More Than A Magazine, A Movement
Human trafficking is a crime involving the capture, transport or harboring of people through coercion or force to exploit them for profit. This can include sex trafficking, but also includes forced labor. People of all genders and backgrounds can become victims of global trafficking, though women and girls of color are disproportionately targeted.
We need to socialize men differently and create a united force of activists. Men need to be a part of the larger conversation, and work to dismantle the idea that reproductive choice is simply “a women’s problem.”
Reproductive choice is not just a women’s issue. We all are well aware that it does not take just a single person to get pregnant. If Roe falls, it will affect everyone.
History shows us that women, children and LGBT+ people face a particularly high threat of violence during armed conflicts, and it’s critical to get emergency humanitarian aid as well as long-term rebuilding efforts into communities.
For philanthropists with $5 million to give or individual donors chipping in $5, we know gender justice funders will move that money *faster* to the organizations on the ground who specialize in helping the people who are most impacted.
For the past few weeks, the world has watched in horror as the Russian invasion of Ukraine has catapulted the nation into a humanitarian disaster. For women and girls, gender-based violence and sexual assault are extreme threats, but are too often ignored in humanitarian crisis responses.
If we are serious about ending sex trafficking by future Ghislaine Maxwells and Jeffrey Epsteins, we should not allow ourselves to be seduced by racist images of porn and pop culture—while rich and sophisticated white pimps, and their equally well-connected shills, sexually exploit girls in plain sight.
Kim, Soon-Duk was one of hundreds of thousands of young women from throughout the Asia Pacific region and other Japanese-occupied territories who were abducted and subjected to sexual violence by the Japanese military before and during World War II.
The statistics are staggering: Human trafficking is estimated to be a $150 billion industry that profits from 25 million victims worldwide.
Jamie Beck, director of Free to Thrive, provides legal services and support to survivors of human trafficking.
Today, the U.S. House passed the Senate version of the American Rescue Plan Act, which will provide economic relief to millions of Americans suffering from the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The passage of the American Rescue Plan today is a victory for women,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, publisher of Ms.
The Super Bowl will draw attention to human trafficking for one day. But reducing human trafficking needs to be an ongoing endeavor by businesses, organizations and the public.
Conversations around sex trafficking experienced a resurgence following the investigation and indictment of billionaire Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. However, the renewed spotlight on sex trafficking also helped popularize a plethora of unsupported conspiracy theories—leaving survivors in the shadows as powerful people continue to contort the narrative.
Human trafficking can fuel conflict, drive displacement, and undercut the ability of international institutions to promote stability. The United States should work to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks and terrorist groups that exploit conflict-related human trafficking, while prioritizing the prevention and prosecution of and protection from human trafficking in conflict contexts.
