Week 30
Behind the Blinds
July 26, 2010
So for week 30 I've decided to make you uncomfortable. The photo above is from a shoot last week having nothing to do with this installment of the 52Photos blog, but I liked the imagery of a window, blinds partly open, leaving us to think... well, nothing. Nothing because we walk by it every day. Nothing because we don't necessarily want it to mean anything. Nothing because we have our own lives going on that prevent us from thinking there may be anything wrong at all. But what if something horrible was going on behind those blinds? Something atrocious and difficult to hear about, much less imagine. Well, we live in a world of many atrocities and horrors, most of which the majority of us in the U.S. very seldom have to face or think about because we have the convenience of "blinds" like jobs, like a culture that values human life, like food and shelter and protection from those that would exploit us. Now we are in no utopia, don't get me wrong, but we have so much, so many resources available to us that we forget or even find it hard to believe that behind these "blinds", horrible, unspeakable things are happening. We're told about them... even see things on the news, but our reaction is almost to treat this information as rumor. If not rumor, then something we are separate from and have no obligation to respond to. We use excuses like "I can't send money because times are tough", or "What can I possibly do from thousands of miles away", or "nothing I do will make a difference". Some of us even chalk up the horror to "cultural diffences".
One such atrocity is that of human trafficking. Yep, slavery. Thankfully, there seems to be a bit more awareness and coverage of the issue than there was even 10 years ago, but most of us here in the U.S. rarely if ever think about it. The truth is, estimates are that:
27 million adults and children are in forced labor, bonded labor, and forced prostitution around the world; 56 percent of these victims are women and girls
$32 billion annual trade for the traffickers
Prevalence of trafficking victims in the world: 1.8 per 1,000 inhabitants (in Asia and the Pacific: 3 per 1,000)
Countries that have yet to convict a trafficker under laws in compliance with the Palermo Protocol (from the year 2000): 62
Countries currently (2010) without laws, policies, or regulations to prevent victims’ deportation: 104
Up to and possibly more than 17,000 persons trafficked TO THE UNITED STATES annually, mostly women and children
-the above statistics compiled from multiple sources, including the US Dept of State Trafficking in Persons Report
-the above statistics compiled from multiple sources, including the US Dept of State Trafficking in Persons Report
Now there are many more facts and figures, most of which are just as shocking and disturbing as those above. You can find more information on this issue through many organizations. Several websites are listed below to help you become more informed, and get involved. I hope you take a few minutes from your day to follow one or some of these and learn more.
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2010/
Getting involved could be as easy as sharing this blogpost with someone, giving a small or moderate donation, hosting an awareness party, or if you feel compelled, partnering with one of the organizations above in a larger commitment of service and action.
image above taken with Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105 4L lens, 1/160 @ f11, ISO 400
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