Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009
www.theloquitur.com
Trafficking destroys human dignity SLAVERY, Page 1 extreme poverty. Women who are deprived of control over their own lives are especially vulnerable as are those trying to escape war or corruption. Women like Maria, whose story was provided by Shields, were approached by men and promised a new life of opportunity and wealth in a developed country, only to learn later they were deceived. “Where there is poverty and deprivation people take great risks in order to find jobs, and sometimes they fall into the hands of people who end up being traffickers,” Flaherty said. Women and children in developing countries who have little opportunities and no education to improve their lives or make money are most at risk, along with refugees who are looking for a better life. “Catholic Relief Services looks at all programs around the world in conflict areas, such as those affected by war or a natural disaster, because you need to be more vigilant in times of chaos.
When people are migrating it’s a chaotic situation and traffickers take advantage of that and abduct more women and children during this time,” Flaherty said. Trafficking is fueled by the demand of sex tourists, or people who will pay to have sex, and by the demand for products at cheap prices. “In our country, we want things at a cheap price with little care if the workers were violated or abused,” Flaherty said. “Students should support fair trade and fair labor practices to make sure people are working freely and receiving fair wages. Get involved with programs that support the poor… to help these vulnerable people have opportunities so that they don’t fall into this kind of life.” Another part of sexual trafficking is that there is a kind of culture of sexual exploitation. There is a market for pornography in the United States that makes it seem okay for women to be used as objects. “The demand for pornography is a large industry for young men who are consumers of commoditized and exploited
women,” Flaherty said. “The demand for this leads to the demand for strip joints and more.” Traffickers find vulnerable women and children to exploit inappropriately and illegally in order to meet the demands of people throughout the world. They make large sums of money by using free labor and collecting money from people paying for sex with the captive women and even children. Even if victims are rescued from this modern day slavery, they are left traumatized and their lives are shattered from the physical, mental and psychological abuse that they endured. “The big thing is for men to realize the implications of their actions on others. If there is a demand for this activity then there will be a supply, but it will come at the cost of human lives and dignity,” Shields said. “We need to work to help and give hope to people so that they can live life freely and to the fullest, which is what every human being deserves,” Flaherty said.
NEWS 3
Dawn’s Place provides safe haven for abused jen wozniak managing editor
jlw729@cabrini.edu
Sex trafficking rings have been identified right here in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs. The Coalition for Peace and Justice in Philadelphia created a committee on human trafficking that educated individuals about this horrifying issue. This committee wanted to do more than just talking about the issue. They wanted to be hands-on. They worked with religious sisters, Catholic Social Services and lawyers who worked with women trafficked for sex work in the Philadelphia area. The result was Dawn’s Place, a safe place for women who have been affected by sexual exploitation, to heal and recover from the abuses they have suffered in order to create a new life.
Dawn’s Place has dealt with 10 women since April, and has the capacity to house nine women at a time. It is currently home to two women arrested for prostitution and two women trafficked from Latin America. “These are women that want to get out of that life. We assist them with opportunities and programs to help them leave that life, which includes helping with benefits, the English language for international women, health concerns, contacting family and finding job placement, but in the meantime the most important thing is providing a safe, caring place,” Sr. Terry Shields, board member, treasurer and founding member of Dawn’s Place, said. Dawn’s Place is the only known residence for trafficked women on the East Coast. If interested in volunteering at Dawn’s Place, contact Mary Laver at mlaver@cabrini.edu.
NOT FOR SALE campaign at cabrini
“There are more than 27 million slaves in the world today.”
PHOTO CREDITS: BRIAN LOSCHIAVO/EDITOR IN CHIEF
David Batstone, head of the ‘Not for Sale Campaign,’ informed Cabrini students on the issues surrounding human trafficking.
‘Not For Sale’ exposes local trafficking NOT FOR SALE, Page 1 turned out to be a trafficking site. The community was taught that the slave trade is worth about $32 billion annually and that 800,000 to 900,000 people are sold a year. Batstone said that out of the people who are sold, 80 percent are female and 50 percent are children. Batstone explained about a program developed to inform consumers about products that are fair trade. “Free 2 Work came
out of that goal to provide supply chain transparency and deliver it to the average consumer and reward those companies who would change their behavior on their production so that they ensure free labor,” Batstone said. Batstone and Menswar pointed out a shocking fact in that if one purchases chocolate candy, most likely they are contributing to modern day slavery since 70 percent of cocoa beans come from Ghana and 12,000 to 15,000 child slaves are used to pick the beans. Batstone closed with how
the students and faculty can get involved with fighting modern slavery. “There is not a profession, vocation, interest or passion that you have that cannot be used to change the world today,” Batstone said. “We don’t need to be aware of another social problem because we are aware already,” Batstone said. “We need to be engaged in it.” The last thing Batstone and Menswar did was take a quick poll of who in the community would like to start becoming actively involved in the issue. Almost
everyone raised their hands when it came to signing up for the “Not For Sale” Facebook group. More raised their hands for starting a fair trade chocolate fundraiser. A few students said they wanted to be an intern with Batstone’s campaign out in California. Emily Orso, freshman early childhood and special education major, was one of those students. “What made me decide to go to California was the fact that sex trafficking was found in Berwyn on Lancaster Ave. That’s not too far away from Cabrini. This case
was a few years ago, but still, like David said, ‘Slave trafficking is in our own backyards’ and here is the reality, it was in my own backyard,” Orso said. “After Batstone’s presentation it became more clear that I could do more than just sit and feel sorry for the people impacted by the slave trade. I could actually do something. Things are still being sorted out about when I will go to California but I’m planning to apply for an internship very soon.”