Human Trafficking and the Average Joe
So a friend of mine, Shelton Green, has started an organization to help fight human trafficking – What's Your Response. The purpose of the group is – "Bringing the issues of human trafficking and modern day slavery into the consciousness of our city and giving everyone avenues for action to end this tragedy." It's a great group, and Shelton is really committed to helping raise awareness about this issue. This weekend the group organized a Coaster Crawl – delivering coasters with stories of trafficked people to local pubs and coffee shops. The point was to get people aware that slaves exist in our very midst. Their endeavor was featured in the Austin-American Statesman on Saturday.
While I think its fantastic that the local paper is getting the word out about how people can work to help stop human trafficking, the responses to the article were a sobering wake-up call. Yes, maybe I am just naive, but I want to believe that ordinary people have the capacity to be good. That they are capable of compassion and of living out the call to love our neighbor. Instead the majority of responses to this article merely revealed that hatred and prejudice run deep. (and yes, I know that people who leave responses to newspaper articles are generally the freaks on the extremes – but they are still saying out loud what generally only gets said in the privacy of people's homes – the sentiments are real). In this case the hated took the form of the attitude "screw the victims, it's their own fault anyway. what's in it for me?" Here's a brief sampling of these sorts of responses -
"Very commendable effort in an attempt to stop human trafficing.However,the unlining cause of this slavery is illegal immigration.Stop the illegals from entering our land and this crime will almost disappear.I am addressing this to not only illegal mexicans,but also to other Hispanics countries,Asian,European and Africans. White,black,brown,yellow,red,race does not matter.As mentioned below and we have seen examples of this trafficing on tv,the main hold that slavers have on these poor souls is thier fear of arrest and deportation.However,we need to bear in mind that these immigrants make their own decision to enter our country illegally and to break our laws. They must also realize that there is a correct and legal available to them if the wish to enter. If not,then they create their own hell…"
"uh….let's see….do i wanna quit selling people at 30k per person or do i wanna feel really good about myself and NOT do it because of this coaster…hmmmm…30k vs. nothing….hmmm…"
"How about a spay and neuter program for our illegal immigrant visitors?"
Ugh. So let's pretend for just a moment that human trafficking can be reduced to only the cases where people willingly immigrate illegally and then get tricked into slavery. Do these responders honestly support SLAVERY as punishment for those who seek a better life? That we should do nothing to help them because they created this situation for themselves? Do people cease to be people when they make the decision to immigrate illegally? I can understand, if not always agree, with the arguments against illegal immigration. But this tendency to treat immigrants as less-than-human and as people undeserving of justice and compassion is disgusting. None of us messed-up, fallen, finite human being are deserving of God's love and mercy and Jesus' ultimate sacrifice, but because we are all God's children created in his image, God loves us anyway. This self-righteous hubris that has people asserting that they know better than God who should and shouldn't be loved is truly a depressing reminder that most people aren't basically good.
But enough pretending. While traffickers do regularly take advantage of those vulnerable enough that they would even consider illegal immigration to begin with, many trafficking victims have no choice in the matter. They are told that they are being hired for a job in their country and after being drugged find themselves in a completely different country. With no papers, of course they fear being punished as illegal immigrants (especially after they are fed nothing but lies by their captures regarding the punishment of such immigrants). And why shouldn't they fear when there are American citizens calling for a "spay and neuter" program for them? When people are seen as less than dogs to be used and abused for our personal gain, justice will never happen. Until even Joe Prejudice can get over his hatred and learn to love his neighbor, we will still see atrocities like this occur.
Fighting human trafficking is a huge and daunting task. But reading stuff like this makes me realize that the task is far larger than simply defeating the traffickers. It involves teaching the average guy on the street how to get over himself and his self-centered attitude and learn how to love others and in humility consider others better than themselves. You know, only the message that got Jesus killed and which the church has failed to do for 2000 years. Nothing difficult there.
So who's with me?
julieclawson(at)gmail(dot)com 
thanks for posting this Julie. It's a horrifying situation for so many people. We also have a huge problem with it over here in Arizona.
The comments you listed are similar to many found on local news sites here as well. Illegal immigration seems to garner blame for about 90% of the stories according to those who regularly comment…and the comments are beyond horrifying.
I've seen many people act in fear and develop a self-preservation mentality that insulates them from responding positively to others, specifically anyone who could be labeled "different". I struggle with this myself sometimes as well (more often than I like to admit, actually).
