day 14 - target the roots through education

Happy pi day :) I know it looks strange, but I wore my math league jersey with the dress today. Switchin’ things up, I guess…

Here's a number: did you know that 80% of trafficking victims are female, and of these, 70% are sold into sexual slavery? Conditions for many of these victims are terrible: Girls may be locked in cages and forbidden to leave the premises. Many are beaten into submission on a daily basis, and some are even threatened with death if they run away.

Governments have enacted serious effort in reducing the amount of sex trafficking in their cities. For example, the number of prostitutes in Mumbai fell 83% over a few years as a result of governments taking the issue seriously, not just looking the other way. This isn’t even as big a feat as it sounds: If the government punishes a few, others are reluctant to pursue it for fear they will also be punished.

The United States established itself as a leader in addressing the issue by mandating the 2000 Trafficking in Persons report. It prompted consideration by those governments that were ranked poorly – simply by establishing a firm stance against trafficking and putting pressure on those countries to change their practices.

But even if you pull off the tops of the weeds, even pull out the strongest stems, the roots still remain. The same goes with prostitution: though government crackdowns have made significant progress in reducing the number of brothels (and more so, girls trafficked and sold into forced prostitution), we need to target the roots. How can we do this?

The answer is in education. Target the roots of the problem, and the problem will diminish on its own. Provide an education to girls, especially the ones that can’t afford it and consequently, are more at risk for being trafficked – and you’ll stop the perpetuation of sex trafficking and forced prostitution before it starts in another generation.

Sex trafficking seems like a big social problem to conquer, but an education truly allows women to become resources, not in brothels, as they might have been; but in their communities, enacting positive change that has effects hundreds of times over.

Please consider making a charitable donation to help give girls an education in rural Africa.
Donate: Campaign for Female Education

Janna

day 13 - "out of sight, out of mind"

Sex slavery is one of those things – like poverty, disease, and suffering – that we wish didn’t exist, but we accept as the norm. Well, people are prostituted everywhere, we say; and let’s face it: we can’t change such a system that’s always been an “accepted” part of society. And because the problem doesn’t affect us, we accept an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality.

But I know that I can’t accept this mindset. These are my sisters in chains; how can I let them suffer while I go on living my life of privilege? Especially when I can try to help, in whatever small way?

Though diplomacy has made considerable gains in reducing forced prostitution in international cities by cracking down on traffickers, there is still a huge underground market. And unfortunately, most of the world is content with looking the other way: the problem is "too complex", "too political" to deal with easily. Worse, perhaps, is the attitude the victims’ own countries take on sex trafficking. Countries' culture of chastity before marriage (and at times, the double-standard in gender equality) exacerbates the sex slavery issue: some government officials themselves believe that allowing brothels for young men is the lesser of two evils when compared with prohibiting prostitution and putting “respectable” girls at risk.

But slavery is slavery. Trafficking and forced prostitution are unacceptable. We can turn our heads to listen, and start turning the tables on this “accepted” system. Providing an education is one of the first steps in empowering women and girls and reducing their risk of ending up in sexual slavery.

Janna

day 12 - modern-day shackles

There is a discrepancy in the terminology usually applied to the term “prostitution”. First, prostitution has a connotation of voluntarily offering sexual services, overlooking the fact that many are forced to sell their bodies against their will (in this case, “forced” or “coerced prostitution” serves to better convey this aspect). Perhaps a more accurate term to describe this issue would be “sexual slavery”.

 

Slavery? you might be saying. That seems a bit harsh… Slavery is practically obsolete in today’s society. The term might have been applicable when slavery was a serious part of the economy, and when slaves were traded, and when they were forced to do labor. But certainly not now. Not in contemporary society.

But aren’t those same criteria present in sex trafficking and forced prostitution?

Many girls exchange hands at border cities, where demand is high. Think about it: With an increasingly globalized economy and social system, it makes the trafficking of victims across borders not only a possibility, but a highly profitable economic resource. We don’t only see Nepalese victims of sex trafficking in the brothels of India; we see women end up in forced prostitution half a world away. For example, women from the countries of the collapsed Soviet bloc, as well as other politically unstable countries, find themselves targets for brothels in Italy and Western Europe.

The victims of sex trafficking and forced prostitution are basically imprisoned in brothels. It doesn’t matter if they don’t want to be there; they must sleep with anyone they are told. Often, their owners forbid them to ask a man to wear a condom because they will be paid less for the act. They are threatened and punished if they don’t cooperate. They are punished even more severely if they try to escape. Those that refuse to comply may be starved or maimed, and some are even drugged to keep them perpetually submissive.

Besides a psychologically submissive state, many are kept in a perpetual economic state. The money from forced prostitution often goes directly to the brothel owner. If she is lucky, the victim may receive a tip from a customer; but the amount is small and often used to pay off debts (such as food, medicine, utilities, and even her purchase price) that her owner has falsified.

The most striking similarity to slavery is that these women are not human beings. They are property. Immaterial, replaceable chattel. They exist only to provide economic gain; and their owners are indifferent as to whether the girl lives and suffers through each day, or dies of HIV/AIDS. The price of a human life is the small sum that a john has paid for her.

Slavery. Can the term apply to anything else more than this?

Janna

day 11 - sex trafficking

If most women and girls are brought into the sex trade unwillingly, it seems impossible that so many should end up in forced prostitution – how could 420,000-560,000 women come to be trafficked against their will?

Many girls that end up trapped in sexual slavery come from rural peasant families. They may be searching for a job in a city so that they can send money home to their families for several reasons: to cover a deficit from a poor harvest; to pay for a sibling’s education; to buy expensive medicines for a family member; or simply to make ends meet. In addition, these girls are targeted because of their lack of education: they are more likely to blindly trust someone that offers them a job, as well as do as they are told without retaliation.

