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Krys Brezinski
Living in the United States
with all the privileges we have, it is easy to forget that elsewhere in the
world, women and girls do not have many basic rights. In Kosovo
specifically, many girls have fallen victim to the sex industry that caters
to clients including law enforcement officials and United Nations troops.
There are many things that need to be done to improve this situation, and in
my essay I'd like to outline some ways that American highschoolers can make
a difference.
In economic conditions like those in Kosovo, trafficking is able
to thrive because of the need to earn money for basic necessities, like food
and shelter. The recent tsunami severely depressed native economies, making
it possible for many traffickers to coerce more victims into the trade.
Girls are offered an opportunity at a better life, only to find themselves
tricked into prostitution. According to Mira Sorvino of Amnesty
International USA, it would be difficult to orchestrate, but "an investment
in the local economies, industries, and school systems of some of the
poorest areas which produce the greatest number of victims would be a good
way to start targeting the supply side" of the sex industry (Mira Sorvino).
Although it would be difficult to organize an investment into
local economies, one thing we can do is cut off the consumers of the
trafficking industry. Studies have shown that over 20% of revenues come from
UN troops. This is not acceptable. Penalties need to be set in place in
order to stop this sort of thing-at the moment, offenders are not really
punished for their actions, which fuels the beliefs and misinformation that
there is not a problem with the illegal sex trade. "It is outrageous that
the very same people who are here to protect these women and girls are using
their position and exploiting them instead-and they are getting away with
it. It has devastating effects on these girls' and women's lives," said
Amnesty International on the subject, in an article I found (Amnesty
International USA). This quote really struck a chord with me, and I think it
sums up the current situation in places like Kosovo. As Americans, we have
the freedom to speak out against injustice, and United Nations policies are
something we could have an impact on. With our connections to other Catholic
high schools across the nation, it would be possible to organize a petition;
the United States needs the incentive to influence the United Nations for
the better.
Another legal battle for abused girls happens at home. Since many of the
customers of trafficking establishments are law enforcement agents, girls
find it next to impossible to find fair treatment in the police forces.
Often they are the ones punished for their involvement, instead of the men
involved. These women and girls are prosecuted for being illegally in
Kosovo, or charged with prostitution. After arrest, one article said that
they are denied basic rights-they aren't allowed access to a lawyer and
interviewed without a legal guardian present. Communities need to take
action to ensure that justice is done in these scenarios-we need to be sure
that girls are being treated fairly, and the development of a witness
protection program or some other way to ensure the safety of these girls is
crucial. A study I read stated that the majority of women refuse to testify
against their traffickers because of the fear they have of retribution and
revenge (Wikipedia). This is totally valid and needs to be addressed on a
local level.
As a school, another way that we could contribute to the efforts against
these atrocities could be to get involved in activist groups. The Adventist
Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has cells in countries like Thailand
that work with girls to help them get back a normal life after working in
the sex industry. For $7.50 a day they can provide basic necessities, as
well as an education to a young girl-and that can make all the difference in
these girls' lives. ADRA even goes farther than this; while they still offer
support to girls escaping their trafficking pasts, the organization also
funds the "Keep Girls Safe Project," which works to cut off human
trafficking before it can start in a small village. They work to educate and
provide decent work for girls, removing the temptation parents have to sell
them.
While organizations like ADRA need our support, the most basic thing we as
high schoolers can do is to raise awareness. Before this project I had only
a basic knowledge of human trafficking, and I was shocked to discover how
widespread it really is. I'm sure quite a few other people are like this,
too-and we cannot begin to work on solving the problems if we are not aware
they exist. An act as simple as holding an assembly or a meeting during
lunch could help to show people the issues facing girls in third world
countries. Only when Americans are aware of the suffering girls and women in
these countries endure can we actually mobilize and work towards a change
There are many steps we can
take to help end human trafficking in third world countries. We can hold
assemblies and other meetings to raise awareness, we can raise money for
Christian relief organizations with established programs, and we can even
petition the United States government to act with the United Nations to
increase penalties for troops caught violating the laws protecting women and
girls. This is an important issue facing our society today, and it needs to
be addressed.
Works Cited
Amnesty International USA. "The International Criminal Court Fact Sheet 7:
 Ensuring
Justice For Women." International Justice. 12 April 2005. Amnesty
International USA. 7 Oct 2006
<http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGIOR400062005?open&of=ENG-
385>.
BBC News. "BBC News." Europe News. 6 May 2004. BBC News. 7 Oct 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3686173.stm.
Health NOW!. "Kosovo: Trafficked Women and Girls have Human Rights." Health
and
Occupation Watch. 6 May 2004. People's Health Movement. 7 Oct 2006 http://www.health-
now.org/site/article.php?articleId=216&menuId=17.
Sorvino, Mira. "Ask Amnesty: Human Trafficking Star Mira Sorvino." Ask
Amnesty. 23 Oct 2005. Amnesty International USA. 7 Oct 2006
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