Empowered to Act
By Tamara Park | August 1, 2011 at 7:23 am
Something very large escaped me.
Today I spoke with a lovely, articulate lady about her teenage years. She didn’t mention school, her favorite boy-band or sibling rivalry. Rather, she shared about abuse, living in 42 foster homes by age 16, running away and then…with no resources and no family, a pimp comes along and deceives her, coerces and violently forces her into sexual exploitation.
While producing others shows in Africa and Latin America I had heard stories of sex trafficking here and there, but I saw it as an international issue. I had just assumed our laws were strong enough, our democracy evolved enough that youth wouldn’t become caught up in modern-day slavery here in the U.S.
I was wrong.
Of course…power, lust, greed—and all else that fuels the sex trafficking industry—transcends ethnicities, race, socio-economic and educational boundaries.
I recently joined the “Tainted Love” team as one of the producers. Over the past few weeks of reading, researching and speaking with survivors and those working to end sex trafficking, I’ve discovered the issue is as heartbreakingly real, complicated and tragic here as it is beyond our borders.
But there is hope.
The woman I spoke with today is from Atlanta. We will share her story and the stories of many others in this upcoming season. As gut-wrenching as her teenage years were, her story doesn’t end there. She is now an advocate to help other teens in her hometown not fall victim to the life she experienced. Out of her loss, she is now empowered to act.
What can we do?
If you—like me—are discovering that sex trafficking is more real than we could even imagine…and that it affects our neighbors here and abroad…how do we respond? While this season of “Tainted Love” will explore that, there is something we can do right now.
We can start to fight it today.
Free the Slaves, a stellar anti-trafficking advocacy group, gives us one simple but vital thing we can do today:
Call or e-mail your U.S. senators, and urge them to support the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (S.1301).
This critical legislation is pending in the Senate right now. Your voice could make the difference in ensuring the U.S. continues to fight trafficking and slavery. The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act ensures the U.S. will remain a world leader in combating slavery.
It directs authorities to raid brothels and sweatshops, freeing slaves and prosecuting slaveholders. It enables rescue shelters and rehabilitation programs to operate, inside the U.S. and overseas. The Act helps Free the Slaves conduct programs that you support in India and Haiti. This landmark anti-slavery initiative was created by Congress years ago, but the Act expires soon and must be renewed. Any delay could jeopardize the remarkable progress the U.S. has made.
It’s easy to find your senators’ contact info at the top right corner of the Senate’s website. Here’s what you can say to their receptionists, aides or voicemails:
“My name is ___ and I live in (your state). I’m calling to ask the senator to co-sponsor S.1301, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. I also would like the senator to support strengthening the Act, by requiring major companies to disclose on their websites and in annual reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission what they’re doing to end trafficking and slavery.”
The battle against slavery has always been a bipartisan effort that brings lawmakers together, even in polarized times. Senators are working on the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act behind the scenes, even though other issues are center stage at the moment. Your senator needs to hear from you now. Please contact them today.
Watch “Tainted Love” on Halogen TV Tuesdays at 10:30pm ET.
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