BY R.D. Miller
The data that cannot be minimized
About 800,000 women and children are trafficked each year across international borders. Studies have shown that over 90 percent work for pimps. “Globally, more than half of all children aged 2–17 years, about one billion children in total, experience some form of violence, including sexual exploitation.
Data data shows that someone disappears every 90 seconds, in most parts of the world. Boys are also experienced sexual violence, and exploitation, but at a rate lover than girls experts noted.
Each year 3 million people take a trip in order to have sex with minors. Some predictors do not engage in the sex act, but equally exploit the victim’s lack of resources and opportunity to sell them like illegal drugs, or what experts called modern slavery.
Many traffickers will befriend your family, built trust and offer better quality life, and later sold your kids into slave labor early marriage, and prostitution.
These victims, who escape normally do not have a voice and need a safe place to talk about their experiences without being stigmatized. Studies have shown that less than one percent of these cases end in prosecution.
Sexual trafficking of minors is not only a South East Asia problem, as many often believed. Customers no longer have to visit Nepal, India Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, or even Western Europe like Bulgaria, where sex trafficking and exploitation remains a severe problem according to the expert. Additional reports have shown part of Africa has become a major problem.
Many African counties have seen a significant rate of sexual violence and exploitation in places like Cameroon, Senegal, Chad, Kenya, Malawi, and other Central African nations. These reports also show that over 40% of adolescent girls are forced into marriage.
Additionally noted the Caribbean region has become an exotic spot for nefarious reasons regarding sex trafficking underground world tourism, both imported and exported.
This is not about criticizing anyone’s system or nation, but highlighting the need to invest more time and resources to disrupt these operations.
Wherever you have a substantial number of missing young girls, sexual assaults, experts noted will contain a high concentration of sexual predators grooming for human trafficking and other local exploitation.
The perception that all visitors arrive in these islands shores scarcely for relaxation and the good vibes on these islands offer is a farfetched idea. Sexual assaults, statuary rape, and the exploitation of adolescent girls and boys present an urgent problem and, for a price, you have an abundance of sellers and buyers.
In Jamaica alone, the number of missing children in 2015 is estimated in 1984, according to the Jamaican Children’s Registration Office. It is a national health crisis when one compares the size of the population to other nations. These numbers offer the potential to increase if there are limited resources to properly solve these cases.
Most people are too pre-occupied with work, play and other issues.
Part I-
Earlier today I began to scan a few headlines to gain a sense of the dominant world news. Many articles and images ranged from terrorist attacks in France, Kuwait, and Tunisia, where over 30 British citizens were killed, Greece’s financial pressure that threatens the international economy to Puerto Rico’s efforts to pay a reported 72 billion in debt, and it is only six months in the year.
Additionally, the Confederate Flag fierce debate reactivated about what it represents on both sides with passionate opinions; should it remain flying in our modern history, or be removed after a White supremacist teen gunned down nine African Americans? They were at a prayer meeting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, in South Carolina as he hoped for a race war?
This is the first independent black denomination in the United States, was founded in 1816
On the pulpit side of town, many evangelists fought with the modern era of same-sex marriage decisions regarding equality. There were also bets on the speed at which the Jamaican track star Usain Bolt will run this year.
While society grapples with these socioeconomic, discrimination, crime, justice, and sometimes uplifting stories, that can change the course of a nation or a community we carry on regardless of locations, and these issues quickly dissolved or are forgotten.
What stuck with me most in these news cycles was a four-minute video. This video reverberates another dark side in our society’s backyards, that often gets washed out to the sea like debris after a storm, but keep coming back more and more, and before you complete this article, there will be another case like this.
Her story is one of many and a silent emergency
I watched in horror an undercover operation where a 13-year-old schoolgirl was being sold by her uncle for cash in Kingston, Jamaica, to a Caucasian male who posed as a tourist being sold for sex by her uncle. Even though he was arrested, this event will have negative psychological consequences long-term.
What is so problematic, this event is not unique to Jamaica alone, but a global issue, and as many experts noted, sexual assault is a serious crime and is known to have short- and long-term effects on victims and those who love and care for them.
Later I will highlight other areas.
