What Role Does Technology Play In My Learning?

In today's society, in the year 2012, technology has been sewn into every fabric of our society. Companies rely on technology to advertise their products, consumers rely on technology to learn about the world around them and the circle goes on and on. Everywhere we turn, we can see technology; whether it be looking at our phone, I pod, computer screen, or television. We have the power to text, tweet, instant message, email or blog, all in a device that is smaller than the palms of our hands. Sure, all this accessibility makes our social lives much easier, but how does it affect our education?

Since I was around 12 years old, I have been accustom to using stereos, overhead projectors and computers on a daily basis during the 6 hours I am at school. PowerPoint presentations have been used by both teachers and students and the library usually offers computer time to students conducting research for class projects. Despite this technological presence in my education, I have never been asked to take on a class project in the form of making a blog. At first, I was surprised that technology was about to take a leading role in my education, but as I grew used to the idea, I became eager to see if it would impact my learning in any way.

Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with technology. I often get distracted from my task at hand when Facebook temps me with new photos and status updates or I find a hilarious Youtube video when I search "cats meowing". Because of my short attention span, using a blog to display my learning has helped me become an even better procrastinator than I ever thought possible. However, my project it still finished on time and I have to say it opened new ways of exploring and learning about my topic. Being able to embed videos, photos and links not only furthers my education on my topic, but enables more exploration and explanation than what I would normally see in a classroom setting. 

Another important factor the I much appreciated was the less noticeable environmental footprint I left. Writing essays or making posters wastes quite a bit of paper as I usually need to print and correct multiple drafts. Paper-based projects are also generally marked once and thrown in the trash; but by using a blog, wasting zero paper not only helps the environment but makes my work seem more valuable. This is because it is not thrown out immediately, but rather on the internet where others can appreciate it and not only my teacher.

Overall, I would say that using technology as a way of presenting my topic has not only positively impacted my learning but furthered it because of it's accessibility and easily shared abundance of information. I enjoyed it because it was a new way of completing a project rather than the usual presentation and poster accompaniment.

Calvin and Hobbes Comic - Source: Google Images

My Life, Put Into Perspective

Because I live in North America, I am exposed to many different things such as multiculturalism, religion and world issues. This exposure creates the opportunity to educate myself and others on many social justice causes. I chose the topic of sex trafficking because of a documentary I saw a couple years ago. The pain and suffering of victims, the guiltless and shameless behavior of perpetrators have haunted me ever since. I wanted to know more about how this issue manifests and flourishes under certain circumstances and what makes, both victims and traffickers, get involved in this nasty business. Therefore, over the course of this blog and my research, I have learned a lot. I learned about the history of sex trafficking, causes as well as vulnerability factors, and those involved and potential solutions. Overall, the most important lesson I have learned is that even though something may seem impossible to fix, it is never truly broken beyond repair. There is always a way to make the situation better; whether it be through awareness, media, legislation or revolution.

Learning about sex trafficking has impacted my understanding of the world in a big way. Seeing documentaries and videos through the eyes of trafficked women and girls really puts my life into perspective. Knowing  the suffering physical, sexual and verbal abuse causes, makes my like seem like a cake walk. I am not beaten, raped or threatened on a daily basis nor am I torn away and moved across the country away from my loved ones. Living in a country like Canada, full of excess and "wants" rather than "needs"; makes me realize how lucky I am. I am lucky to have a loving family with financial security and I should also realize and be grateful for the fact that I receive love and support regularly. By reading my blog I hope that you, the reader, don't take you life for granted and appreciate every freedom and liberty you have.

Me, Myself and My Thinking

Over the course of this project, I have learned quite a bit about sex trafficking; it's causes, effects and just how far the problem extends to all corners of the world. It still shocks me that this type of slavery exists in the 21st century, not to mention in developed and prosperous countries. Hundreds of years ago, the slave trade was the biggest problem that the world faced and was thought to be unsolvable. But today, the "ownership" North Americans use to have over African people is nonexistent thanks to a few passionate people that saw the "possible" in a seemingly "impossible" problem. So, for the people that say sex trafficking is inevitable, I would argue strongly against that. Like Gandhi said: "Be the change you want to see in the world". What this means is that without a drive for change and goals to make things better, problems like global sex trafficking will only worsen.

Quote by Gandhi - Source: Google Images

A Video That Will Surprise You.

Source - Youtube

A video about sex trafficking that will surprise you. Watch to the very end, very moving and thought provoking.

