Selling Olga #2 (book)

As I continued reading this book I learned a lot about the relationships between trafficked women and their pimps. This quote does a lot to explain the relationship, "He is her tormentor and provider. He is a brute who may rape her and probably beats her but it often the only friend that she has left in the world. He feeds her and starves her. He may show her physical affection and then rent her out to half a dozen men for the night afterwards. He is her only guarantee of personal safety but might threaten her every day (36)" It is hard for me to understand this relationship because it seems to me like the pimp plays two different roles, one being like a father figure the other being an aggressive kidnapper. The pimp tricks the women into believing that he cares for her and their relationship means something when in reality he is exploiting her and using her for his own selfish benefit. Throughout my research I learned that most pimps don't get arrested because it is hard to prove that pimps control their prostitutes and make them sell their bodies. If the pimps are not arrested or caught then the prostitution industry will keep thriving.

Child Prostitution 5/4

Today I worked on my bibliography and spent time putting up my posters.My bibly took a while to get everything organized and I'm happy I got it all together. I wanted people to be aware of my subject so I placed them around the building. I designed my poster to be very eye catching. It is a picture of a child that says 'Not For Sale' and it is supposed to get people thinking about why this is happening in our country.

Second Semester Book Review (Selling Olga) #1

I am reading Selling Olga by Louisa Waugh about human trafficking and resistance. In the first couple chapters we hear about the story of Olga. She explained how she got trafficked and her story. She said that there are ads int he newspaper for jobs abroad. These are cover ups for trafficking women, she thought that she was getting a job in Italy helping the elderly, she quickly realized that she was being tricked. She lived at the club and men would pay her 'pimp' to have sex with her. At first she would not even receive money because of the travel fees that her pimp paid for. After a while she started to get some money for her services. She ended up escaping by sneaking out of the club and going to a local police station. She had massive injuries and was almost fully blind from all the abuse she endured. I was so shocked to hear her story. I feel like any women in desperate need of money could get tangled up in this trafficking. To hear her actual story, I was interested and it made me even more passionate about my end of the year project, which is child prostitution. I am excited to read on, even though this is a sad and disturbing topic, I am interested in it and what the police and givernment are doing about it.

Child Prostitution ( videos ) 5/3

I watched this video from local ABC news. Chicago police busted a child prostitution ring and found three young ladies. They would set up their meetings over the Internet and be forced into having sex with these men by their "Pimps". I found this very shocking because they showed a map and showed three places around Chicagoland area where these activities were taking place. The arrests took place in motels in Lansing, Hazel Crest, and Downers Grove, these towns are very close to Deerfield and it is so shocking that this problem is so close to home.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7772244

I also watched another video about the child prostitution epidemic is Atlanta. This video interviewed former prostitutes and asked them why the system was so addicting and harmful. The girls explained that most of the children that get caught up in this industry have been sexually abused as young children or have been abused by parents. They all have tragic stories that explain their extreme loneliness. These Pimps present themselves as father figures and trick the girls into a life of abuse sexually and emotionally as well as psychically. The Governor set up public service announcements about the realities of child prostitution in the city. She wanted to go after the Pimps and the people in charge of these kids instead of arresting the children that have been forced into this job. It is comparable to slavery, but these kids were being held responsible. A lot of people don't look that them as victims, but they have been tricked into this industry and it hurts me that some people don't see that.
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/422/index.html

I found another article from USA today about a program called "Innocence Lost" "The case here is part of "Innocence Lost," a project launched in 2003 by the Justice Department. The FBI set up 14 task forces in cities with the most reports of child prostitution; now the task forces are in 27 cities, says Drew Oosterbaan, chief of the Justice Department's child exploitation section" I think I'm going to look into this program and see if I can do something with that for my action item.





http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-07-26-prostitution-crackdown_x.htm