It is emotional ongoing anguish that diminishes her assertiveness to gain back courage, confidence, resilience, and beauty. But it opens the door to this hidden world, where many communities are helpless or stay silent from fear and the lack of resources to combat these atrocities.
Even more difficult, or individuals who are targeted and abused because of their sexual orientation and the re-victimization attitude by some, as if they had it coming.
Often in our society, conversations on these cases begin with the interrogation of the victim.
“She could have run out of the situation or nothing happened to her.”
She was too easy and dressed provocatively
What caused her to be abused?….. Why didn’t she leave?
But no one ever asked him in jail, at school, church, or in the community; why he targeted her?
How many children before her have gone missing, abused, or murdered, and those stories remain unsolved?
Every so often a family member recognizes the truth or the offender, but because of fear of vigilante justice, will go on silent or defend the perpetrator.
Sadly, the silence and these unsolved cases hoping that with time it will go away does not make the local community safer. As many experts noticed, it causes more pain and re-victimization to the family who continues to seek closure.
The mental manipulation to gain access to their victims
These criminal assaults, statutory rape are normally linked to a broader network, kidnapping, and human trafficking. Perpetrators often disguise themselves as normal. They are on your municipal bus, taxis, drive beautiful vehicles, or in your local church choir, classroom teaching your kids, some may preach to you this Sunday, or whatever day you worship.
Sadly, many pedophiles, serial predators, and pimps roaming local streets grooming your sons and daughters to satisfy their behavior, often goes undetected.
They live upstairs, may share your borderline, and fit in like a pleasant neighbor. Additionally a family member, guardian, schoolteacher, and even a representative sworn to protect gained your trust and exert their power to abuse. In some cases, they could be suffering from a mental illness disease or simply a pimp who has gone undetected.
It is a complex business of sick individuals, but as experts have noted, a parent or caregiver, whether through action or failing to act, causes injury, death, emotional harm, or risk of serious harm to a child is simply child abuse.
A sexual assault predator with mental health issues will go all the way to satisfy the intense and sexually exciting fantasies. It is not necessarily that an argument from the victim’s refusal, which has resulted in the death of a student, it is part of the sexual satisfaction of the offender.
These serial predators are charismatic, pray on your daughters and use the argument that they are not loved, your daddy hates you and that is why he molested you, and your mother allowed it to happen. In addition, they will target foster homes, and offered gifts.
They will use the victim’s economic needs, poverty, homelessness, drugs, and/or alcohol abuse, family conflict, or runaways as a platform. Sexual predators will offer to pay tuition fees, purchase school supplies, candy, meals, and shopping spree or a ride in a nice vehicle.
Part II-
The silence reality:
Also, acknowledge you have a systemic problem and develop rules to help these ill sex offenders who prey on your sons and daughters.
To safeguard students and public safety in general, there should be laws eliminating 100 percent black tinted vehicle windows, and assurance picks up and drop-off zone including public areas for students and well-lit areas less susceptible to crime, thereby eliminating obscure places.
This very day I wonder if an Anosognosia condition is taking place along these shores and in other places?
How often are adolescent students lured by men into dark-tinted vehicles, parked a few blocks from these high schools and universities where they were to later kidnapped, some are still missing, or found dead?
In this era of technology, these areas should have public cameras, and tracking devices on these commercial vehicles. They need a massive campaign to inform students to bypass these vehicles regardless of how quickly they may get to their destinations, and perhaps transportation is restrictive school buses alone or pre-authorization for pick up from schools.
Very often it seems onlookers contemplate safety, their pride, lack of protection if they speak up regarding underage students being lowered into these vehicles, and many of them believe they are legitimately licensed operators.
This is statutory rape, and without enforcement and sharp penalties, it gives rise to speculation if she accepted the invitation willingly, and that mentality represents minimization.
Cultural traits, taboos, societal norms, and expectations about sexual behavior that force silence must be debunked.
Saying she asked for it, is not a solution, or who “should have” and “perhaps” is not a strategy. They are victims, and these communities must have the resources to support them without being re-victimized.
We cannot continue to be detached because of the location, shame, and image. They must meet sexual assault, unwanted calling, touching, hostile environment, and the objectification of these adolescent students with more strict rules and swift penalties to send a strong statement.
