In preparation for this trip, we were given a list of reading materials. Among them, was Somaly Mam's The Road of Lost Innocence. This book forced me to dig deeper into human trafficking and it how it affects me personally.When a lot of people think about human trafficking, they don't think of it a relevant issue - it's an issue happening over there, on the other side of the world. False. It is an issue taking place EVERYWHERE, including the United States. In fact, Atlanta is the U.S. hub for trafficking. Scary, huh? For a lot of people, it takes a relatable name and/or a face to fully comprehend this issue and how it may affect them. If we saw children being trafficked on a daily basis, we would probably be more prone to do something about it. Right? But because this issue seems so far away, it sometimes takes a back burner in our minds.
Read Somaly Mam's The Road of Lost Innocence. It takes a global epidemic, and filters it through the eyes of a young, Cambodian girl (Mam). It is difficult to read sometimes, I know. But it is a valiant success story. You can't read her book and not be moved; you can't read her book and not want to stand up and join the fight against human trafficking. I would love to meet her one day.
DID YOU KNOW?
- One in three girls that run away from home will be picked-up by a pimp within 48 hours.
- 14 years old is the average age for girls entering prostitution.
- Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar industry.
- It is estimated that 100,000-300,000 women and girls are victims of human trafficking within the United States every year. This does not include 17,000-20,000 that are brought in from other countries.
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