"A human trafficker can earn 20 times what he or she paid for a girl. Provided the girl was not physically brutalized to the point of ruining her beauty, the pimp could sell her again for a greater price because he had trained her and broken her spirit, which saves future buyers the hassle. A 2003 study in the Netherlands found that, on average, a single sex slave earned her pimp at least $250,000 a year." - RandomHistory

Monday, June 6, 2011

I don't want your Money, I want your Influence

I’ve spent a lot of time reading up on the causes of slavery & human trafficking, and I believe the cure is two-fold:
  1. Public Opinion, and
  2. Long-Term Giving.
Since increasing people's awareness will naturally create donors, I'm not focussing on donations. Slavery was abolished the last time due to a groundswell of public opinion that forced the hand of political leaders, in the same way that apartheid was repealed. But as history has shown with apartheid and many other rushed liberations, it takes time to do it right. A once-off donation may soothe your conscience, but it takes years to liberate and rehabilitate people. The anti-slavery workers on the front line would much prefer a predictable $10 a month than a lump sum donation. As you learn more about the problem, your heart will naturally go out to these poor men, women & children, which I pray will lead to a deep-seated, long term commitment to rid the world of this disease.

So I don't want your money, I want your influence. Share this page on all your social networks. Join the facebook cause. Email your workmates. Tell your Mum about the crazy guy doing push-ups in Martin Place. Blog about it. And when I get this petition together, get everyone to sign it!

What will you do to stop Human Trafficking & Slavery?