of? Distant countries? Primitive people groups? Rare horror stories?

Yeah, me too. Until I learned I was wrong.

I first heard about modern-day slavery in my junior year of high school in 2008. At the time, all I knew was the story of a teenage girl giving up chocolate because she learned cocoa was often farmed using slave labor. I was shocked. I admired this girl for giving up chocolate. I considered following her example. And then I promptly forgot about it and moved on with my care-free life. When I heard the same statistic during my sophomore year of college, I was convicted to actually do something by giving up chocolate for a year. I had very little information at the time. And I had absolutely NO IDEA the extent of the slavery problem.

It wasn’t until December of 2015 that I became aware of the vastness of modern-day slavery. Over seven years after I’d first heard slavery still existed, I learned that an estimated 45.8 million people are enslaved across the world.

45.8 MILLION

That’s like the entire populations of Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand combined. That’s a lot of slaves.

And the sad thing is, they’re everywhere. In 2016, the Walk Free Foundation ranked 167 countries from most to least estimated slaves in that country. Sorry, but the United States was not ranked last. It was ranked #72 out of 167, with an estimated 57,700 slaves in the USA.

Granted, it could be more. In fact, compared to the estimated 18 million slaves in India, it’s easy to think we’re doing pretty well. The problem is that many of us in the United States directly support the slave industries of other countries without even knowing it. How do we do this??? Through our purchases.

Chocolate bars, steaming coffee, smart phones, rubber tires, shrimp, fruit, tennis shoes, cheap t-shirts…the list goes on and on. Many of the items we buy or consume every single day have passed through the hands of a slave. It’s not that the companies selling the items are enslaving people. But these companies don’t demand or investigate ethical standards from their suppliers, so they – and we – end up supporting the slavery cycle through our purchases.

Let’s get more personal. Right now – today – there are people around the world working in factories or farms or brothels or fishing boats to support your seemingly harmless lifestyle. To see an estimate of the number of slaves required to support your lifestyle, I challenge you to take this 11-question survey: http://slaveryfootprint.org

When I took the survey on December 24, 2015, my score was 44. Forty-four real people somewhere in the world were working in slavery so I could enjoy my privileged lifestyle as a college student. Something had to change. And it is.

When I took the same survey today, my score was 36.

36 is 36 too many. But it’s nearly a 20% decrease from my first score, so I think I’m onto something. I’d like to share that “something” with you. Please tune in later this week to hear how I’m decreasing my slavery footprint, and how you can decrease yours.