Stop the Traffik - Book Review
I have been staying at my Aunty & Uncle’s home for a few days (today was the lats day) and it’s always refreshing to read other people’s books. They had a book on the shelf called “Stop the Traffik” which is all about slavery in today’s world and people trafficking. I hadn’t realised it was such a HUGE issue. In fact slavery and trafficking today is so large that it is the second biggest international crime issue behind illegal weapons sales.
Today in the world there are also more people in slavery than in the whole entire time the British empire were trafficking slaves to the Carribean for the sugar plantations. Back then a British politician called William Wilberforce made it his life’s work to campaign against slavery and was able to have it abolished. See the movie Amazing Grace for this story.
Today however William Wilberforce would be shocked to see how trafficking has become big business. Each year 1,500,000 people are trafficked, mostly for sexual reasons, but for many many other reasons too.
Let me tell an interesting tale.
Do you remember the Tsunami on Boxing Day 2004 (December 26) that killed hundreds of thousands of people in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri-lanka, India and other nations. Well, as a result of that tsunami, hundred and thousands of children were orphaned and homeless. Some church groups started orphanages and were able to house, feed and educate large numbers of these orphans. We commend them for their service to the needy.
The interesting aspect to it was – there was no legal paperwork or government process for taking these children in. They simply walked down to the beach, found orphans and took as many as they were able to care for. These children were the lucky ones.
In just the same way, many other children were just taken for “other reasons.” And in this exact way, every year all around the world, many people (not just children) are trafficked for the purposes of slavery.
Stop the Traffik is an incredible book because I want desperately to believe that it is not true. I would love to say it is a fictional work – but sadly it is the truth. The stories are sad, and there are lots of them. Like the story of Svetlana who was tricked by promises of work in another country and taken there by some Turkish men who took her passport away and put her in a brothel. She jumped from the window six stories up in an attempt to escape, but fell to her death.
I encourage you to read this book and arm yourself with knowledge. However after you read this book – read my other blog post “Do Not Eat Cadbury’s Chocolate” and do something to help this situation.