Often, girls hear of a job in a city working as a servant or maid. Their friends may write to them to come join them, praising their job working in a small shop or selling trinkets. Other girls find themselves entrusted to the care of a close family member, who knows of a similar “job” – an optimistic prospect for these girls. A United Nations report estimates that in 46% of global sex trafficking cases, the recruiter was known – a family member, a friend – to the victim.

Still other girls are kidnapped from their homes by brothel owners to satisfy a client demand for virgins (customers will pay more money for virgins, and in some parts of Africa, there is a widely accepted myth that sex with a virgin is a cure for HIV/AIDS).

When the girls arrive in the city, the exchange of their “caretaker” for a stranger is accompanied by an exchange of money as they are sold to a pimp or madam. Though the girls may be frightened (many are younger than twelve or thirteen, and have no idea who has just bought them and for what reason), they are lured into a false sense of security: they are assured that they will see their family member shortly, and are bought food and new clothes – a luxury for many of these girls. Before they know it, they are brought not to a wealthy person’s home to wash floors, but rather to a brothel in a red-light district.

With an education, girls are in school – and less likely to end up trafficked. This leaves an important question hanging, however: an education is well and good, but how can the girls that leave to find “work” in order to make ends meet even afford school tuition? Fortunately, programs like Camfed help finance a girl’s education; others compensate girls for school attendance. Sexual slavery is a serious issue, but one that can be solved through education.

Janna

day 10 - black and white (and gray)

Up until now, we’ve focused specifically on women’s education and the changes it can make, not only in the lives of the women themselves, but also on a community and even global level.

We’re going to start discussing some of the problems that women in developing nations face, such as sex trafficking, honor killings, and maternal mortality. Some of the topics might get a little intense, but I think that it’s necessary to understanding the importance of women’s education. We may be content with viewing the world through rose-tinted glasses, conveniently ignoring the most serious problems that plague our world. But seriously, what good does this do? 

I want people to understand that, yes, women’s education is a powerful catalyst to improving global issues; but also to understand the severity and extent of the problems that we seek to change.

The first problem we’ll cover: Sex trafficking and prostitution. In developing nations, a high number of women often resort to selling their bodies to have a means with which they can support themselves and their families. But of these, there may be women that were coerced or sold into prostitution, as well as those that choose that work of their own accord. The issue is not simply in “black or white”, a clearly delineated issue; there is a lot of gray area with regard to women that are forced into the sex trade and those that choose it voluntarily. For example, a woman may become trafficked against her will; but once she is broken by her traffickers, she may accept this as her fate. She may voluntarily prostitute herself because she knows no other opportunities outside of the brothel; she is also stigmatized by society.

Argument exists between those who perceive prostitution as slavery, and others, as a manifestation of female rights and liberation. I do not want to play the part of imperialist by saying we should save prostituted women so that they don’t have to live that sort of life, because for some, it is a conscious, voluntary decision. But when we discuss sex trafficking in these upcoming days, the argument will primarily focus on those that were coerced or sold into the sex trade.

I hope to show the conditions to which women in developing nations are subjected; but also the power of education in offering them a better life they might never have known.

Janna

day 9 - number-crunching

Even though I like numbers, math remains one of my most challenging subjects (as if calculus weren’t difficult enough already, let’s add a z-axis!). Don’t worry, we won’t be doing derivatives here – but what do you say we do a little number-crunching?

• An estimated 600,000-800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year. More than 70% of these victims are women.
• Worldwide, 342,917 women died in childbirth in 2008. Of these deaths, 94% occurred in the 53 least developed nations of the world.
• An estimated 93 million children do not attend school. Of these, most are girls, and of which 80% live in Africa.

What if we could change all of this?

That’s just it: We can. Women’s education is almost a panacea for these problems. A girl is less likely to run away to find work or be trafficked if she is in school. Because an educated female tends to marry later and have fewer children, she is less at risk for dying in childbirth. She can strengthen the economy of her village by owning a business, raising the standard of living; and conditions continue to improve. All this with an education.

Cost of a year of elementary-school education in Africa: $25.
Price of a uniform so a girl can attend school: $40.
Cost of a year of high-school education in Africa: $300. 

Empowering a woman through education so she can earn a living, become a community leader, and be a catalyst for change and education: Priceless.

Janna 

day 8 - International Women's Day

Today was International Women’s Day! The United Nations’ 2012 theme was “Empower Rural Women – End Hunger and Poverty”. (A fitting theme to go along with this project, right?) It was also the 101^st anniversary of this day, which was first held in Switzerland as a conference to discuss women’s suffrage, their right to work and represent in politics, and to end discrimination. We’ve solved a lot of these problems since 1911; but we’ve still got a long way to go…

Women’s equality with men can be measured by a number of factors: Wage pay, property and voting rights – and of course, education levels. Another litmus test of female equality, however, is in politics: Females enjoy greater representation when there is a proportionate female representation in their system of government. When examined by percentage of representative-level government, Rwanda is first in the world with 56.3% of lower-house (representative) seats occupied by women. (To give you an idea, the United States’ ranking is 78^th.) Check out an interesting article about women’s representation in politics here: Women's Representation in Politics Worldwide.

One more thing – though today was International Women’s Day, this is by no means an issue confined to once a year. Without efforts to ameliorate these problems, the issues women currently face – such as maternal mortality, sex trafficking, and honor killings – are ever-present. So why would we think about women on only one day? We could adopt the spirit of International Women’s Day and work to improve women’s social standings through education every day of the year.

Please consider making a charitable donation to help women's education in rural Africa!

Janna