Hey guys, get along to “A thousand words” next Thursday and Friday in Hamilton! Jo Kraenzlin is back from Cambodia armed with art created by girls she has been working with at Daughters. As we all know, a picture can say a thousand words. Come to the exhibition to learn more about her work, human trafficking, Cambodia, the power of art and how you can be involved in stopping one of the greatest injustices of our time.

“This is the duty of our generation as we enter the twenty-first century — solidarity with the weak, the persecuted, the lonely, the sick, and those in despair. It is expressed by the desire to give a noble and humanizing meaning to a community in which all members will define themselves not by their own identity but by that of others. “

One of the greatest values I appreciate is that of authenticity. When I started to really try and practice this virtue in my own life about 2 years ago, my world was rocked upside down. Friendships became more real, discussion became more meaningful, life had more purpose. Being real with people and not putting up this “I’ve got it all together” façade gave people permission to be real with me also. Now I don’t tip toe around sensitive subjects, and I don’t do small talk. I would rather not talk at all than talk about the weather (except if there’s major flooding or incredible lightning)

The thing is though, it’s so easy to be real when you have an opinion or you’re talking about an issue, or about someone else or about how you feel about situations and people and things. It’s so easy to let people in and be real and talk about yourself when everything is going swell and you’re feeling on top of the world. It’s so much harder to “be authentic” when things are tough and you just want to sit in a cave by yourself until the stormy clouds and rain disappear.

Being real pretty much breeds community. The more you share and choose to truly do life with people, the more a community of people form around you.  They then expect to know how you’re going and you almost have no choice but to share with them and let them into your cave even when you would rather be alone.

I’ve been so challenged about authenticity and community lately. If I truly want to be authentic and live in community, I can’t choose when I decide to be real and when I don’t. Similarly, when I live in community with others, I can’t leave someone alone just because they’re going through a rough patch.

And how does authenticity and community relate to justice? Inextricably I believe! When we choose to be real with others, we live lives that focus on other people as well as ourselves… and it is through this kinship and shared morality that our capacity to love grows even greater and extends to all men. We learn to love our neighbour as ourselves.

Elie Weisel

This story has really impacted me. Michael Graham Maxwell (24 years) was imprisoned for burglary  and robbery offences and also had a conviction for having sex with a 14 year old when he was 19. Whilst he was in prison he was raped by his cell mate Dean Noble. He begged to be transferred to another prison – even writing to PM John Key requesting this. He was transferred to Rolleston prison for sex offenders (great choice of transfer!) While he was here, fellow prisoners jested and taunted him about Dean Noble. They told him Dean Noble was going to be transferred to Rolleston prison also. Michael Maxwell was so panicked and traumatised by this that he took his own life.

A few things:

• Why was Maxwell transferred to a sex offending prison when he was trying to get away from a sex offender?
• Why was Maxwell able to be raped and traumatised by a cell mate in the first place?
• What are the rights and freedoms our prisoners have?
• What kind of counselling and therapy are traumatised men receiving in prison?

It’s amazing the effect that untreated terror can have on someone.  It’s amazing the effect post-traumatic stress has, and how “triggers” can cause someone to feel just like they did the first time they felt terror. The article said about Maxwell:

“He was fearful of them [the other prisoners],” she said.

“He spoke of one of the prisoners looking at him in a sexual way.”

“It brought back the memories of Dean Noble.”

No man should suffer terror and unassistance no matter what crime he commits. Check out Post-traumatic stress disorder when you have a moment.

www.protomag.com

“I can’t help but think we’ve got a national catastrophe on our hands . . . It’s got to that stage.”

Detective Inspector Mark Gutry, of Counties-Manukau police

http://th02.deviantart.net

 

Photo courtesy of Phnom Penh Post

SEN Sok district police sent three suspects to Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Sunday morning after they were arrested Friday on suspicion of severely mistreating an 11-year-old girl who worked as a domestic servant.

