Redlight

Just last week I had a conversation with a client about the international sex trade. It started with a conversation about my trip to Thailand. She was talking about wanting to go some day. I told her about the many things I enjoyed. Thailand is so beautiful. I loved the beaches and water, but my favorite place was Chang Mai. I stayed in a beautiful garden cottage just across from one of the gates to the city back when it was the capitol and was walled for safety. I loved the elephants. They are so amazing and wise.
She asked about my experience of Bangkok. I found it to be a bit intense. I enjoyed walking the city, but that was pretty much all I enjoyed about it. The first morning in Bangkok I got into a tuk tuk to start my exploration. Immediately the driver asked to take me to Patpong. Patpong is the sex trade entertainment area of Bangkok. The sex trade is incredibly lucrative in Bangkok. People come from all over the world to patronize the shows, clubs and prostitutes of Patpong. I could never participate in this exploitation.
As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse I am horrified at the thought of what these people endure. If you look at people's icons you can see what they value. In Thai society the androgynous look is the most valued. If you have ever seen a Thai Buddha you can see this. I have a large one in my healing room and people constantly confuse it. But I digress, when the androgynous look is the ultimate prize you have to consider who has this appearance. Of course the younger a person is the more androgynous their appearance. This leads to young boys and young girls being exploited.
This evening I am sitting here watching the Lucy Lui documentary on child sex trafficking in Cambodia. www.redlightthemovie.com It is incredibly similar to the experience in Thailand except Bangkok appears to have a more international clientele. Many of these families are so destitute that they choose a child to go work in a major city in the sex industry. This child must sacrifice their body, mind and spirit in order for their family to survive. One child was sold to "pay for Grandma's HIV medicine." Upon returning home the first time since being rescued from a brothel she told her mom how they repeatedly sewed her hymen back together in order to get a higher price for her virginity over and over again. After hearing this her mother said that still she would sell her other daughter if they came and offered money once again.
We tend to think this only affects other people in other countries, other cultures. I was shocked when just over a year ago a "massage parlor" in Overland Park was raided and shut down because they had sex slaves forced to live and work there. Sex slaves, human trafficking, slavery in our own back yard.
What do we do? How do we protect these people? How do we refrain from supporting those who participate in human trafficking?
Several statements were made during this documentary. Lucy said that it all starts with demand. Another gentleman said that the culture of "I want sex, I have a right to receive it however I want it." I am definitely in agreement with Lucy's statement, that is simple economics. The second statement impacts life on so many different levels. It raises so many questions. How do we answer all of these questions?
We should always protect our most precious gifts. These gifts are our children. How will we teach them to protect the world and their children? How will we teach them to be more compassionate and understanding if we subject them to violence and rage? How can I make a difference? Here are just a few ideas. http://www.redlightthemovie.com/action.html