Something to Think About

For the second last feature of this semester, students in the Journalism program at SAIT were asked to write about a recent "trend." I arbitrarily chose the topic of human trafficking, because I felt that information about the topic would be easily accessible and perhaps somewhat of interest.

As I dove deeper and deeper into a world of dark and depressing research, I discovered that human trafficking is a whole lot bigger, a whole lot shadier, and a whole lot more local than I had ever previously anticipated. I discovered that modern-day slavery is very much a reality, and that very few people know it's happening.

About a month ago, on a trek for further information on the topic, I braved a cold trip on the LRT to the University of Calgary for a speech on Human Trafficking in Belgium. The speaker, whose name I cannot recall at this moment, was a well-educated woman with a thick accent and kind eyes. She had been working on the front-lines for years; building relationships with and eventually rescuing women who had been sold into the sex trade industry against their will.

She said some brilliant things about the criminalization of victims and the importance of awareness, but what happened after her speech concluded is what I recall most vividly.

About six women and two men sat in a nearly empty classroom, throwing ideas around about how to battle such atrocities. In the second row sat a young woman, with wavy brown hair and a gentle, diluted accent of her own. She had seemed particularly interested in the speech, and she would smile and nod at almost everything the speaker had to say.

Every once in awhile she would look behind her and scan the room, seemingly taking a mental note of how many people were there. Near the end of the alloted Question & Answer period, this young woman nervously raised her hand, looking to have one more say.

When called on, she told the room that she had been in and out of the sex trade industry for the past three years, all the while attending normal full-time classes at the University of Calgary. She said that she had been too scared to tell anyone about it, for fear of being ostracized by her friends or her teachers.

She had been alone in this secret for three years, perhaps sitting beside you in your classes or eating lunch across from you in the cafeteria.

While hers may not be a case of human trafficking, it does emphasize how local and REAL such issues really are. This woman was too ashamed to talk to anyone because she felt she would be judged... which is the same reason why many young women and children being forced to have sex against their will never seek help.

Shame and fear bind them to their captors.

After listening to speakers, conducting interviews, and reading copious amounts of internet sites, brochures, and magazine articles, I've come to the conclusion that awareness is one of the most powerful weapons against modern-day slavery.

WE need to know what is going on. WE need to tell our friends, our classmates, whoever will listen. It is our job to be an informed and justice-seeking generation. You never know where life will lead you, or who you'll cross paths with.