Child Prostition 5/2

I just came across an article from chicago breaking news source that stated there is a child prostition ring in Chicago. When reading this article I was completely shocked. I always thought that this problem was only in third world countries, far from America and our community. "In addition to rescuing the 69 juveniles, 884 people including 99 "pimps" were arrested over a three-day effort dubbed Operation Cross Country V, a joint investigation between FBI, local and state law enforcement agencies and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to U.S. Department of Justice officials." This was a huge breakthrough! I can't believe that this was going on in Chicago. This make me want to get involved because it is so close to me and to where I live. I am happy that they are getting involved and starting to arrest and stop these child prostition rings around the country.



http://archive.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/11/feds-hundreds-arrested-in-national-effort-targeting-child-prostitution.html

Child Prostitution

I got a lot of interesting information on child prostitution in the United States that I was not aware of. According to the U.S department of Justice Approximately 55% of street girls engage in formal prostitution. Estes Report, Executive Summary at 7. Of the girls engaged in formal prostitution, about 75% worked for a pimp.What I thought was so unbelievable was that if the girls are exchanging sex for money even if it is given to the pimp (which in most cases it is) they are still criminals. Often times these children are forced into the sex industry and have no way out. What gets me so angry are the personal stories of individual girls that i have read. "Maria is . . . prostituted by her aunt. Maria is obliged to sell her body exclusively to foreign tourists in Costa Rica, she only works mornings as she has to attend school in the afternoon. Maria is in fifth grade." When I read this I was shocked, what kind of person would force their own family memeber into a life of prostitution and she is only in fifth grade! She is setting her up for a life of mistreatment and possibly abuse.I am outraged with society, this should be stopped because it is not only an issue of prostitution but it is a human rights problem and a problem with society if it is tolerated. I learned that In 1998, the International Labour Organization reported its calculations that 2-14% of the gross domestic product of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Phillipines, and Thailand derives from sex tourism.This is a big business in these areas and seems to be more prevalent outside of the United States. Child sex tourists are defined as individuals that travel to foreign countries to engage in sexual activity with children. The non-profit organization End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography, and the Trafficking of Children (ECPAT) estimates that more than one million children worldwide are drawn into the sex trade each year. When I heard one million children a year I was completely shocked, not only at the number but why no one was talking about it. I had never heard of child sex tourism before I started researching on this project.

If no money is involved, the youngster is considered a victim. But if the man pays for the sex — even if the money is going to the pimp, which is so often the case — the child is considered a prostitute and thus subject in many venues to arrest and incarceration.“We often see the girls arrested and the pimps and the johns go free,” said Carol Smolenski, the head of Ecpat-USA, a group that fights the sexual exploitation of children. “One of the big problems is that there is this whole set of child sex exploiters who are not targeted as exceptionally bad guys.”(campgirlnotes.com) I think it is crazy to think that these children who are forced into the sex industry are the ones getting in trouble instead of the pimps that force them to do this. This is the problem and maybe why nothing is getting done, we need to catch the right people and until we do that, child prostitution will continue all over the world.

Childhood Prostitution

I chose to research childhood prostitution for my end of the year project. I first heard about this growing problem at my church. There was an activist there that wanted to get the the world to recognize this horrible industry and world problem. In the The Evil Behind the Smiles by Nicholas D. Kristof, you really get an insight of what happens to these children. the article goes to explain what happens to girls,"Sina is Vietnamese but was kidnapped at the age of 13 and taken to Cambodia, where she was drugged. She said she woke up naked and bloody on a bed with a white man — she doesn’t know his nationality — who had purchased her virginity." She was drugged and kidnapped against her will and woke up in fear and in pain. I has no idea how violent these sex houses were, the article explains that the brothels have torture chambers, " As in many brothels, the torture of choice was electric shocks. Sina would be tied down, doused in water and then prodded with wires running from the 220-volt wall outlet. The jolt causes intense pain, sometimes evacuation of the bladder and bowel — and even unconsciousness." The amount of violence that goes on is beyond comprehendable.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/01/opinion/01kristof.html?ref=sexualslavery

