There Is a very good reason human trafficking is also known as modern day slavery. It is truly an accurate description. Traffickers force their victims into a life of servitude, humiliation, submission, fear, and worse. They strip away people’s right to dignity and free will. The entire industry is a disease, a molestation of moral society. Traffickers target the most vulnerable lives in civilization and prey on their vulnerability. The most common forms of forced servitude people are put in are Sex Trafficking and Forced labor. Being made a victim of either one of these rips away a part of someone that it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to get back.
I think we can all agree that this industry is a plague to the human race. The thing we need to work on, however, is what our response should be. Some seem to be content with an “oh well” response. Others find themselves consumed with a desire to change something. We are left with a lingering question. Who’s responsibility is this problem? Is it the responsibility of the loved ones of those taken? Is it the governments’ responsibility to catch the leaders of the industry and put a stop to it? Should we just give up, and do our best to help those affected by it? I’m not content with any of these options. I hold the belief that the stop to trafficking begins individually. We cannot be content with damage control or clean-up. People, as a whole, must become proactive and pre-emptive instead of reactive. (Action always beats reaction.) What do I mean you ask? Picture this; instead of having your life ripped from you and someone trying to help you pick up the pieces after you are rescued (if you are rescued), what if you never had it ripped away in the first place. Sounds much more desirable to me.
You see, the #1 thing that will save you and others, is the thing that everyone has access to but very few people utilize for this purpose, information. Information is the biggest threat to modern day slavery. Ignorance is the #1 threat to your safety and the safety of those you love. Ignorance of the signs that you’ve been targeted, ignorance of how to escape targeting, ignorance of what to say to your children to keep them safe, ignorance to the victims around you, and how to recognize them. There is hardly an excuse for this ignorance- I feel it mostly comes down to laziness. There are SO MANY resources and information centers to find this information and it’s just ignored. The hardest part of being a self defense Instructor and information provider, is getting people to recognize that THEY need it, not that it’s needed, but that THEY need it.
As a society, our problem is not that there is nothing we can do about this blotch on humanity. Our problem is that precious few are willing to do something. Think of the effect it could have if everyone, or even almost everyone, who knew about this took the time to learn how to live a lifestyle of safety, then they applied it to their family. Not everyone is called to be a self defense instructor or in a law enforcement squad that physically goes after traffickers. But anyone and everyone should learn how not to be victimized and share it with someone. If everyone did that “we the people” would be in a lot better shape. In the end, we should all do our part, no matter how small it may seem. I can’t reach everyone, but everyone can reach someone. Know the signs, live safe, protect yourself, inform others, and care for those already affected. Stop standing still, move.
-Jada