"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can."
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Has anyone else noticed that when placing an order - be it at a coffee shop or our favourite restaurant - we have an array of options to choose from? Take coffee for instance, short, tall, light, extra whip cream, cold, extra hot, fair-trade... Often times I stare at the barista with a dazed look on my face hoping that he/she will realize that I just want a basic caffeine fix. This doesn't just happen at coffee shops, have you ordered a pizza lately? Thin crust, thick crust, low-fat cheese, dairy-free cheese, organic flour, veggies, meat...The options are endless. These days you can pretty much order anything and have it customized just the way you want. This goes for: clothes, cars, computers, food, beverages, and sadly in Montreal (and in other cities) GIRLS! Notice that I didn't say women, because sadly the sex-trade often preys on girls as young as 12-years old (The A21 Campaign).
Last weekend I just happened to come across an article in La Presse that named Montreal as the number one sex-tourism destination in North America. Shocking, but the situation can't be that bad right? I mean we are still talking about a Canadian city? In Montreal alone, there are between 3000-4000 girls and young women being sex-trafficked within the city and to Ontario (Toronto Sun). As Pascale Philibert explains in the article, it's come to a point that "In Montreal, you can order a girl like a pizza. You want her tall, blonde, thin, with breasts size B or D, and half an hour later, the girl is delivered to you. It's as easy as that!" When I read this I was shocked and disgusted. Even now, one week later, this reality brings tears to my eyes. Under no circumstances is this okay or should it ever be considered okay.
By now I'm sure some of you are thinking to yourselves that these women have chosen to become escorts, dancers, "masseuse" and prostitutes. And for some, this might be true. But I wonder what factors caused them to first enter the sex-trade industry? Was it poverty, a lack of education, a drug addiction, do they have children to feed? Anyone of these socio-economic factors can make people feel very desperate, and desperate people are willing to do just about anything to change their situation - even sell themselves. I have spent a great deal of time working with young people and I have never heard any of them say: "When I grow-up, I want to be trafficked..." Or, "When I grow-up, I want to be sold and delivered like a pizza..." The truth of the matter is, for many girls and young women their involvement in the sex-trade industry isn't a choice. And their "decision" to silently remain in this industry is caused by a combination of physical, emotional, and psychological chains, thus making it seemingly impossible to leave.
By now I'm sure some of you are thinking to yourselves that these women have chosen to become escorts, dancers, "masseuse" and prostitutes. And for some, this might be true. But I wonder what factors caused them to first enter the sex-trade industry? Was it poverty, a lack of education, a drug addiction, do they have children to feed? Anyone of these socio-economic factors can make people feel very desperate, and desperate people are willing to do just about anything to change their situation - even sell themselves. I have spent a great deal of time working with young people and I have never heard any of them say: "When I grow-up, I want to be trafficked..." Or, "When I grow-up, I want to be sold and delivered like a pizza..." The truth of the matter is, for many girls and young women their involvement in the sex-trade industry isn't a choice. And their "decision" to silently remain in this industry is caused by a combination of physical, emotional, and psychological chains, thus making it seemingly impossible to leave.
It's alright to buy coffee, pizza, clothes, cars, music, computers; these objects are commodities, designed to be sold, bought and used. But people are not commodities. People were not created to be used, abused or sold. People were created from love and were created to love and be loved. And yet today, in 2013, human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal "industry" worldwide, with its over 27 million victims (The A21 Campaign). There are countries and cities that openly support this disgusting industry by creating "tolerance zones" (e.g., proposed by Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough) and "sex-boxes" (e.g., Zurich, Switzerland). And just like with any industry, these supporting countries can earn the reputation as the world's top exporting, importing and even tourist destination for the human trafficking industry!
I don't want to live in a province where its most iconic city is known globally as the best sex-tourism destination. I don't want to live in a province where women can be dehumanized and ordered like a pizza or a cup of coffee. And I certainly don't want to live in a province that tolerates the sexual exploitation and abuse of young girls and women. Instead, I want to be known as the province that takes a stand against human trafficking and that sees it abolished in the 21st century. I want to be known as the province that denounces - not tolerates - human trafficking by shouting to anyone that will listen: "People are not for sale!"
So how do we do that? How do we become the generation that sees human trafficking abolished - both locally and globally? If we want to see an end to human trafficking, we must shed light on the issue and bring it out of the darkness and into people's attention. In other words, we need to stop pretending like this problem doesn't exist, and start raising our voices for the voiceless. Ignoring the problem, or worse, pretending like it doesn't exist, won't make it go away!
We have so many different ways to raise our voices: Email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Blogger - the list goes on! What if every time we ordered a coffee or a pizza we prayed for the people being trafficked around Quebec, Canada, and the world? And, since we all love posting pictures of our favourite foods and drinks, what if we posted a picture of our coffee or pizza (or whatever we ordered) reminding people and especially public officials (i.e., Prime Ministers, Presidents, Members of Parliament) that: "We buy coffee, NOT people!" or "We order pizza, NOT people!"
I don't want to live in a province where its most iconic city is known globally as the best sex-tourism destination. I don't want to live in a province where women can be dehumanized and ordered like a pizza or a cup of coffee. And I certainly don't want to live in a province that tolerates the sexual exploitation and abuse of young girls and women. Instead, I want to be known as the province that takes a stand against human trafficking and that sees it abolished in the 21st century. I want to be known as the province that denounces - not tolerates - human trafficking by shouting to anyone that will listen: "People are not for sale!"
So how do we do that? How do we become the generation that sees human trafficking abolished - both locally and globally? If we want to see an end to human trafficking, we must shed light on the issue and bring it out of the darkness and into people's attention. In other words, we need to stop pretending like this problem doesn't exist, and start raising our voices for the voiceless. Ignoring the problem, or worse, pretending like it doesn't exist, won't make it go away!
We have so many different ways to raise our voices: Email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Blogger - the list goes on! What if every time we ordered a coffee or a pizza we prayed for the people being trafficked around Quebec, Canada, and the world? And, since we all love posting pictures of our favourite foods and drinks, what if we posted a picture of our coffee or pizza (or whatever we ordered) reminding people and especially public officials (i.e., Prime Ministers, Presidents, Members of Parliament) that: "We buy coffee, NOT people!" or "We order pizza, NOT people!"
If we're serious about ending human trafficking, then we need to start by shedding light on the topic. I for one am committing myself to Praying and Posting whenever I place an order as a sign that I will not remain silent in the face of this social injustice!
How about you?
How about you?
Here's a few people you might wish to include if you're posting a photo!
Prime Minister Stephen Harper: @pmharper
President Barack Obama: @BarackObama
Pauline Marois, Première ministre du Québec: @partiquebecois
Philippe Couillard, Chef du parti liberal: @phcouillard
Denis Coderre, Candidat à la marie de Montreal: @DenisCoderre
Canadian MP's on Twitter