Race

After exploring both the website and reading a new articles from each, I have learned a lot about what it means to different people to be black. One article that really stuck out in my memory was called Study: Black man and white felon-same chances for hire. This explored the business market today. This just shows how racial discrimination is still a concern in American today. If a black man with a clean record is as likely to be hired as a white criminal than there is a problem. I'm always hearing from my teachers and parents how important it is to stay out of trouble because no one will give you a job if you have a criminal record. I can't image the hopelessness black men feel when looking for a job, when they have no done anything to harm their chances, besides having darker skin. While exploring the websites, I saw an article about John Mayer. I was interested in what it was about, hoping it would be something positive the singer/song writer did. It was not, it was about how he made racist comments during an interview about black women. This really disappoints me because he is a public figure and a lot of people in America look up to him. He is setting a bad example by running his mouth about race.

Sexual Harassment

In class we have been talking about sexual harassment. We did two mock trials, one criminal rape case, and one civil sexual harassment case. After participating and watching these two trials, I have come to the conclusion that sexual harassment is very subjective. There are something’s that people will call sexual harassment when others might think it is harmless jokes. This line between appropriate and inappropriate can be very thin. For example we talked about the incident at Oak Park River Forest high school, where a group of boys made a list of the most F-able girls and description of their body parts. To these boys it was a harmless joke, but to the girls affected it was hurtful and disrespectful. The girls pressed charges on the boys. I personally think that ruining these boys lives for a list is a little over dramatic. Although this is a clear case of sexual harassment, every teenage boy has made this list (maybe not a physical list but in their heads) and girls have to realize that. I do think they should be punished for their rude and exposing list. My views have certainly changed on this subject, the more cases I heard, the more I could understand the victim in these cases feel uncomfortable. In the case that I was assigned to a girlfriend accused her boyfriend of rape. When I first read the case I thought she was just insane and a jealous girlfriend, because if its your boyfriend its not rape. After really reading the case and understanding her side, I realized that if she didn't want to have sex with him and he forced her to have sex, then its rape. It very hard to determine if something is harassment when its one word against another. 

Egypt and the Middle East

I think the riots in Egypt were done by the people for freedom and they felt it was important for the future of their country to be democratic. In the article by Laurence Pope entitled The Second Arab Awakening said “The Arab regimes that survive will have to learn to ride the demographic tiger of a young, angry, and newly empowered population.” Things have changed with the Egyptian population and people are starting to realize that the government is unfair and not democratic. As Americans we have to support the spreading of democracy, but since it’s been extremely violent it puts the U.S in a difficult situation. On one hand its history in the making that these citizens have overthrown the government, but on the other people have died and even been assaulted while caught up in the riots. It’s hard to determine if this new government will be as successful as Egyptians will hope. “The military, the United States, its Arab allies and Israel are now pondering whether the Egyptian military, which has vowed to hold free elections, will give way to a new era of democratic dynamism or to a perilous lurch into instability or Islams rule.” People are nervous that the government will just go back to the ruling it had before this whole thing.  It also seems like since this overthrow in government took place in Egypt, that it’s reaching other countries in the Middle East. I personally think that these riots are scary and cause so much violence, but I do support their cause I just think they could go about it more peacefully.

State of the Union Speech

The State of the Union given by President Obama was very different then years past. One of the first things I noticed was that the audience, who traditionally sits by party and claps on certain issues their parties believe in, sat all together. The overall mood of the speech was joining and I felt as if he was trying to separate the line of democrat and republican. I thought that his actual speech was very focused on the future and what we need to accomplish in upcoming years. He didn’t really focus on how we would accomplish these goals, He should have talked more about our current problems and how we were going to fix them. For example the United States job market is horrible, I see this first hand because my brother recently graduated from college and I know a lot of him friends have been having trouble finding jobs. I can’t image that hard time people have that don’t have a college education. I think that improving the job market should have been more heavily discussed. I did agree with him when he brought up the issue of education. Our schools are falling behind and countries like China and India are leading our world in education in areas of math and science. If we educate our young, then we have a brighter future as a nation. With education comes better technology, more advancements in science, and a more motivated generation. I think president Obama was right when he stressed the importance of our countries education. 