Despite the negative experiences, though, I've noticed a greater openness to the reality of human trafficking lately and have hope that we can make a change.
The Average Joe understands practically nothing about the realities of immigration (both legal and illegal) in our country. The comments you posted are on the gentler side of some of the comments that have been directed at me and my family due to the fact that my husband was once an illegal immigrant in the US.
I agree that massive issues like human trafficking are further complicated by people's ignorance about them. But I've gotten discouraged by the battle to inform and create awareness in the public.
Isn't it the eternal challenge, like all evangelistic efforts? How do you help people accept the truth when they prefer their own version of reality?
It's sad that people think that illegal immigration is the source of human trafficking. MSNBC did a story in the past year where a blonde American girl was abducted to be used as a sex slave. I believe that most slaves are taken captive by their own countrymen and used within their own borders as slaves. Ignorance is a very dangerous thing.
Thanks for sharing this. Just shows we've got a lot of work to do.
17,000 individuals are trafficked into and through Texas each and every year.
And if folks are still maintaining that attitude – we've got our work cut out for us.
Bravo to your friends for the work they did over the weekend!
http://humantrafficking.change.org/blog/view/texas_battles_rep_as_human_trafficking_hub
"It involves teaching the average guy on the street how to get over himself and his self-centered attitude and learn how to love others and in humility consider others better than themselves. You know, only the message that got Jesus killed and which the church has failed to do for 2000 years."
First, I'd recommend seeing the movie Amazing Grace. And, I don't think it helps to make these blanket statements about Christians. I understand the Emergent crowd believes that only they hold the key to the truth. But I think revisionist history that only focuses on the negative gets old after awhile.
That said, The church denomination where I attend is tackling the issue head on, both here and abroad. And a sister in the church has retired from her day job to spend more time developing a ministry to victims of sex trafficking. Of course, she spends more time working on the actual problem and less on pontificating….
"This self-righteous hubris … is truly a depressing reminder that most people aren’t basically good." I'd rather suggest that it's a reminder that people are both good and bad; that the good and bad (saintly and sinful) are in conflict in human souls; and sadly that the bad is often nearer the surface because, well, it's easier. We can all be spiritually lazy…. (One reason I frequent thy blog, in fact, is that thee challenges my own laziness. Thanks!)
Confrontation may be necessary to get the word out, but I've found it also hardens the hearts of the people who are threatened by it. Remember Moses and Pharaoh. What thee's asking for, I think, isn't confrontation but conversion. With his parables Jesus provided a model of lovingly exposing people's inner spiritual conflicts and inviting change down there below the surface where repentance happens. I believe there's a lesson for all of us in his example.
Human trafficking is evil. Yes. How do we reach to that of God in people who resist recognizing the evil, and plant the seed of conversion?
Reading the comments section on newspaper websites is rarely a good idea. Just take a glance at any article about the death penalty, or criminal justice in general. The jump from "That crime is terrible" to "Criminals are sub-human monsters who should be summarily tortured to death" happens heartbreakingly quick.
DAnderson – I think you mistook my intention. That statement was half sarcastic, with myself included in that history. I was condemning others Christians for being bad, but admitting that for all of us throughout history it has been a hard task. It had nothing to do with emergent or revistionist history, so no need to read your worst fears into what I said.
Phil – You're right it is about conversion – which has to start with conversation. Until people get to know the other – the immigrant, the slave, the advocate – it is easy to restrict one's loyalties to local family and friends. Taking the time to converse will not always convince people to accept your side, but it will generally help them stop seeing you as enemy.
Wow. I am shocked and saddened at those responses. I live in Atlanta which is one of the top (if not still the top) violators of sex trafficking in the U.S. What astounds me is that so many people that live here do not know this, and when they find out they usually mutter "Hmmm, really?" We HAVE to talk about this, and yes we have to love others and start conversations no matter what. The disconcerting part is where we sometimes have to start when the right thing seems so obvious.
I came across your article as I was researching how to put together and become more knowledgeable about doing a coaster crawl for awareness about HT. Don't want to reinvent the wheel. Good article. People don't understand that HT is not about borders, it is a crime against an individual, a human being with all the rights to pursue life, liberty, justice and freedom. And it could be happening right there in your nice tidy neighborhood. Wake up folks its everyone responsibility to stop modern day slavery. Get involved!!!!!