Human Trafficking - Nefarious Merchant of Souls

The Cold Facts of Modern Slavery

Sex trafficking involves the act of recruiting, harboring, transporting, or obtaining a person for a commercial sex act through use of force, fraud, or coercion (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). It is a crime against humanity.
Every year, thousands of women and children fall into the hands of traffickers in their own countries and abroad. Every country in the world is implicated by this injustice, whether as a country of origin, transit, or destination.

More Human Trafficking Statistics

Slavery is still alive and well in our contemporary society.

• Governments estimate there are 27 million slaves being held worldwide—more than at any point in human history. (U.S. State Department, March 2012)
• Sexual exploitation makes up 79% of identified forms of human trafficking, including prostitution, forced stripping, massage services, and pornography. (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking, 2009)
• 88% of these victims are women and children. (UN Office on Drugs and Crime, 2009)
• After drug trafficking, trafficking in humans ties with the illegal arms industry as the second largest criminal industry in the world today. It is the fastest growing. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011)
• Most sex trafficking is regional or national and is perpetrated by traffickers who are the same nationality as their victims. (United Nations, Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, 2009)
• As many as 2 million children are subjected to prostitution in the global commercial sex trade. (U.S. State Department, Trafficking in Persons Report, 2011)
• At least 15,000 people are trafficking into the United States annually. (U.S. State Department, Trafficking in Persons Report, 2010)
• Approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims annually are trafficked across international borders worldwide. (U.S. State Department, Trafficking in Persons Report, 2011)
• Estimates suggest as many as 300,000 children annually are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation. (Richard Estes and Neil Weiner for University of Pennsylvania, 2001)
• The average age of entry into prostitution in the United States is 13- to 14-years-old. (Sara Ann Friedman for ECPAT-USA, “Who Is There to Help Us?,” 2005)
• Nationwide there are fewer than thirty safe homes for victims of sex trafficking to receive treatment and services. This severe shortage regularly causes their inappropriate placement in juvenile detention facilities. (Streetlight Tuscon, 2012)
  
  
  
  
  I recently saw a movie screening of the movie Nefarious - Merchant of Souls. It is a documentary about human trafficking. Ive been hearing alot about human trafficking recently but its been easy to turn my head the other way and think "That doesnt happen here!" Boy was I wrong, and I didnt realize to what degree this is a world issue. It is disgusting and sick!
  
  Here in Canada Human Trafficking does happen, and it is real!! After speaking to an organization I found out that in Canada the most common form of human trafficking is forced labor (Someone is promised a job, brought to canada, and that job and the working or living conditions is not what they were promised!) and the second most common type of human trafficking is prostitution.
  
  After seeing this movie Nefarious (click for the synopsis/trailer) I decided I cant turn my head the other way and ignore it. But what is little me supposed to do with such a big issue? Because my sister owns the movie I started planning a movie screening to hold in my basement. What was supposed to start out as a little movie screening has turned into an event at a school in Edmonton with hopefully around 210 people! The event will be held on June 17th,and if you would like more information on the details please email me at: Karlaandandy@hotmail.com I would love to pass the information on to you!
  
  I do plan on giving more information and links about what we can do to abolish human trafficking, so please keep your eyes open for that! In the mean time, if you have any questions please comment or email me.
  
  
  Id love to hear your thoughts, and blogging is always so much more enjoyable when people comment on a post, so please comment away!!