"It's a third world country, you can do whatever you want."
These were the words spoken by a fishing tour operator at a hunting and fishing conference in Dallas, Texas. See, he is not only referring to the lack of follow-up by government authority or the excess of corruption of the same, we all know that is a given. The truth is that he is referring to the sad reality of how easy it is to get more than a fishing experience in South America. More along the lines of sex with minors, girls as young as 13, who have been abused and trafficked there with the false hope of getting a cleaning job to support their families financially.
As a citizen of a third world country myself, I am fed up. Fed up with first world foreigners, who 'should know better' who come to our countries, and our own native society leeches with that same attitude and do nothing but bombard our societies with drugs, arms, and they take our own daughters, sisters, and mothers to abuse, beat, and rape. Fed up that the government puts on the blindfold to this situation. But most of all, fed up that the people who have the power to really end this outrageousness (yes, I realize that is not a word...) sit back ignorant to the issue. That would be ordinary people like you and I.
When did we forget we are more than the few who control our countries? When did we forget that a collective shout can make the difference? Decades ago, the people who stood up against injustice, fought for freedom, were synonyms of bravery and seen as heroes. Today, the people with the same spirit are looked as dreamers, as if they were speaking of impossible things. Well here is a little insight in the words of Rob Morris, founder of Love146, "Ending human trafficking is not idealistic or naive. It is audacious. And it is people of audacity who change the world."
This is the report ABC did on this issue: Pleasure Trips or Underage Sex Tourism?
Lets not forget that ignorance is just as bad as the injustice taking place.
If you are a first time reader of our blog, Home of Change is a nonprofit organization fighting human trafficking through education and leadership implementation in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Visit our website for more information.
