Crushing the Crime of Human Trafficking

There is a global, pervasive and very insidious network of smuggling predominately women, especially beautiful women, from their home countries to a distant one. Usually the countries of destination are Asian or European; but increasing numbers of African women are also being taken against their will as well. These women are forced to work the sex industry, where they are exposed to every humiliating behavior imaginable. Many sadly are murdered in the end. The vicious, barbaric and inhumane treatment these women receive is as bad as any person confined to a torture camp. If they don't perform as their captors demand, they are beaten; if they don't bring in enough income, they are tortured; and if they cause problems, they are raped mercilessly. The United Nations is working on a clear strategy to end this practice. Women have been found bound, gagged, and stuffed alive into intermodal shipping containers; stowed away under armed guard. They do not usually have passports or any official papers, thereby leaving many imprisoned in the country they end up. If they get pregnant, they risk being killed; and worse, many contract HIV and many other contagious sexually-transmitted diseases. There were articles recently expressing concern that the human trafficking was so visible that the demand for these women surfaced during the 2006 World Cup in Germany. There is not a single country in any continent except Antartica--where human trafficking is not a problem. The abuses are so horrific that this author does not want to list graphic content. Many women are young naive girls seeking work, who get lured in with "get rich quick" schemes, promises for lots of travel, lots of new friends, and are promised they will be "satisfied" and be "well-loved", and the nonsense that this is a "career of a lifetime not to be passed up." All the usual "too-good-to-be-true" statements. Law enforcement agencies are having a difficult struggle breaking up the trafficking rings and bringing the members to justice. We as women must step up and put a stop to this awful sadistic crime! We must keep on Congress and our respective state legislatures to enact and enforce tougher laws against this disgusting behavior. We have to say "NO" and step up--if we don't, then human trafficking will go on and on. Please read up on this growing crime, and please protect yourselves and your friends from being lured in who may be lonely, down on their luck, needing money, and are vulnerable to this kind of predator. It can happen in your community -- yes, even in the United States as well. So, be alert and watch out for this.

Live Free, Live Healthy, and Take Pride in Yourself

Compiling from many conversations over years, writing these ideas here gave me hope, purpose, and strength. It is never easy to write something what I am about to. I hope it comes across as not preachy and more an "atta-girl" posting. Since the aim and focus of this blog is on women, and our issues, I will direct the comments to women. However, many pieces can be gleaned and adapted by men as well. Women have borne plenty of the burden of abuse from partners--whether it be emotional, verbal, alcohol, drugs, physical violence, sexual, etc., since time began. And women, too, have abused themselves. There is not one of us that has either been abused or been an abuser in some form. And yes, there are those women have been both. Being one way, the other way or both ways drains us, makes us physically and mentally affected adversely, and affects our ability to heal, thrive, survive and grow. We want those around us to be healthy--maybe if the one we love would change themselves and stop drinking, for example--things would be better. Or, if we just ignore the abuse we've received--rationalizing that, if we overlook a partner's abusive behavior toward us, it can be chalked up to only a bad phase in their life. How many times have you held on to someone who is like this abuser, thinking it is better to have this person than be alone? How many times did you convince yourself that you could change them? How many times have you cried, screamed, been angry, been depressed, been hurt, been manipulated, and been lied to by that person who is this way? How many more times are you going to permit them to bargain with you to give the next chance after a billion or so you already have given them? If you are an abuser of some type, have you done these things too, and what are you doing to bring lasting, healthful, safe, and total renovation of your earthly existence to stop it toward yourself and others around you? You can be happy, and joyful. It will take hard work, sweat, tears, and allowing yourself to learn from others like yourself, to network, to become accountable, to believe via actions (not words) in a new lifestyle. Healing can only occur when you start clearing out inside yourself all that is not okay, that is not healthy, admit yourself that nothing works, and lay out a concrete plan to make the necessary life conversion. You are not here for just yourself--you are here for others --be it parents, spouse, children, friends, and colleagues--we all need you and you need us. None of us have all the answers, or a magic pill, or the ability to snap the fingers and "poof" all is magically better. But together, we can hold up each other, love each other, cry with each other, share ideas with each other, and strengthen each other. Women have an amazing way of connecting, bonding, sharing and networking. We allow ourselves to be vulnerable, to be open, to learn new ways and explore methods we've used that we declare don't work, and devise new strategies that do. This author spent the majority of her life as a negative person. It was a nasty habit, and it still can happen. It also clouded many wonderful friendships, and impaired relationships. Finding this out opened more things to be worked upon internally. Dealing with anger, self-esteem, and depression management were key components in this amazing personal odyssey to my personal growth. What works for this author will not be the same for the next person. We each much find our personal lifemap, redraw our unique blueprints, and chart new directions. When healthy growth takes place, pain cannot be avoided or evaded (paraphrasing from the late Dr. M. Scott Peck's book "The Road Less Traveled.") If you have been a victim of abuse or an abuser yourself, personal one-on-one therapy is necessary. Being honest with an impartial therapeutic professional is critical to your successful mental health self-care and recovery. Coming clean to those you love and those who have hurt you or you have hurt, is vital. At any rate, life as you have lived, cannot continue without someone eventually being hurt. Saying to yourself that nothing is going on is a great lie--and lying to yourself is worse than lying to someone else. Remember that every storm has an end, and sunny skies appear again--it is your choice to either steer clear after it, or steer again into another one. You are the custodian of your choices, thereby making you the custodian of your consequences. What you keep is what you asked for--no one else is responsible but you. What can you do differently today about your life you haven't done yet that breaks the cycle you are in? Time to start now--tomorrow may never come--don't wait.