Sexual Healing

Solving a problem such as this is painstakingly long process. But when it comes to the lives of millions of young women and girls, it would be worth it. Human sex trafficking is an organized crime and one that is "high profit-low risk". The list of traffickers, abusers and victims is endless. This is why attacks against this vast problem need to be taken by the citizens of the world in a way that prevents it from continuing it's toxic cycle. Firstly, I think the most important element to tackle is our culture and society's view on sex trafficking and it's "icky" and "uncomfortable" connotations. People are often not concerned because they are either innocently unaware of the problem or because they choose to ignore it. All the while making their lives less complicated and much more ignorant. Our prevailing culture of apathy, ignorance and non-concern, not only lets slip the problem of sex trafficking, but if fact promotes it. By remaining silent about such an important issue, people are essentially sealing the fate of each and every girl that is abused, raped and tossed aside like a piece of trash.

Fresh Meat - Source: Google Images

Many government and non-government organizations concentrate on preventative methods to tackle sex trafficking. While this is very important, what happens to the girls after they are rescued or their pimps arrested? Are they thrown back out into our society only to be picked up by another pimp and forced back into the sticky hands of the sex trade? While preventative methods and legislation against sex trafficking are vital, so is the rehabilitation and re-integration of victims back into a society where they can grow to be healthy adults in a safe environment. Therefore, the business of ending human sex trafficking should not and cannot be left solely in the hands of the police officer at the local station. There needs to be a synergy of efforts combining together that include: law enforcement officials, social welfare and development, civil society organizations, the media and many more. This group of efforts coming together can be the solution to this ever growing problem we face. This synergy is indispensable during the 3 P's of anti sex trafficking: Prevention, Prosecution and Protection. 

Prevention: Is a multilevel attack that includes creating awareness, sensitization and a strategy to deal with the vulnerability factors present in specific environments that raise the risk of sex trafficking occurring. Prevention also calls to address the biggest factor; which is the demand for sex.

Prosecution: A successful prosecution not only involves law enforcement agencies, but can be brought about by the efforts of NGOs (ex. helping a victim be more prepared when facing a court room situation, etc.) and the media (follow ups of trials, delivered in a clear, correct manner). Another facet of prosecution is the need for anti-trafficking legislation; this entails making sure that human trafficking is a criminal offense.

Protection: The final step, and in my opinion, the most important is the protection and rehabilitation of victims of sex trafficking. This entails that the rights of the victim are upheld (during the criminal justice system processes), care and attention to the rescued person (counseling, psycho social and medical attention) and finally empowerment programs which provide victims with sustainable and safe places in society.

As you have learned from reading my blog, sex trafficking is an immense and complex problem which touches every corner of the globe. It affects the victims, buyers, traffickers, governments and has the power to destroy entire lives. After learning all the facts, it may seem like an impossible problem to tackle. But ultimately, the first step has already been completed! You, the individual reading my words on the screen, have taken the most important step which is the educate yourself. Your head is no longer buried in the sand of ignorance because you now know this problem exists! So pat yourselves on the back because this is the start to the end of sex trafficking!

Sex Trafficking Wordle

Sex Trafficking Wordle - Source: Made by me

So, Who Are The Troublemakers?

Because sex trafficking can touch every corner of the globe, there are many people that are involved, if not just directly. In addition to the obvious trafficker and victim, there are also middle men that take part in the sex trafficking process.

Even though the terms pimp and trafficker are used interchangeably, a person who traffics a sex slave inter-country is called trafficker while a person who traffics a sex slave intra-country is called pimp -Source: Made by me

Trafficker/Pimp:Pimps are generally males and any woman who is doing a job of a pimp is called a madam. Traffickers are also known as pimps or madams, who exploit vulnerabilities and lack of opportunities, while offering promises of marriage, employment, education, and/or an overall better life. However, in the end, traffickers force the victims to become prostitutes or work in the sex industry. Various works in the sex industry includes prostitution, dancing in strip clubs, performing in pornographic films and pornography, and other forms of involuntary servitude.  The pimp-prostitute relationship can be abusive and possessive, with the pimp / madam using techniques such as psychological intimidation, manipulation, starvation, rape and/or gang rape, beating, confinement, threats of violence toward the victim’s family, forced drug use and the shame from these acts. All of theses tactics are use by the pimps/traffickers to make their victim compliant and terrified to try to escape.

Methods traffickers use to control victims - Source: Google Images

Facilitator: A facilitator could be anyone helping transport the victims, advertise jobs(modeling, nanny, waitress etc.) that are really fake, security or corrupt authorities who turn a blind eye to the traffickers illegal activity

Partner: A partner is generally a man who is the "partner in crime" (pun intended) to the trafficker. Their duties who be to facilitate the exchange of sex between the victims and the john, abuse girls to make them comply (rape, force digestion of drugs/alcohol, or physical/verbal abuse)

Johns/Buyers: The men who buy sex from trafficking victims are ultimately the consumers of trafficked women and children. They use them for entertainment, sexual gratification, and acts of violence. It is men who create the demand, and women and children who are the supply.

