MSNBC

I will never forgive NBC for choosing to air one of those "Good Morning America" shows rather than Andy Roddick's Wimbledon final match against Roger Federer.  Also, I did not much like NBC's coverage of the recent Olympics in London.  Still, MSNBC last night made up for much of that: from 9-11 p.m. they had two documentary shows on human trafficking.

As always, I am simply glad that human trafficking has gained the attention of news outlets, more and more articles and shows focus on human trafficking.  But as I watched the first show last night (10 p.m. is when I go to bed) entitled "Slavery in the Suburbs" I had conflicting notions: on one hand, I was relieved and excited, insofar as one can be excited in such circumstances, that the stories told in the little documentary all had the purpose of carving away the idea that slavery only happens in foreign/developing countries and is alive and well in our hometowns; on the other hand, I was saddened to think that many people would not watch the documentaries because of the assumption that slavery doesn't occur here in the States, and even of those who did watch many might persuade themselves that human trafficking does not happen in their hometown--and then, why should they care?

The reason why I chose Polaris Project as the organization to fund with my fund-raising last summer on my bike trip is the same reason why I try harping on awareness: Americans especially think that the country is so great, so progressive, so free, that slavery could not possibly still exist here.  In the documentary last night, the police refused to think of a young girl recently rescued from sex slavery (not due to any help from the police) as a victim of forced prostitution and instead treated her as a runaway drug addict, since, as with most victims, she was pumped full of drugs.  Thus, no investigation to find and convict her captors ever commenced.  Another story from last night: a father broke into the pimp's home where her daughter was being held, after the police had taken more than an hour to respond to his 911 call to say that his daughter was kidnapped and held as a prostitute, and then was charged with breaking and entering.  That charge was dropped, but still, c'mon people.  Police officers are simply representative of the attitudes that most all of us hold: forced prostitution? slavery? sex slavery? Not possible, not here. 

Perhaps it is especially because of our ignorance that slavery can run rampant in our country.  We need to get over it.  We need to pay particular attention when there are documentaries like the ones MSNBC aired last night.  We need to keep our eyes open. 

International Justice Mission

Another great organization to follow and work with, and sign up for e-mails from, is International Justice Mission (IJM).  I often want to say IGM because it seems easier to say, but I have no idea what IGM is.  You should check them out especially if you are interested in more than only slavery--although being interested in "only slavery" is quite a big deal in itself.

Today I received an e-mail from IJM with this message:

In the last fifteen years, more than 1,000 slave laborers have been freed from slavery in Florida's tomato fields. It doesn’t have to be this way. A solution is underway to help ensure that the tomatoes you buy are slave-free.

This summer, International Justice Mission is asking the CEOs of major supermarket chains Publix, Ahold (owners of Stop & Shop, Giant and Martin's) and Kroger (owner of Ralph's and other major chains) to join the Fair Food Program – a rigorous code of conduct and monitoring system that protects farmworkers from slavery and other serious abuses.

Please join us today and send a message to these three supermarkets urging them to stock guaranteed slave-free tomatoes.

Gratefully,

Eileen Campbell
Director of Justice Campaigns

Passing the Laws

Got this in an e-mail from Polaris Project:

Majority of States Actively Passing Laws to Combat Human Trafficking
Polaris Project 2012 Annual Ratings Show Massachusetts as Most Improved, Wyoming as Faltering

CHICAGO, IL (August 7, 2012) – More than half of states have passed laws to combat human trafficking, punish traffickers and support survivors in the past year, Polaris Project announced today during the launch of its 2012 Annual Ratings Map on state human trafficking laws. Twenty-eight states (55%) passed new laws in the past year. A law passed last November in Massachusetts catapulted the state from the worst tier to the best, earning a “Most Improved” distinction. South Carolina, West Virginia and Ohio were also applauded for their improvements. Wyoming has yet to pass any law against human trafficking, making it one of Polaris Project’s “Faltering Four” with Arkansas, Montana and South Dakota.

“Passing strong state laws is a critical step to increasing prosecutions of traffickers and providing local support for survivors,” said Mary Ellison, Polaris Project’s Director of Policy. “It is exciting to see so many state policy makers actively seeking ways to stop human trafficking, but using these new laws to save lives and hold traffickers accountable is what we are ultimately striving for. While states like Washington and Massachusetts are clearly at the top of the pack in our ratings, every state can and should do more to improve and implement their laws.” 

Polaris Project rated all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on ten categories of laws that are critical to a basic legal framework that addresses this crime and human rights abuse. Each state is placed in one of four tiers based on whether it has passed legislation in each of the ten categories. Twenty-one states are currently in the top category, Tier 1, up from 11 states in 2011. Only four are in the bottom category of Tier 4, down from nine states in 2011. One-third of states increased their rating by at least one tier. Washington had the highest point total, with 11 out of 12, while Wyoming is lowest with -2 points. Massachusetts and West Virginia particularly stand out for passing their first human trafficking laws in the past year.  