Reflection of Tweak

This book took me into the deep emotion and fear of an addict. Nic Sheff’s story was one that can give so many people hope who are struggling as well. He explains his lowest points and his long road to recovery. The pain his family felt is something that he can never forgive himself for. At the end of the book he talks about a group session with both of his parents present. They are asked to do artwork to show how they are feeling “I sketch a heart with veins and aortas and the different ventricles and things. Then I draw faces morphing together out of the heart, stretching up-screaming faces, terrified faces, and desperate faces. And then, before I can even think about it, I write the words “I’m sorry. (318)” His struggle has been long and tiring and I’m happy to see him getting better. His story can be there for all of the other lost teenagers out there and maybe can help them realize that drugs and alcohol is not the answer, and can ruin lives. After reading this book I went online and watched an interview with Nic Sheff. I was surprised to see a young kid that looked like he could be my age. To know that he went through all of these horrible things at my age was so surprising and I feel so bad that he had to. He explained his life now and how he lives in Oregon with two dogs and his girlfriend. He said his trick to staying sober is that he is living so simply, there is nothing there to complicate his life. It is still a struggle everyday because once you are an addict it will always try and consume your life again. This novel book helped me understand a little bit about how an addict feels and goes through on a regular day basis. I thought it was a very good book and is really easy to relate to. I would recommend this to other people to read just as a free reading book. 

Tweak # 5

Nic seems to have an issue with healthy relationships. His mom abandoned his family when Nic was a little kid. Every since then, Nic has felt lonely therefore always needing a relationship. Most of his girlfriends are bad influences on his life and do drugs just like Nic has done. While he seeing a therapist, she says “Do you sacrifice your own happiness and feelings of peace in order to have this relationship, or do you start to get well and choose a real life that maybe doesn’t include Zelda? (295)” When a relationship is not healthy for one of the parties involved then those two people should not be together. I’ve noticed that there has been a large increase in divorce. Although my parents are not divorced, I see that in some cases it can be the right choice for some people. I do think that people need to really understand what marriage entails before rushing to things. Nic is at the point where has to surround himself with people who are on his side and care about him getting better.   

Tweak # 4

Nic starts to turn to God during his recovery. He learns that the stronger relationship with God, the more likely he is to live a positive life. The second step in his 12 step recovery program is to “Come to believe that a Power greater then ourselves can restore us to sanity (157)” I think that this is one of the steps because believing in something more powerful helps you feel like you have a purpose in life, and life seems not so insignificant. A lot of people would disagree with me, but I believe spirituality/religion is something that should be in everyone’s lives. Not necessarily structured religion but even just believing that there is a plan for everyone. It can be so easy to feel like life in meaningless, but if you trust that you are put on this earth for a reason then life becomes so much easier. Not only can it help with a recovery but it can help someone realize how their actions affect people around them like friends and family. When Nic starts to accept God in his life, he really starts to make improvements in his recovery, he starts to hold on to a job, and starts making good friends and getting his life together. 

Arizona Shooting

The recent Arizona shooting left fourteen people wounded with three in critical condition. On this tragic day, a 22 year old Jared Lee Loughner, allegedly went on a shooting rampage in front of a grocery store. President Obama ordered a moment of silent for the whole country to honor those involved in the shooting. I do feel horrible for these people and representative Gifford, and would love to have a moment of silence for all those involved, but I find it interesting that that same respect is not given to the hundreds of soldiers that put their life on the line everyday and die for our freedoms. I think maybe it has something to do with power, since Gifford is a public figure and involved in the government. The young men and women who have little power in the army should be given this same moment of silence throughout the country. The hundreds of poor black people killed and left homeless from Katrina were not given a moment of silence, because they "don't contribute to society" in the same way as powerful people. A life is a life and the ones that are lost in national tragedy or war should be nationally recognized no matter what economic status or race.    Most of the time their deaths go unnoticed and it makes me so angry that just because someone has power that their life seems to be more worthy then others.

