The thought that I could be sold into slavery or become a sex worker crosses my mind approximately… once a year. Primarily when I watched the film “Taken” or see a rare commercial about it on television. I am, without a doubt, never concerned that this could become a reality for me.

As you can imagine, empathizing then becomes a challenge. For me, it is an impossibility. For many women in countries I will never visit, it is the only reality available to them. So it took me a moment before I was able to understand a fraction of the weight of the situation at hand.

What shocked me was the passive acceptance that most women in the midst of this problem had. All women that interviewed as sex workers did not seem phased in the slightest that they lived that particular life. An acceptance of their lifestyle was rooted so deeply simply because they knew nothing different.

It is clear in this case as it is in many that the key to solving this problem is education. If people don’t know any better, they won’t do any better. My hope for this unsettling reality is that somehow, eyes will be opened not only in America where most individuals are completely unaware of this problem and, moreover, have the means to do something about it. But also at the personal level in the actual countries that suffer.