“Massachusetts has taken major steps to combat the egregious crime of human trafficking, and we are pleased that this report recognizes those efforts,” said Attorney General Martha Coakley.  “We continue to work towards a successful implementation of the new law through investigations, prosecutions, and policy change and look forward to working with stakeholders to end the exploitation of people in our Commonwealth.”

Despite improvements in laws across the country, few states passed “Safe Harbor” laws. These laws state that children under the age of 18 who are involved in commercial sex acts should not be treated as criminals for acts to which they can't legally consent, but instead should be recognized as victims of sex trafficking who are in need of services and support. Strong Safe Harbor laws grant immunity from prosecution or divert the child from juvenile delinquency proceedings, as well as offer protection and access to child welfare services. Only eight states received full credit for having a Safe Harbor law which includes provisions to protect children and also to provide services for the victim.

More than a decade after the passage of the federal anti-trafficking law, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), 47 states and D.C., have sex trafficking criminal statutes, and 49 states and DC have labor trafficking criminal statutes.  Although the TVPA has been reauthorized 3 times by bipartisan majorities, Congress allowed the Act to expire in September of 2011. The current Senate bill, S. 1301, has 46 cosponsors.

“In every state in our country, as well as globally, traffickers are enslaving victims by forcing or manipulating them to work or perform commercial sex acts,” continued Ms. Ellison. “We look forward to continuing to work with state legislators to develop tools to stop this horrendous human rights abuse. And we encourage Congress to pass the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and other anti-trafficking bills to ensure that our federal laws stay strong.”

The National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline, operated by Polaris Project since December 2007, has received more than 57,000 calls from every state in the country, and connected more than 6,700 potential victims to services. Incidences of sex and labor trafficking have been reported to the hotline in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in the U.S. in the last two years. Twelve states have passed laws requiring or encouraging the posting of the national human trafficking hotline.  To report a tip, connect with anti-trafficking services in your area, or request information, call The National Human Trafficking Resource Center at: 1-888-3737-888.

The state ratings map and methodology, as well as tailored state-by-state reports, are available at http://www.PolarisProject.org/2012StateRatings.

Olympic Slavery

Today the Olympic Games commenced.  Hope you didn't miss the US women's soccer squad come back from a 2-0 deficit against France to win 4-2.  If you thought that the games didn't start until Saturday, don't worry, I was confused too.  But thankfully I'm excited enough about the games that I've been checking the official website every morning for any new stories, and voile, I saw that there were a bunch of women's soccer matches today.

Coinciding with my Olympic excitement, though, is a dread in knowing that events like the Olympics attract huge numbers of sex slaves.  Now that "olympic" and "olympian" are synonyms for "grand" and "great," it's safe to say that the Olympics attract an olympic number of slaves.  Or something.

Perhaps it's only because my sensibilities are more finely tuned to slavery in recent years, but it seems to me that the public has become more aware of how much sex slavery these large events attract.  The 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and the Confederations Cup before that, brought with it news that hundreds and thousands of sex slaves would be transported in and around the soccer venues.  The most recent Superbowl, which I can not really talk about yet (Patriots fan), brought with it news that around 100,000 sex slaves were expected in Indianapolis for the weekend.  Not that the World Cup figures are not disconcerting, but the 100,000 for the Superbowl a few months ago should catch our eye: one weekend, one game, in the so-called civilized and freedom-loving United States of America, here in our country.  And just think, Lucas Oil Stadium, where the game was played, can't even hold that many fans...

Now, I haven't been close attention to CNN or newspapers or even Polaris Project lately as I take a lot of time to myself, so maybe that's why I haven't heard a similar report about the anticipated number of sex slaves to "treat" the London Olympians and fans.  But we all should be aware that thousands and thousands of sex slaves have been trafficked to the London area, and all other cities hosting any of the events (the Americans played in Glasgow, Scotland today), for the few weeks that we should be celebrating clean international competition, patriotism, and good sportsmanship.

Am I suggesting that we not enjoy the Olympic Games, knowing that the games are essentially sponsoring slavery?  Absolutely not.  I look forward to the Olympics like any other sport-lover.  My point is merely this: just as with the Penn State scandal, we have to learn how to temper our love for sports, action, comraderie, and whatever the heck else we enjoy about sports, with an unwavering moral center that upholds the lives of all other human beings.  After all, if the Olympics don't remind us Americans that we believe in everyone's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, then this country has truly lost its way.

Book

Despite my leanings toward cockiness and obnoxious self-promotion, I do not think that I have told you, my committed reader, that I am currently in the process of writing a book about my bike trip.  I already have 15,000 words written, which amounts to two chapters and an introduction, though none of it is finished. 

If you hop over to my other blog, Writing to Live, at writinglive.blogspot.com, you'll see that I am trying to be a writer in life.  That means that all of my time and effort is directed toward writing--other than, of course, all the time I put into video games.  15,000 words, then, will hopefully quickly turn into a finished product.  My plan right now is to complete an unpolished product by September and then fill in with information from my blog posts and other details and facts that require any energy in finding.  I don't like writing while also trying to find things. 