This day, a mother sends a child to school, a public library, or the grocery store, or she is outgoing to her first job on local transportation or walking to her place of employment and she lives in fear until she gets back.
This is global, but the same local mindset.
Sadly, in 2014, Boko Haram one of Nigeria’s most dangerous militant groups abducted over 270 schoolgirls from Chibok. Several of these girls never returned to their homes. And while our routine lives continue, there will be more missing boys and girls.
Even though Boko Haram’s mentality has not marched into a classroom or a church in the Caribbean region or elsewhere, wielding a weapon, kidnapped 200 plus girls and boys, for whatever ideology or sexual belief and fled for a jungle or hills, but if your local community captures one a day, it adds up.
The report does not confirm that this is unique and exclusively a Nigerian issue
There are ongoing local headlines, and I stop counting new cases on these shores and other places whereby a beloved daughter, cousin, niece, aunt, or sister is being kidnapped, assaulted, and murdered while families hopelessly searching for answers.
Many of these cases are now in a holding file somewhere or considered close because, every day that passes, the chance to solve and these crimes becomes slim.
Economics and Laws:
Part III–
Many crime experts label sexual exploitation as an organized crime business, where profits are high and risks are low. It is an estimated $5 16-billion a year operation from Latin America to these Caribbean shores and rising according to the International Organization for Migration.
(Reuters) 2015, over 1,100 were arrested in a nationwide sweep for allegedly praying on kids according to reports. They each use the internet to lure youths and then traffic them into commercial sex. Among the people arrested in Texas were former employees of the Boys and Girls club and soldiers.
(BBC News) around the same time, about were 37 arrested in Oxford in what they believed was part of organized crime selling young girls for sex.
Though these cases can be difficult to dismantle potential networks, many families struggles with fear and anxiety of unresolved cases according to experts. Often, these girls are frightened to come forward because they operate on the heading that “Stitches get stitches.
”Simply put, if they speak up they will be harmed.
Minimizing the community risk.
These sex offenders will not age out, but with proper treatment and close monitoring, the community can minimize the risk to public safety. They frequently mark both local and international students and any soft targets.
These offenders must be tagged and their names must be made public when convicted. If one moves to your neighborhood, potential victims are aware of even when they seek employment. It ensures national awareness for families who are at considerable risk.
In many poor and developing nations, disparities between the haves vs have-nots and lack of resources make it difficult to prosecute despite both national and international laws.
Many victims started from a mutual relationship supporting friends in prostitution and can identify with another runaway victim who may be neglected or abused at home.
The victims confidentially is extremely important. Though there are upgrades to new technology and training in some poor and improvised countries, many still lack proper resources to minimize rick and close cases.
Even if a country accepts legalized prostitution, some argue it is less likely to receive a severe punishment. But it does not minimize the risk these teens face.
Deterrence tools are vital to prohibit visitors from an open-door system that allows teenagers to explore their hotel rooms and be traded as if they are a commodity on the stock exchange.
Coordination and sharing of information among professionals who are advocates for these victims are key to combating these problems.
This is a complex matter where it often bounces between rape and consent, and it cannot be addressed in silence or re-victimization.
This involves, victim protection, resources; adopting a holistic approach from sanction to therapy for the offenders, ranging from psycho sexual evaluation for treatment and public risk assessment.
It is time to re-gather because silence is often deafening:
The social responsibility is to protect these adolescent girls and boys; notably high school and universities; yes, on the job. These communities from the house next door, pulpit to the hotels must report suspicious activities.
Of course, there will be another public statement from your elected officials when these atrocities take place, but little or no assistance for the victims and their families long-term.
While the lack of resources and sometimes technical expertise remains an impediment, it is essential to hold elected officials and law enforcement officers who are sworn to protect them accountable to solve these cases.
Community support is critical for those who are ashamed and unwilling to come forward for fear of personal consequences who may have information.
If many can mobilize for politicians, entertainers, to argue their guilt or innocent, marriage equality or an officer’s terrible judgment, these same communities anywhere can mobilize to reclaim these children from sexual predators criminal acts.
Soon various politicians will wear their political party colors to become the subsequent leader; one wonders who will wear at least one exploited victim murdered or assaulted on their clothing and how many will stay mute on this missing outrage because this cycle will continue until the next headline.