If Billions Can be Spent on War, Why Can't Trillions be Spent on Peace?

There seems to be this blood-thirsty, war-mongering, delusion that fighting every battle tete-a-tete is going to produce peace around the world. There also seems to be this attitude that if an enemy is beaten back, blown up, attacked, etc., then war and its goals become achievable. But, has anyone thought about the real aftermath? Yes, a group may be defeated, but they will regroup for another day. More seeds of hatred have been planted in people. But when are we going to stop and say, "Do we truly want peace in the world?" "Can we truly co-exist with each other on this fragile planet despite our social, religious, political, economical and varied cultural differences?" What do we really gain by killing so many people--only that--killing more people. But the very issues at the heart of the debate and differences between the groups -- remain intact and unresolved. The world has to learn that these different groups have a right to their own autonomy, their own culture, their own beliefs, and a right to land to live upon. It is not right that any group be oppressed, suppressed, bounced from country-to-country while others enjoy living on the land they take for granted. People are angry and downcast because they are not taken seriously for their authentic needs for food, shelter, civil human rights, cultural recognition. Taking the "not in my back yard" attitude does not improve conditions, nor does it magically make the problem go away. Avoiding and evading means we refuse to enact fair social justice, and yes, the problem will come back to haunt us. Why can we spend more for peace? Helping groups who don't have the money or resources? Helping others who are in poverty thorough well-paid schools, and universities? Families in all countries affected by war, strife, economic downturn, and greed are being categorically denied fair wages, affordable housing, good healthy affordable food, clean water, and gainful employment. Too many families have lost husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, close friends--to all the needless violence of war, murder, crime, etc. How much more bloodshed will it take before we realize that taking innocent life does not and cannot solve the deep core issues that lead to fighting? We have only one time on this earth each of us to live, and one planet to live on. Take care of it and save lives--it might be your own that gets saved.

