Victims of Human Trafficking Speak Out

Jessie Lucas
October 30th 2009
5:38 PM

Three victims of human trafficking were finally able to tell their side of the story and urge governments to do something about the issue. One man Buddhi Gurung was promised work in the United States making five hundred dollars per month. However he ended up in a United States Air Base in Iraq. He was forced to work and did not receive his five hundred dollar per month salary. It was fifteen months before he was able to return home to Nepal. Charlotte Awino is another victim of human trafficking. She was abducted from her boarding school at fourteen and used as a sex slave and a human shield. The man she was given to and sexually abused by fathered her two children. Kikka Cerpa is another victim of human trafficking. She fell in love with a man who took her to the United States where she found he and his family were part of a sex trafficking ring. On her first night she was abused by ninety men. She was moved from brothel to brothel where the girls were abused, some murdered, and who had no help from the police. In fact the police also used the girls sexually when they were supposed to be there to help them. All three victims were at the United Nations sponsored Human rights event to tell their stories and ask those in charge to help prevent human trafficking and help those who are victimized. They shared their ideas on how to change things to stop this problem.
I think it is very important that they let people who have been victims share their stories with the world and especially those in charge. I believe that through actual experiences we will be able to find more ways to prevent these issues and save and rehabilitate those who become victims. These problems happen all over the world and include many different types of abuse including slavery, debt, bondage, forced labor and sexual exploitation. I’ve become more and more aware of the atrocities that people all over the world face every day and cannot for the life of me figure out why those responsible are getting away with what they are doing. We all need to get together and do something about these problems which of course is exactly what the event this article discusses is trying to do. I don’t understand why people would do this to each other although the article points out that it has gotten worse since the economic crisis began. It’s obviously about money to the traffickers but how the people who use the victims as if they are nothing can do so is completely beyond my ability to comprehend. It upsets me because it’s so obviously wrong that even a child would know not to treat another living thing badly and yet these are adults taking advantage of anyone they can.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iN0kWdgfY-mVXA_hU4zQ_ehSMISwD9BGKCTG2