Rachel Thomas's talk on her curriculum--Ending the Game (ETG) "Ending The Game © is a ground-breaking “coercion resiliency” curriculum that reduces feelings of attachment to traffickers and/or a lifestyle characterized by commercial sexual exploitation, thereby reducing the rate of recidivism among sex trafficking victims."
More about Rachel and ETG can be found at Sowers Education Group.
Please understand that there are also boys and adults being Trafficked. However, this post is to clarify that little children do not choose to become what we, American society, call Child Prostitutes. They are manipulated, kidnapped, and scared. They are black and white, they are tall and short, rich and poor, smart and dumb. They are dreaming about iphones, getting there nails done, and what they get to eat for dinner. They may be dreaming of growing up one to be doctor, a dancer, or a mom. They come from good homes and broken homes. You name it, they come from every walk of life and
they live right here in Anywhere, USA.
In a simple 4-step process those little dreamers are lured into a fairytale that ends in slavery.
| Hopes, plans, wishes.... |
| Media teaches romance and sex every day. |
#1 Bend: The Trafficker works to build her trust luring her with whatever she needs to believe that he (or she) is safe and trustworthy. Sometimes they will step in and save her from someone who may be hurting them. This puts them in the "knight in shining armor" role.
#2 Break: Isolation, confusing behavior, pushing boundaries (the 12-14 year old girl thinks "am I crazy or are they?") Their hope for life without their trafficker is stripped away. Their self-esteem is decreased. Their true identity is taken away.(They learn they probably better stick to the guidelines.)
#3 Build: Now they have a new lifestyle and live in a subculture (new terms, new protocol). Positive and negative reinforcements to encourage the most productive behavior. Their new identity is centered on product value. They begin to see their value differently (I'm getting good at this.) Our brains are adaptable.
#4 Lock: Intense cycles of highs and lows (everything from addictions to drama). They further self-impose isolation upon themselves ("I don't fit in anywhere else.") This leads to further loss of their true self.
Anyone has the ability to be coerced. The truth is at the core, everyone involved in human trafficking is broken and seeking shortcuts to love, security and happiness. The hope is that the true self always remains waiting to reemerge.
No child chooses to give up her little girl dreams to raped, maimed, and tortured by an average of 20 men a day. No child should ever be arrested for prostitution. What needs to happen is we need to arrest the so called Johns. How in the world did it ever become acceptable to arrest a 13 year old for child prostitution, throw her in jail and the man, usually living a double life (ie...supposedly respectable) gets a slap on the hand and is sent home? This is madness.
The modern day slavery of today is no different than the slave owners we all detest so much from the our history books in school. But today we have a media filled with people who encourage and support them by glorifying them as cool pimps. They are slave owners. They are human trafficker. They are scum.
There is good news and there is hope. Organizations are standing up and fighting for the defenseless.
Shared Hope International , and International Justice Mission are fighting around the world.
Women like Rachel Thomas, who is a survivor, have come out to fight for survivors.
Local groups like Central Coast Freedom Network in the south side of our county and North County Abolitionists (Click to find us on facebook) in the north side of our county. We are fighting and we will not stop.
Comments are appreciated. Thank you.
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