STOP TRAFFICKING OF GIRLS AND CHILDREN

Child sex crimes are on the rise in the United States and across the globe and I am pleased know that finally the US federal officials are doing something about it. On Monday, August 2, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, said he would rollout a national strategy to combat the exploitation of children over the Internet, in homes and on the streets. This new strategy will take steps to end child prostitution, child sex tourism, child pornography and more.

The US government is also taking necessary steps to stop trafficking and has encouraged countries across the globe to do so. A few months ago, the US has put allies Thailand and Singapore as well as Vietnam on a human trafficking watch list accusing them failing to prevent women from being forced into prostitution, according to the US State Department’s 2010 annual report.

Across the globe there are over 2.5 million girls and children are trafficked each year for the purpose of prostituton. About 1.2 million children every year are trafficked, with over 1 million of those being led directly into prostitution. These children are usually smuggled under false pretences and find themselves trapped in a life of fear, violence and sexual servitude. In the United States, according to the U.S.Justice Department, about 300,000 to 400,000 kids are trafficked or traded over internet each year.

It is huge business - third largest - next to arms and drugs sales. As US secretary of States, Hillary Clinton recently said, “all of us have a responsibility to bring this practice to an end.”

Hope is Life Foundation is supporting an effort by an Australian TV production crew to produce a documentary entitled “Corridors of Children” that explores the issue of children all across Southeast Asia, who are trapped and exploited in the lucrative, yet highly dangerous, sex trade industry. We have met several girls and young boys from Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam wh were victims of sexual exploitation.

My youngest daughter, Natascha who is actively involved in creating awareness of this misery is seen talking to a trafficked victim from Cambodia

Natascha is seen with Somaly Mam, who is the founder of AFESIP in Cambodia and has established several centers for trafficked victims in Cambodia and a few other countries in Asia

Due to extreme poverty and poor law practices, traffickers continue to prey on innocent children. This documentary will explore the issue of child trafficking for sexual exploitation across Southeast Asia, and what role foreign governments play in preventing/prosecuting child sex tourists.

In addition to this, during the coming months, we will continue to give talks in the States and in Asia on sex trafficking in Asia and other parts of the world to create awarness of this misery. The documentary will be aired in Australia, Thailand and in the States.

A boy trafficked victim

A teenage girl - trafficked victim