On November 27th I attended a non-IA event at 1015 McPherson. The event was TEDx Red Light, Breaking the Cycle of Human Trafficking. This event showcased how survivors were able to overcome their experiences of being trafficked for sex. Each talk focused on a different aspect of how survivors lives are impacted by sex trafficking. An Ohio judge spoke about a program he instituted in his court to help rehabilitate human trafficking victims instead of sending them to prison like they are criminals. Two survivors told the stories of how they became trafficked, how it affected their lives, and how they escaped it. One survivor even brought her son and together they explained how it shaped their lives.
The topic of the TEDx talks that night related to content in many of my courses. The texts I have analyzed for class directly address it. For example: while reading “How the War on Trafficking was Made to Unite the Right and Left” I found similarities to the TEDx talks I heard. They were similar through connection to religion and their refusal to address prostitution as a separate issue. During the TEDx talks the survivors addressed how their faith was important in how they made it through their hardships. Many of the organizations fighting human trafficking in the article are also using faith to help people survive. Both the TEDx speakers and the policy of the United States and Conservative Christian human rights groups considered prostitution to almost always be a result of trafficking. When I first became interested in the issue of human trafficking I believed the same thing. Now, as a result of learning different perspectives I am not so sure.
I think Anne Tickner would address this problem similar to Gallagher from the “How the War on Trafficking was Made to Unite the Left and Right article”. Anne T. Gallagher said “It fails to seriously interrogate the deep economy of human exploitation- to ask what would happen to global wealth and productivity if such exploitation were suddenly removed” (Grant 5). Gallagher like Tickner looks at the ideology of the problem. They look at what would happen if that ideology is changed and how it will cause a chain reaction. For Tickner it is how a better perception of women will create a more prosperous nation. For Gallagher it is about how the issue of human trafficking is not black and white and if exploitation were removed completely there could potentially be bad effects.
I recently finished the podcast “Sold in America”. This podcast examined human trafficking through all the possible angles. One episode focused on prostitutes and how laws addressing human trafficking negatively affected them. I interpret Gallagher’s quote to be addressing this issue. Prostitutes explained how laws banning sex work put them in danger. When sex work is legalized and regulated they are able to do their work in safer conditions.
The difficulty I face as I learn more about this issue is finding a good solution. From looking at many sources I think what is needed to make up a good solution is very complicated and it must have many parts including the following: The people buying sex should be prosecuted instead of the women selling it. There should be tougher legislation and more resources to punish those who are trafficking others. Sex work should be legalized and regulated. More resources should be provided to survivors and the homeless.
Noor, Tagouri. “Sold in America” 28 Nov. 2018
Grant, Melissa. “Beyond Strange Bedfellows How the ‘War on Trafficking’ Was Made to Unite the Left and Right.” Politicalresource.org, 2018, www.politicalresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/PE_Summer18_Grant-1.pdf.