Posted on 10/24/2005 5:16:17 PM PDT by Crackingham
“Slave traffickers around the world have rediscovered how profitable it is to buy and sell people. Women are lured into modern-day slavery, hoping for a better life. They could all be your sister, or your best friend, or . . . your daughter. . . . Modern slavery exists only because we choose to ignore it.” Now, that probably sounds to you like a quote from Ambassador Miller, who is the director of the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons—but he is not the one who said it. Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino did.
This isn’t another example, however, of a celebrity cause of the day. The quotation comes from Sorvino’s character in the Lifetime Channel’s miniseries called Human Trafficking. Sorvino plays a New York detective working to bust an international sex-trafficking ring.
Also starring Donald Sutherland as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, the show Human Trafficking “reflects a harsh, cold reality of how women and young girls across the globe are being bought and sold as sexual slaves,” according to Lifetime’s website, “some lured . . . by ‘mail-order bride’ ads.” The miniseries airs tonight and tomorrow at 9:00 P.M. Eastern time. Now, I haven’t seen the series, so I cannot speak for its quality or its suitability for the family. But at the least, Lifetime is generating a much-needed dialogue.
In the preview, Sorvino’s character quotes the Thirteenth Amendment—“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude . . . shall exist within the United States”—while images of victims cross the screen: students lured into what they think is “modeling” only to be forced into prostitution; young prostitutes brought in for the entertainment of rich male partiers; a mother blackmailed into prostitution when her three-year-old is kidnapped. These vignettes are based on true stories that the screenwriters learned about from government officials.
The series Human Trafficking makes a point of showing the presence of sex slavery right here in the United States—and it is not fiction. Just this month, the Justice Department indicted Jaron Brice for “his illegal sex trafficking operation that involved the prostitution and sexual assault of females as young as 14 years old.”
For too long, the evil of sexual slavery has continued “out of sight, out of mind”—not any more. President Bush has spoken out on this, and our Wilberforce Forum staff has worked with senators and congressmen in the passage of the sexual trafficking act now being used to crack down on this. And now, of all things, primetime television is shining a light into the dark corners of our communities. The Lifetime Channel’s website provides viewers a wealth of information, including highlights of International Justice Mission’s work in rescuing victims, and practical ideas for what citizens can do. And visit BreakPoint.org for links to this and more information.
“An ounce of cocaine—you can only sell it once,” says Sutherland’s character. “A woman or a child: You can sell them . . . every day over and over and over again. The markup is immeasurable. Human trafficking, ladies and gentleman, is the business of the future.” Sutherland’s character is right. But it doesn’t have to be if we Christians work, as we are doing here at “BreakPoint,” to get our government to enforce the laws.
Modern slavery is dominated by the ROP folk. Of course they never stopped since the 7th century.
About 98 countries across the globe allow slavery - places Je$$e Jack$on and Al $harpton will never go to combat it - places where UN soldiers can UNAccountably partake of child prostitutes - places where there is no democracy.
Do you have a list?
How much per pound is whale blubber worth??
China and India use slaves?
The Porn dealers and addicts
UN soldiers have been having a field day with hundreds of children in Africa, and elsewhere. Close the UN!!
Forced prostitution? Yes.
Which nations? While I don't think any place in Eastern Europe has it legalized sex slavery is a big problem there.
BTTT
China uses prison labor as a form of slavery. They have prison factories that literally work people to death, and when they need more workers they just sentence people to life for relatively trivial offenses.
India has a different form of slavery that's really a cross between indentured servitude and loansharking. They take people from extremely poor villages, or from poor areas in neighboring countries, and bring them in while charging a "fee". They are held captive until the debt is worked off. The problem is that they'll then charge interest AND charge for room and board AND charge for every other conceivable thing they can get away with. The result is that the person sinks deeper into debt every month and never gets free.
It's not slavery in the traditional sense where people are captured by a foreign nation and forced to work under the penalty of death, but it's still slavery...a persons freedom is taken without just cause and they are forced to work for someone elses profit without just compensation.
Save me the trouble of watching... Are they for or against?
Slavery is slavery - as far as that goes. Go to any search engine and enter "modern slavery". You'll have plenty of reading.
Bet the series shows almost excusively pretty and lily-White (just like CNN) when 99% of global human trafficking and even the vast majority in the U.S. is non-White or hispanic. Like Richard Pryor says, it's only a problem when it touches a White neighborhood. And this is how it comes from Lefties.
Let's not forget the Dominican Republic-- which got top billing in the CAFTA agreements as CAFTA-DR, is also a prime human trafficking violator.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.