Raising Awareness

Blog Post 8

"Intersection," an anime film produced by MTV EXIT's (End Exploitation and Trafficking) hopes to raise awareness about human trafficking by spreading its message through schools and nongovernmental agencies. The film, which depicts a brothel owner, a trafficker and the victim, is played by five famous people, including Chinese actress Yuan Quan and Taiwanese singing and acting veteran Alec Su. “Intersection” has been described as both humorous and darkly depressing, and is designed to put its message across young people who can relate to it.

Similarly, the United Nations (UN) has released a second series of videos to raise global awareness about human trafficking by warning potential victims that contracts for work abroad are often modern-day slavery. Because trafficking is one of the fastest growing areas of organized crime, “the UN hopes to alert the public and the criminal justice system in destination countries of the crime (BBC News, 2002).” The UN estimates that more than 700,000 people are smuggled from their home countries each year.

Women from south-east Asia pay about £20,000 to go to the United Kingdom to join the sex trade (probably unknowingly). They work for about 15 hours a day for six months to pay off the debt and get their passport back; however, the traffickers hit them with a bill for expenses they had supposedly run up –and they cycle continues.

Some European countries, such as Sweden, have created stiffer sentences for human trafficking for sexual purposes by up to ten years in prison. “Britain says it intends to increase the maximum penalty from ten to fourteen years (BBC News, 2002).”

The first video, produced by the UN on sexual slavery, was released in January 2001 and has been shown in 35 countries. The two recent videos, made by the UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP), are no more than 60 seconds long and have been produced in nine languages.

Creating short films to raise awareness is a different approach that just might work! Many young people do not read news articles relating to human trafficking or they do not have access. But if schools and organizations show these kinds of films, they will be more cautious when approached by a stranger offering them a job. “Intersection” has also been aired on China’s Music Television (MTV), and I am sure many young teens watch this channel. I believe the United States should also air short films about human trafficking on MTV and various channels.

China’s “Intersection”
http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE55A7DW20090611

BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1829855.stm

Pictures:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1829855.stm
Yuan Quan http://images.china.cn/images1/200711/413451.jpg
Alec Su http://blog.alecsatin.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/alec-su.jpg

The Movie “Taken”

Blog Post 7

Kim and Amanda travel to Paris for a fun vacation, and while they are waiting for a taxi at the airport in Paris, they meet a cute guy, Peter. He offers to take a picture for them and also suggests they ride together because the fees are expensive. Amanda agrees with no hesitation and the girls are dropped off first at Amanda’s cousins’ apartment. She tells Peter that her cousins were in Madrid for the summer and that they had the whole fifth floor to themselves. Moments later, a few men break into the apartment and kidnap Amanda while Kim was on the phone with her dad, Bryan Mills, a former CIA agent. He begins recording their conversation and tells her to stay calm and when they grab her, to yell out every description of the man she could see.

He has Sam, a friend, translate the kidnappers’ language and look up information on them. He finds that the men who kidnapped the girls were speaking Albanian, probably from Triposia, and the man on the phone is Marco. They work for a mobster boss, Marco Ocha, who is a big fish known for trafficking women. They used to bring in women from other countries promising jobs as nannies and waitresses, but found it cheaper to kidnap traveling young women. Their tattoo is a group ID. With the help of Stuart, Lenore’s rich husband (Bryan’s ex-wife), he gets a flight to Paris. When he arrives to Paris, he uses his skills and association with Jean-Claude Pitrel, a former co-worker, to trace his daughter’s steps.

During his mission, he encounters prostitutes and their “pimps” on the streets, as well as a trailer in a constructions site where girls are drugged and forced to have sex. The area is filthy where curtains are used to make rooms and men pay before entering the trailer. Once they pay, they are given a number to the room where the girl is. However, he begins searching the rooms and finds the jean jacket Kim was wearing when he dropped her off at the airport. He takes the girl with him and she later tells him that she only remembers they were at a place with red doors. After he finds the place with red doors, he kills all of the men except Marco, whom he tortured till he told him his daughter was sold to Saint Clair. Bryan pays Jean-Claude a visit at his home and accuses him of being involved with the Albanians and shoots his wife, demanding to know who Saint Clair is and his location.

He poses as Jean-Claude to gain access into the party Saint Clair is hosting, but soon finds out there are girls auctioned off at the lower level. He disguises himself as a waiter and enters into one of the bidding rooms. Kim was saved for last because she is a virgin. Bryan forces one of the buyers to outbid the others and purchase her, but is knocked unconscious and about to be executed. However, he managed to escape and surprises Saint Clair at the elevators. Saint Clair begs for his life and tells him Kim is at the docks. He kills Saint Clair and makes his way to the boat where he finds the Arab man holding a knife to his daughter’s neck. Bryan shoots him and saves his daughter, bringing her back home to reunite with her mother.

This movie was great because it portrays human traffickers and the victims in a different light. Even young women who come from well-off or rich families can become a victim –they are young, vulnerable and just want to have fun. Amanda was not smart and gave a lot of information to a stranger. Unfortunately, Amanda dies due to drug overdose. However, the movie over exaggerates how the skills of a former CIA agent can take down a human trafficking mob to save his daughter. I wish more girls could be saved and returned home, but even many organizations these days have a hard time finding human trafficking rings and helping the victims. This is a must see movie!

Credits to the movie: "Taken"

Photos: Peter taking s picture of the girls
http://www.beyondhollywood.com/taken-2008-movie-images-gallery/taken-maggie-grace-3/

Bryan Mills
http://www.timeoutsydney.com.au/film/newsinterviews/large-QA-liamneeson-taken.jpg

Kim held hostage
http://www.wowsudbury.com/Movies/Images/taken.jpg