Very Young Girls

This documentary gives us a glimpse into domestic sex trafficking. It focuses around and organization in New York City called GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services), whose goal is to save girls from sexual exploitation and rehabilitate them to a state where they can be reintegrated into society. This is the story of just a few of those girls...






These girls were deceived, disillusioned, and distressed. In our society, we often look at prostitution as a "life choice" for the women involved. No, these girls were coerced, and they are trapped by fear, lies, and threats. The average age that a female enters prostitution is 13--essentially a child. They are victims, but they are viewed as inferior beings. In our courts, they are tried as criminals, while the men who purchase them are not. In their homes, they face conflict and feelings of alienation from their family. When they are passed on the street, people regard them disdain. What they need is support, to be given guidance and to really be cared for. GEMS strives to provide them with the hope and opportunity for a prosperous future, as we too should do.

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An Introduction

This blog was created to discuss the issue of human trafficking and it's connection to the theme of alienation. The title was inspired by the "Price of Life" teeshirts that were sold by JMU InterVarsity's 2010 Justice Team in an effort to raise awareness and support for World Vision in their efforts to combat human trafficking.

It refers to the corruption of putting a price value on a  human life--something that is inherently priceless and should be treasured far beyond material currency.

To start, let's take a look at the denotation of of these terms:

Human trafficking: the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons:
by the threat or use of kidnapping, force, fraud, deception or coercion, or by the giving or receiving of unlawful payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, and for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor. {source}

Alienation: the state of being withdrawn or isolated from the objective world, as through indifference or disaffection {source}; A separation of individuals from control and direction of their social life {source}

Individuals who are trafficked are coercively or forcibly removed from their home, society, and in some instances they are taken to other countries all together. Whether they are forced into child soldiery, child labor, the sex trade, or any variation of these, victims of trafficking are ostracized from mainstream society. They are removed from the life they once knew and are then confined to a life of oppression, abuse, and exploitation. And even in some instances where victims are liberated from trafficking, society views them as tainted and taboo. Reintegration into society is a long and strenuous process.

I hope to address these issues more in depth through these posts, so please stay tuned!

Also, please see the sidebar to get more information on organizations that have made it their mission to rid the world of this injustice.

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