Victim: Are for the most part, women and young girls, who are forced to perform sexual services through coercion

A Conversation with Men About Sex Trafficking

A great short video that really shows how it all begins: at a very young age.

What Makes This Problem Grow So Large?

The root causes of sex trafficking are numerous and often vary from one country to another. But in a nutshell, there is a demand for it. Sex = Money, and lots of it. Men around the world profit in pleasure with the price being exploitation of women and children. Sex trafficking is an extremely complex process that is often influenced and driven by social, economic and cultural factors. However, there are some factors that seem to be consistent in many sex trafficking cases; this being that the potential victim desires to migrate to a "better" life. They might be mislead into a new job offer, marriage or a more stable living environment. To dig even deeper, we need to look at what forces potential victims to migrate in the first place, thus showing us what the root causes are.

Some of the common factors that drive victims to migrate is search of better conditions are:

• Poverty - Poverty is often aggravated by violence, injustice and lack of opportunities that make people vulnerable to potential criminals or traffickers. People in extreme poverty seek a better life and will go to great lengths to find a job; all the while taking risks which expose them to predators such as traffickers. Some may even be as desperate as to become traffickers themselves. They may see this as their only way of providing and supporting themselves and their families. 

• Oppression - In developing countries, the oppression of women is of great concern; with women considered as inferior, it leaves traffickers and johns thinking they are just "objects". With this in mind, this leaves women in a vulnerable state to be trafficked because they are seen dollar signs rather than human beings. Also, some social and cultural practices in certain regions and countries, for example, the marginalization of women and girls combined with gender discrimination against them, increases their vulnerability and facilitates the trade of young women into forced sex work.

• Lack of social/economic opportunity - When there is a lack job opportunities or social support, potential trafficking victims look to other countries for opportunities they do not at home. They become, then, easy prey for traffickers making false promises about job offers in foreign countries

A longer list of factors that lead the victim to become more vulnerable for sex trafficking  - Source: Google Images

Another contributing factor is that in many less developed regions of the world, children are entrusted to more affluent friends or acquaintances with the intention of improving their lives and relieving their families of economic burden. By doing so, this often sends children into the trafficking market for slavery

Recruiters and Victims - Source: United Nations

What is Sex Trafficking?

If you're looking to make some serious money in this world, you might think of becoming a world renown surgeon or working in Northern Alberta in the oil industry.  But what comes to my mind is all the illegal trades; selling drugs or firearms and maybe even counterfeiting money. Though all these industries, although illegal, would produce heavy profits, there is only one thing that one could sell over and over and over again. That "thing" would be a human life. No matter the sex, race or age a human life can be sold multiple times and in the end, produce enormous profits. Many years ago it seemed like slavery had been abolished. But much to many people's surprise, it is still very much alive and thriving. Sex trafficking is modern day slavery and leaves no country or continent untouched; either by being a source, a rest stop or a destination.

 

To fully understand the gravity of this modern day slavery, we must first known exactly what human trafficking is. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime defines human trafficking as:

            "Act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring or receiving a person through a use of force, coercion or other means, for the purpose of exploiting them"

Through this blog I will be focusing on one purpose of human trafficking which is to provide sexual services. The United Nations estimates that every year 2.4 million men, women and children are trafficked. Of this number, 79% of known human trafficking cases involve sexual exploitation. Being the most occurring form of human trafficking and a growing problem throughout the world, it is my goal to bring to light an issue that is often pushed aside because of its uncomfortable and truly horrific nature.


Sex trafficking comes about through 3 steps: act, means and purpose. An image from the UN describes this process below:

Elements of Trafficking - Source: UNODC

The big question now is why does this horrific crime exist and carry out in such a modernized world? Like any conflict there are many root causes that catalyze certain events and provoke acts such as forcing someone to provide sexual services. Some of the reasons why are listed below (Keep in mind this is not an exhausted list as there is much to say behind every point):

• rising organized crime
• inadequate law enforcement/social support
• poverty
• political instability/corruption
• 
  

There are also many vulnerability factors that enable sex trafficking to happen more easily:

• environment
• history of abuse
• refugee status
• poverty
• lack of proper education/job opportunities

The men, women and children that are victims of sex trafficking suffer in the most unimaginable circumstances. From  physical violence and  torture to psychological and emotional trauma; evidently, the impact on the individual is scarring and never truly heals. Throughout the trafficking process, the victims life is put in danger on a daily basis. They may be starved and thus suffer from malnutrition as well as being exposed to  HIV, AIDS or other sexually transmitted infections. Women and girls might also become pregnant and be forced to undergo unwanted abortions because proper protection is not available or is forbidden.