Whistle Blower

The movie the whistle blower blew my mind. It was a super intense movie. It was so crazy to me that it was based on true events. There were so many people involved from the very organizations that were supposed to be protecting the people of Bosnia. The conditions that the women were kept in were so terrible. I thought that it was interesting how the main character Cathy was treated by the other men that she worked with before she even stumble upon the trafficking. You could tell that the men felt they were superior to her.  In the book Girls Like Us the fact that family members sell these girls into these sex trafficking rings is explained. The way that the movie depicted it was so eye opening. The mother had no idea that the uncle sold her daughter. Raya’s aunt was also aware but allowed it to happen and even benefited from that fact that her husband sold her niece. As the group of us what the movie we were in terror as the web of officials involved began to untangle. It was outrageous to us that UN and other government officers could turn a blind eye to this. I helped having the group there to talk and discuss what was unfolding. We also discussed how the man involved had diplomatic immunity and when they were eventually sent home no punishment was ever issues to them. It is hard to believe that men can treat women as object and to those extremes. On a daily basis women are objectified by men and even by one another. The extremes and the violence that results during trafficking is unbelievable

 I can truly say that I was completely ignorant on the issue of human sex trafficking. Throughout the  reading  of girls like us and watching this movie I have a better understanding of the issues and risks of human sex trafficking. The movie seemed to play into the stereotype of my initial understanding of trafficking, Shackles and modern day slaves. Girls like us showed me the aspects of trafficking that occurs in our own backward. It makes it clear that sex trafficking is a global issue.

Girls Like Us

“Even when I would do street outreach at night, the older women would point me in the direction of the younger girl and say, “she’s a kid, she needs help. You should talk to her””

Throughout reading this book and looking to outside resources the aspect of age has jumped out at me. Lloyd discusses on numerous occasions the young girls that she meets through the GEMS program. What about the older women? The quote I chose shows the older women in jail directing Lloyd toward the young girls. Lloyd suggests that it is both out of “maternal nature” and the “unspoken belief that it is too late for them”.  I think that this is a major underlining problem in Lloyds book. The major issue it that sex trafficking is terrible for women of any age. According to Jyoti Sanghera “Children are deem innocent and in the need of special protection” what about the women? Does the fact that children that were sex trafficked eventually grow in to women? Why is it that Lloyd thinks that there is an “unspoken belief that it is too late” among the older women she encounters? I think that it is important to realize that women seem to reach an expiration date once they are considered an adult. Young girls have innocence and need help but once adults these women where is the help for them? Is innocence just for youth? I think that innocence varies. I think that women and children both have innocence and that it should be taking into consideration. Overall this quote makes me uneasy I think that is important that all women are considered in the issue of sex trafficking. No matter the age of the women and young girls that are being trafficked the issue of human sex trafficking is terrible. I do think that it is important to keep all women in mind, from young to old. It is not too late to help anyone.