The many faces of human trafficking

Some things cost more than you realize

The terms “human trafficking” and “sex slavery” have increasingly been used synonymously in the realm of human rights activism, yet forced prostitution is only one way that human beings are trafficked today. This music video by Muse, made for MTV Exit’s awareness raising campaign, accurately depicts the multiple forms of modern slavery through three stories.

All three characters willingly leave their homes for what their families believe are legitimate work contracts in distant locations. This is the reality Lotus Outreach observes every day in the communities where we operate – unable to find jobs close to home, India and Cambodia’s poor eagerly accepted any work they are offered. All too often, this means following labor recruiters to new cities and even countries. Our SMART project on the Cambodia-Thai border distributes contact cards to migrating day laborers so that if they do stumble into such circumstances, they know how to reach out for help.

While trafficked laborers are sometimes detained by force (as shown in the third story) in many cases this isn't even necessary. Once in a foreign land, unable to speak the language, with no idea of where they or how to find help and often having handed over their passports to their employers, these people are unable to leave their circumstances. Having fallen into indentured servitude or bonded labor, they become completely dependent on their “employers” for even the most basic sustenance.



This is what slavery looks like today. Free the Slaves reports that there are 127million people working without pay under the threat of violence today; the average cost of a human being today is $90. Please share this post with your friends and family to raise awareness of this devastating issue, and visit our website to see what we're doing about it!

Comments

[Lotus Outreach » Blog &r]

[...] out what LO is doing about it and how you can help, and read our other MTV Exit post. Posted in Cambodia, Human Trafficking, India, Women and girls window.fbAsyncInit = [...]

[Lotus Outreach » Blog &r]

[...] other MTV Exit videos here and here. Tags: All I Need, humanrights, MTV Exit, Radiohead Posted in Cambodia, Child labor, India [...]