What all of this means is that you have a limited amount of time to give me your input.  If you have been a loyal reader of this blog, then let me know if you have a favorite post that you'd like to receive some ink-time in my book; or let me know if there's an idea that I've developed over time that you'd like me to focus on; or just give me support, or something.  There are a number of ways that you can have input in this process and I hope that you won't hesitate to contact me and let me know.

And, of course, I hope that you start feeling pangs of anticipation for the arrival of the book.  You better buy it.

Weekly Updates

This post, clearly, is short.  It also doesn't have any reflections on anything.  All I want to do is remind my readers that, if you haven't already, you should check out the website for Polaris Project and sign up for their weekly pulse e-mails.  Honestly I haven't been reading them lately and I feel terrible about that.  Still, I know that receiving and reading weekly updates about news and work that is being done on human trafficking not only increases one's knowledge but also greatly increases one's ability to be as aware as we should be.  Being aware helps us look out for signs of trafficking around us, yes, but it also increases our chances at living a life that benefits trafficking less and less. 

So, if you haven't already, sign up for the weekly pulse e-mails.  Like Starsky, or Hutch?, from Ben Stiller's remake of Starsky and Hutch, I say, "Do it.  Do it."

Joe Paterno

Until yesterday Joe Paterno, Penn State, and Jerry Sandusky were old news in a way.  A verdict has been reached that will essentially put Sandusky behind bars for life, though various lawyer-stuff will continue for years to come certainly.  Yesterday, however, former FBI-director Freeh released and commented on his report on the independent investigation into the handling of the situation by Penn State officials.  Basically the report damns everyone: the President, Vice-President, athletic director, McQueary, and Joe Paterno.

Joe Paterno is more than famous, he's a legend.  Now that there exists a 250ish page report detailing the failures of Paterno and the others all hope that Paterno's legend would escape mostly unscathed has been erased.  Almost certainly now Penn State will need to begin the process of disassociation and perhaps take down the statue of Paterno on campus.  At least, that's what most commentators are concluding and encouraging.

To me, there are two upsetting parts to this story that are relevant to the fight against human trafficking.  First of all, the fact that someone can have desires involving children is horrifying.  I can understand it in Greek culture where an older man tutored a young boy alone for hours with hardly any life apart from one another.  We don't have anything like that today.  We need to think long and hard about how in the world that type of desire blooms in today's world.  More importantly, we have to acknowledge that there are more people with those types of desires than we might think.  And even more importantly, the instinct to cover up is indeed strong in many places for many reasons.  What that means is that we have to work harder at looking with our eyes and really seeing what's going on in the world around us, we cannot float through life thinking all is well simply because no one runs up to us yelling, "I'm a slave! Help!"  If Joe Paterno is the great guy that many still want to think of him as, then we must realize that even the best and most well-intentioned people can suffer from the instinct to cover up, and perhaps be involved in, the worst of crimes.  And, of course, this particular crime and desire are what fuel child sex slavery.

The first part of the story is more obvious.  The second part of the story, however, doesn't seem to be acknowledged much: we should not stand in outrage that Paterno could have done what he did.  I don't intend to defend Paterno's image or anything associated with him.  All I know is that if we continue screaming or sighing, "How could he have not done more?" then we are avoiding the question that most tugs at us.  Indeed, when we focus on Paterno and not realize that others are just as responsible, or when we realize that others are just as responsible but only talk about Paterno, we are purposely funneling our anger.  Why would we want to funnel our anger onto one person?  We are outraged with Joe Paterno so thoroughly because we like to take down people in the spotlight so that we can think we are better people, that we'd do something different in his position.  We don't want to think about the communal nature of this crime or the communal nature of slavery, by which I mean that a whole lot of people participated and participate and not one does the dirty work of exposure, because then we might think about how human nature can be rather disgusting.

Fact is that we are all human.  Again, I'm not defending or justifying Paterno's actions, but I'm asking us to really and actually question ourselves.  Are we any different than Paterno at heart?  If he is a good person as many people say, then what might lead him to do something we hope we don't repeat?  That is, what might lead us, if we think of ourselves as good people, to participate in a crime like that?  Indeed, outrage with Paterno and other figures who splash into the limelight through bad deeds often allows us to forget the unfortunate characteristics and activities that we already engage in. 

News like we have from Freeh and Penn State should not lead to outrage, it should lead to self-reflection.  No matter how angry we get, if we don't inspect ourselves closely then evils like child molestation, child slavery, child sex slavery, and slavery in general will all continue.  We need to promote the act of self-reflection rather than public outrage, which unfortunately only shoves those in the dark deeper into the dark to avoid exposure and intensifies the underground torturous quality of slavery.  Compassion might be worthwhile, but for now I'm not talking about compassion: I just encourage us to reflect on our own selves and, hopefully, by doing so we will bring about a better, healthier society one heart and soul at a time.