Profiles of Hope
But there are profiles of hope. Survivors, with the help of anti-trafficking activists, have created their own networks - a modern-day Underground Railroad. Its purpose is to help others out of slavery, or to prevent others from being trafficked in the first place. Survivors, who know where the sex slaves are being held, are going back into the same brothels where they were once slaves and helping rescue agencies to find and liberate other victims. Sometimes they find victims held in underground cages, or literally plastered behind walls. Survivors working with Maiti Nepal stop every car at border crossings between Nepal and India, looking for suspicious situations or trafficking in progress (for example, a man traveling with several young girls, or unconscious girls). They also refer the victims for shelter and other services if they are found to be in an unsafe situation. 
Survivors are speaking out about the abuse they have suffered, participating in public awareness campaigns, sharing their stories with journalists, even going door to door in remote villages, talking to mothers and daughters about what happened to them, and how to protect themselves from being trafficked. Like many issues in history - America’s own abolitionist movement, women’s suffrage, domestic violence, breast cancer awareness – the fight to end trafficking can be won by a concerted effort of active, outraged citizens who refuse to tolerate it. What we need, according to Laura Lederer, US State Department Sr. Adviser on Trafficking, "is a critical mass of people who just say 'no!’" We need to move on this issue as a united front – not diverted by partisan politics, or paralyzed by despair. Concrete action, awareness, education, and cooperation are needed to end this human rights crisis.
Public Awareness--Helping Victims of Sex Trafficking
Submitted by Potential Abolitionist! on Fri, 12/18/2009 - 18:17.I’m a former health book writer and am just releasing my first novel this January. www.nancydeville.com. Karma is about an American woman doctor who is abducted in Istanbul and taken to Mumbai to work as the doctor for sex traffickers. I decided to have my protagonist be American because I wanted readers to feel what it would be like to have this happen to them. I will never forget when I first started researching this subject the disgust, disillusionment, and shock that victims of rape were categorized as “prostitutes” a word that denotes feelings of loathing and the lowest rung of societal vermin.
I read about the self blame and low self esteem trafficked women suffer from that keeps them from fighting back. Self-blame is one of the hallmark manifestations of post traumatic stress disorder, which all trafficked women suffer from. Because my character is an educated professional and found herself in India hearing about karma and was suffering from PTSD it was only natural for her to ponder what she did to deserve her fate. By delving into the true meaning of karma, my character comes to understand that karma isn’t cause and effect like we think in the West. When something bad happens to you it affords an opportunity to contribute to the good karma of the world with your actions to make the world a better place. My character’s epiphany represents what I would like to see happen for all rescued victims of sex trafficking: the self compassion to accept that what happened to them not their fault that they are victims and valuable human beings who deserves happiness.
Would you be interested in posting a blog on my site? One post you may be interested in on my blog is ROBOTS DON’T MAKE YOUR STUFF, PEOPLE (SLAVES) DO.
Take care and thank you for helping to educate the public!
Nancy Deville