Child Trafficking Reality.

According to Unicef, in 2002 there was 1.2 children who were victims of Child Trafficking.  One point two MILLION children who were taken from their families for many reasons – however many of which are for sexual purposes including the creation of child pornography, rape, slavery and the list disgustingly goes on and on to include other reason such as forced labor, domestic work and to become child soldiers.  This topic is very important to First Blush Photography and the Red Deer Photography community in a whole.

What does Child Trafficking refer to?  According to the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially in Women and Children (2000), is the “recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of children for the purpose of exploitation.  It is a violation of their rights, their well-being and denies them the opportunity to reach their full potential.” (sourced from Unicef.org – please click on the hyperlink for more information).

These crimes do not just happen away from the cozy home that you live in with your precious children.  While it is true that many children that are involved in human trafficking are in countries outside of North America, there are thousands of children who are abducted each year who are taken against the will of the parents (or in some circumstances for payment to said parents) and sent to different parts of the world mostly to satisfy the growing and insatiable desire for younger and younger victims right from your province or state – never to be seen again.  In one such article I read while researching this blog post, Canada was listed on it and in 2009 it was reported that there was upwards of 9,000 sexual assaults against children (whom many belong to Aboriginal communities) in Canada.  Other countries that ranked high on the list was the United States of America, Brazil, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Why would Red Deer Photography company First Blush Photography create an image of abuse like this?

So why do an image that is impacting so many people online negatively?  I posted this image in many feedback groups that I am part of and I consistently got the same reply over and over and over – “it’s disturbing”, “unsettling”, “I hate it” topped the lists that were created as people viewed this image and could not compartmentalize that while it is considered Conceptual Photography, it has hit a nerve with many people.  It is a sad image – I don’t deny that whatsoever.  The idea of a small 3 year old, frail toddler being jailed for the purpose of whatever is on her captor’s mind at the moment s/he collects her for that brief moment of rescue is devastating.  Actually that is incorrect – it is disgusting and truly unsettling which invokes feelings and emotions in those who view it and in my definition, I consider that great art.

While I am often moved by amazing images of pleasant things – children, kittens, babies, sunshine, flowers, etc. it is only one facet of our existence on earth and so many of us have what others would consider amazing lives.  We are whole – we work, we have families and we have access to the very basics of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.  Let’s face it already – if you are reading this post you have access to a computer or smart phone with internet so you likely have some degree of belonging to society.  But what about the part of society that we don’t see and don’t access?  What about all of the people on earth who suffer, are trapped and somehow survive their reality on a day to day basis?

I have always been drawn to the ‘untold’ aspect of life and while I have a bachelor of Social Work degree I am still drawn to help those and bring awareness to those hidden and ‘dirty’ parts of society that it is hard to talk about.  No one wants to imagine, at this very second in this world multiple children are being sold, raped and tortured – not to mention the thousands of women over the age of 16 who are also being exploited in mass numbers while the appetite for younger, newer and ‘cleaner’ slaves are in extremely high demand around the world.  Human Trafficking and Child Trafficking is a terrible reality that no one should turn a blind eye on.  It is the very worst degree of exploitation and destroys children forever.  I read an article a month or so ago about a women who was trafficked for many years and was raped over 7,000 times and while I cannot source that article during the time of writing this, please know that you do not recover ever from the psychological, physical and emotional scars that the repeated rapes, beatings and being drugged almost constantly has on the body and soul.

Time to act.

So are you outraged?  Mad?  Disgusted?  Sad?  Crying as you read this?

I hope so.

Do something about it though – just don’t sit there wiping your eyes looking for a reasonable distraction.  Maybe consider donating to one of the many different organizations that are trying to combat this endless concern or even volunteering at a local level with a women’s shelter or emergency services office.  Just do something – no matter how small or insignificant because bringing awareness to this issue will spawn more and more fighters to the cause and hopefully one day we can put our heads to our pillows at night knowing that no HUMANS are being trafficked at all.

A list of top leading organizations can be found here (click on me).

Suzanne