District police chief Mak Hong said Soam Srey Neang, who worked in the house of two of the suspects in Phnom Penh Thmey commune, was freed after police received tip-offs from neighbours that the girl was being mistreated.

“We arrested them because what they did to the young girl was very cruel,” Mak Hong said. “It is unbelievable that they dared to commit such evil actions following complaints from neighbours.”

During Friday’s raid, police detained the victim’s godparents and an elderly guardian who allegedly sold the victim to the couple when she was still an infant.

Pean Rathamanith, a senior monitor for children’s rights at the rights group Licadho, said the child was exploited for her labour and had endured “very brutal” treatment at the hands of her adopted “parents”.

Soam Srey Neang was abandoned by her biological parents and given to the elderly woman, he said, who looked after the girl until the age of 2, before selling her to the couple for US$400.

After conducting interviews with the victim, Pean Rathamanith reported that her adoptive mother ordered her to clean floors, water flowers, clean the kitchen and cut the grass in her villa. She also “beat and tortured” the young girl as punishment for small misdemeanours.

“The victim told us she was mistreated repeatedly when she grew up. When she was 10 years old, she started doing housework, and for the last year she was heavily tortured and beaten with pincers, clothes hangers, brooms, whips and electric wires,” he said.

“Her whole body from her head down [was covered] with frightening scars and wounds from her mistreatment.”

Pean Rathamanith said the girl was now in the care of a local shelter that asked not to be named for the sake of her protection.

“We have taken the first step of evacuating the girl from an evil tragedy, and we will provide lawyers for the victim and urge authorities to seriously prosecute these people for their brutal acts,” he said.

A child labour programme officer from the International Labour Organisation, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to comment on the case, said he was “shocked” to read of the girl’s plight but argued that the arrest was a sign that the government and law enforcement officials were taking proactive steps to fight child labour.

MONDAY, 19 OCTOBER 2009 15:05 CHRANN CHAMROEUN AND MOM KUNTHEAR, Phnom Penh Post

Usually when kids are trafficked in Cambodia, they have missed chunks of school or never received any education. Most aftercare centers provide a school on site where children have a chance to pass four grades of school in a 2 year period so they can be up to speed with other kids their age and be able to attend local schools and compete with their peers.

In April 2009, 6 kiwis painted a mural at Hagar’s school for their trafficked children. It was such a fun way of brightening up the school yard and encouraging the kids to study. Some of the children were able to help paint and all of them have their handprints on the tree which they love!

If you want to help out with aftercare centers in Cambodia and pay for the education of trafficked children, check out the following links:

Hagar Cambodia

Agape International Missions

Destiny Rescue

World Hope Cambodia

When people tell me that human trafficking will end with the eradication of poverty something in my whole being cringes. YES, poverty is definitely one of the root causes of trafficking – there is no denying that some children are sold into the sex industry because their parents need more moolah… but would children still get sold, raped and trafficked if everyone was rich? I think so.

I believe human trafficking is going to be eliminated through the changing of social and cultural norms that are embedded and normalised in some societies. Some of these are a cultures intrinsic beliefs on sex, gender, employment practice, education, violence and the value of children.  The question is, how do you change belief and cultural customs that are enshrined in many years of practice? How do you show people the benefits of living where human rights are upheld when that means they have to depart from the ways of their ancestors?

This, my friends is why human trafficking is not a quick fix. This, my friends is why the elimination of trafficking requires a MOVEMENT that incites the norms of social and cultural practice to be changed in some cases. This, my friends is why you should get involved and do what you can to start changing some of these through your own life first, and then through others joining with you.

Love this vid showing how two social/cultural norms can begin to be changed through promoting girls and education. What are some other ways we can change social/cultural norms that allow human trafficking to flourish? Love to hear your thoughts.

Hey guys, check out this video on 4 girls rescued from Svay Pak now living in Hagar aftercare. It is not often this kind of footage is available and these girls are able to be seen and heard. It is very easy to feel incredibly confident about the future of these girls. I am quite convinced they will be Cambodia’s future leaders. Sue Taylor and Sue Hanna from Te Awamutu have set up Hagar’s aftercare from scratch – Amazing ladies! For more information on how to give to Hagar and support the healing and restoration of trafficked victims, check out Hagar New Zealand

The more freedom we enjoy, the greater the responsibility we bear, toward others as well as ourselves.