When the Predator is a Professional in a Trusted Profession

In the past several years we have seen, heard, or read horrid stories of girls, women and minor-age boys being brutally raped, sexually abused in unmentionable ways, and even murdered. It is terrible enough that it happens as it is--but it is much worse and more when the perpetrator is a priest, minister, rabbi, medical doctor, dentist, male nurse, law enforcement, psychologist, or psychiatrist--the type of person women seek out for help through very difficult situations. It is very important that the numbers are incredibly small for this to occur in these professions--but there are still enough that abuse and misuse their professional background to mislead, gain the trust of women clients--only to sexually abuse them, rape them, and cause them more physical, emotional and spiritual harm. Individuals like this need to be prosecuted, not be allowed to practice ever again in any helping profession, be denied freedom and be incarcerated for life. Recently on NBC's "Dateline NBC" there was a rabbi and a six-grade school teacher who were caught soliciting sex from minor girls, who even did disgusting acts online and sent filthy pictures of themselves to the supposed "girl". A special education teacher was also caught in the sting. Separate from all this the leader of an extremelyfundamentalist Mormon group is on the FBI "Top Ten Most Wanted List" for sexual crimes again minor girls. There is NO place in society where these offenders will ever be trusted again even if released from prison. No child should ever be left around them. The victims will spend thousands of dollars getting treatment, will feel damaged and scarred for life -- since their innocence and dignity have been stolen from them. You could be a married woman who even has been seduced by your religious leader, and it cost you your relationship with your husband, left you feeling used, and also hurt so much so that you left the place of worship you loved so much. People in authority must bear greater burden and responsibility by keeping a professional distance from their congregations, patients, or citizens they serve. You could be a single woman who sought out counselling, was seduced by the counselor with inappropriate behavior, and have buried the terrible assault feeling it was your fault--it was not, nor will it ever be your fault. We have a duty to put these criminals behind bars for life--how many more people will suffer by that person that hurt you if you don't come forward to the good police officials who have an honest integrity to protecting the general public? If you have been assaulted, come forward to another woman you trust -- suffering in silence only makes the perpetrator win--and your life pays a greater price. There is still a good world here--let us show you that good, decent, moral, caring, loving world by letting us fight for you, stand up for you, and hunt down these predators, convict them, and place them where they can never hurt you or others ever again. We are very much here for you!

Holding the Torch for Women's Issues

Think about the following question: "Am I satisfied with how I am honored, respected, and treated as a woman, and more importantly, are the women I know around me getting the same?" How many do you know that don't get fairly treated; get abused in a multitude of ways; get attacked, raped, or murdered; get left with the children while the father doesn't pay child support; are not getting proper medical care, get misdiagnosed for illnesses because the doctor is male and doesn't understand women's medical issues; get told they must cover their entire bodies so men won't be tempted to lust, while the men abuse women; and finally, how many women do you know who are victims of any form of molestation, ranging from childhood violations to adult rape to genital mutilation? All too often how many times were boys/men excused for their bad behavior toward women with the phrase "Boys will be boys"? In China, baby girls were being aborted simply for being female; girls in Africa are having their clitorises ripped out; In parts of Africa the medicine men tell HIV-infected men to have sex with virgin girls, no matter what age, whether forced on her or not-and if they do their HIV or AIDS illness will go away! How about in May/June timeframe 11 first-grade age boys sexually assaulted an 8-year-old girl at school in the United States!!! It seems that the 3 major religions have done so much damage to girls and women by suppressing, oppressing, discriminating, and treating us inferiorly simply for having a vagina. Orthodox Jews, Muslims, Catholics and Evangelical Christians (for the most part) refuse to let women be ordained. Look at the recent election of a woman to be the worldwide head of the Anglican communion--and many people want to balk at her leadership simply because of their prejudice she is female!!!! All of this is unholy, unacceptable and undeserved misogyny. Well, it time to say "Women will be Women"!! We have to stand strong together, call for action, tell ourselves not to accept the abuses/pain/damage, trust our Creator to help us, fight for social activism relevant to women's rights and causes. Who decided that men should be the strong leader? Who decided and approve that men were more competent than women in matters of leadership? Who said we have to submit, subjugate, and subordinate to men, simpy because they have a penis???? Who said women cannot be politicians, CEOs, bishops, priests, rabbis, heads of households? All because of having a vagina? Let's get real here--the world's majority population is female--why do we let this continue? Why do we give them permission to perpetrate this myth that we women are not able, capable, or strong enough to do these things? Too many of us are suffering too often in silence. It is very okay to speak up when there will be those who say "a woman should be seen and not heard". It is very okay to fight for justice so that you, your mother, your sister(s), your girlfriends, your women work colleagues get the much-needed civil and human rights accorded by the Creator to every female. Call a spade a spade--women are NOT free yet, and are NOT well represented or protected worldwide. Please visit websites on the main blog site to learn more. Make a difference, change a life, do the correct thing--elevate the dignity of ALL women worldwide by speaking out, acting up, and refusing to accept the status quo of the myth that "it's a man's world"--because it isn't -- it is a woman's world too!