Selling WHAT? WHERE?

Sep 19, 2016
2 min read

About three years ago I was living in Ota, Japan. A beautiful, scarcely known city that consists of farmlands, an elegant mall, shopping centers, an English immersion school and the best Indian food I have ever tasted!

Sometime during that one year that I lived in the beautiful Japan, a horrendous truth hit my awareness. I learned that in the United States, in my state and many others, in fact probably even in "my own backyard", girls and women and sometimes boys as well, have been and continue to be sold.

Sold? Yes, sold and mostly to men.

Since the time that I first learned about this, I have done a lot of research on the topic, not just as it pertains to the United States, but looking into how every country in the world is affected. In fact I have even made this the subject of several of my research papers while studying Social Work. I have also watched movies, read books, and read articles - some of these academic and some telling the stories of humans who have lived long enough to tell their memories. There is so much pain.

In reflecting on their stories and also in talking to others about what I am learning I have come to realize that the cycle, often spoken of in Economics classes, known as Supply and Demand, is one that also applies to the selling of people, over and over again for the purpose of sexual pleasure. At some point in history the demand started. Men of all ages, and colors, and languages, and financial status wanted to buy sex, and so other people made it their job to supply it. I do not know when, where or why it started, but over the years this "business" continues to thrive.

Although it is an international occurrence with gruesome details, it is not an easy thing to "just blame the men who buy". Why? Why do they buy? What has happened in their life that allows them to feel or think that buying a person for sex is ok? What has happened in society that continues to allow this to exist? What has happened within governments that those who run them often participate in the buying themselves, or benefit from the selling in some way? In how many ways do my own actions contribute to this system?

The cycle just perpetuates more and more questions. This topic and these behaviors go deep into the souls of people. The reason that it exists is entangled in the web that is the existence of humans.

It saddens me that even though I am aware of this reality lived through excruciating pain by billions of humans around the world, I can still so easily forget.

If you would like more information please let me know. I can send you some links, or we can start a conversation.