It surprises people that there’s actually a very large number of slaves in the world today—our best estimate is 27 million. And that is defining a slave in a very narrow way; we’re not talking about sweatshop workers or people who are just poor, we’re talking about people who are controlled by violence, who cannot walk away, who are being held against their will, who are being paid nothing.

— Kevin Bales

Slavery was abolished 150 years ago, right? While it is true that slavery is illegal almost everywhere on earth, the fact is there are more slaves today than there ever were…
– Robert Alan

“If you love your children, if you love your country, if you love the God of love, clear your hands from slaves, burden not your children or country with them.”– Richard Allen

– Oscar Arias Sanchez

“Slavery was, in a very real sense, the first international human rights issue to come to the fore. It led to the adoption of the first human rights laws and to the creation of the first human rights non-governmental organization. And yet despite the efforts of the international community to combat this abhorrent practice, it is still widely prevalent in all its insidious forms, old and new. The list is painfully long and includes traditional chattel slavery; bonded labour; serfdom; and forced labour, including of children, women and migrants, and often for the purpose of sexual exploitation, domestic servitude and ritualistic and religious reasons….
– Kofi Annan

We could eradicate slavery. The laws are in place. The multi-nationals, the world trade organizations, the United Nations, they could end slavery, but they’re not going to do it until and unless we demand it.

– Kevin Bales

click

Stoked to be attending this conference this week  in Welly  :). Good on you New Zealand for addressing these issues.

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http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/pacific-connections-sex-labour-slavery-2961689

http://www.asiapacificforum.net/acj/references/trafficking

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A major conference on human trafficking starts in Wellington on Wednesday, with one of the organisers alleging New Zealanders are helping drive demand for sex and labour slaves.

The Salvation Army is hosting the three-day Pacific Trafficking in Persons Forum, and Salvation Army justice advocate Chris Frazer said that recession is feeding the global supply of sex and labour slaves.

Deteriorating household living standards in countries where traffickers source their victims are making the impoverished more vulnerable to profiteering traffickers, Frazer said.

A recent report released by anti-child sex trafficking network ECPAT and The Body Shop highlighted the increasing vulnerability of children and young people being coerced or conned into prostitution or the production of child pornography.

Frazer said New Zealanders who surf the internet for pornography were likely to be contributing to misery of those trafficked for the production of pornography, and most New Zealand homes would contain items or components of products that had been produced by slave labour.

Products from industries as diverse as clothing, sports shoes, coffee, chocolate, sugar, fireworks, glassware, jewellery and mobile phones and laptops had been found to have been made with slave labour.

“These are not one-off crimes against mainly children and women – the victims suffer day after day, year after year and the damage to their lives is often permanent,” she said.

The evidence for trafficked labour in the Pacific was anecdotal but significant, and it was time for a Pacific focus on the issue, she said.

Prostitutes Collective national coordinator Catherine Healy said people often claimed there was human trafficking in New Zealand but her organisation had not found evidence of this.

“We’re the only organisation working hands-on nationwide with sex workers and we’re not seeing any evidence of trafficking,” she said.

Healy said the 2009 US report Trafficking in Persons defined a person as “trafficked” if they are working as a prostitute and aged younger than 18, and New Zealand had scored badly on this scale.

The American research said Fiji was a source country for children trafficked for the purposes of labour and commercial sexual exploitation, and a destination country for women from a number of countries trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation.

More than 21 Pacific nations are represented at the forum, including Fiji, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-L’este and Western Samoa.

The forum, co-hosted by the Australian Institute of Criminology and the Pacific Immigration Directors’ Conference, is being held at the Quality Hotel and includes speakers from government departments and non-government organisations from the Pacific region as well as UN and law enforcement agencies.