Tweak # 3

I think its very interesting that a lot of times when you see someone suffering from drug or alcohol abuse that it runs in the family. I see it all the time in movies and TV shows, along with in real life. Parents being alcoholics and their kids growing up to be just like them. One of the characters, Gack who is a drug addict and is starting a drug dealing business with Nic, has a long line of drug and alcohol abuse in this family. “Gack saw his mom from time to time. She lived in Napa too. She had six years sober-going to twelve-step meetings and things. He guessed he liked her alright. He seems pretty okay with the whole situation. (p.82)” I find it really sad that the influence parents have on a child, good or bad, can determine who they turn out to be. Being a parent comes along with a lot of responsibility, lifestyles need to change when a child is born. If I was an addict I would never want my child to grow up and have to deal with the hardship and struggle that I went through. Gack who lives with his drug addicted father has been doing drugs for a while. He must have picked up the habit from his father. When a parent encourages this type of behavior is only a matter of time until he overdoses or becomes a serious drug addict. Its so shocking that there are actually parents out there that believe it is okay for their kids to take drugs. Some may say it’s the only way for a child to learn for themselves, but in my opinion, as a guardian you have to guard a child from certain things that will harm them, and drugs are one of those things. 

Tweak #2

The more I read of this book the more I become frustrated with Nic, the main character. He seems to never go through with anything. He drops out of many of his rehabs and relapses for the fifth time. He can’t hold a job, not even because of his addiction. He says “Usually I just stop showing up for work one day. That’s what happened with the six jobs before that. Actually I’ve never seen a job all the way through to the end-not even in sobriety (p.34)” It doesn’t surprise me that he has relapsed this many times. He needs to learning from his past mistakes and focus on a future he could build for himself. I have a hard time feeling sorry for him. He has a good family that cares and loves him. Nic keeps mistreating them and stealing from them. He even stole money from his little sister as well as her diary. At this point the only person that can save him is himself, which seems to be his worst critic. “There is this crazy fear I have of being rejected by anyone-even people I don’t really care about (p.34). He has to realize that not everyone will like you and by punishing yourself he is making his own problems worse, and affecting the lives of so many people around him.

This book focuses on drug abuse among teens; I begin to see the vicious cycle of addiction that develops in these young adults. Although most of this abuse is seen in the poorer neighborhoods, it still can reach a wide demographic of teens. Nic has a middle class family with a decent amount of money so it is not only limited to the families living in the projects. What it comes down to is we feel inside. Nic feels isolated and alone and therefore turns to drugs to get the “high” he longs for. 

Tweak # 1

I chose to read Tweak for my free reading book for this semester. Tweak is a true story about a young man named Nic Sheff, who is addicted to meth. He lets us into the scary life of an addict and reveals the feelings he had and also why he was on drugs in the first place. He says “I loved drugs. I loved what they did for me. They relieved me of that terrible sense of isolation I had always felt. They gave me that manual to life that Johnny had described. I could not, NOT give that up (18).” Nic felt like he was an outsider with no way to fit in with society besides turning to drugs and alcohol. Teenagers often feel like they do not belong and need a way to either fit in our get away from it all. Recently in the news we have seen a large amount of teenage suicides. These stem from all different areas, and aspects of life. Some students are gay, others are just different. With technology now, it seems like the problem has gotten worse. For example in class when we read a packet on bullying in schools where numerous cases were explained and our justice system was questioned. Its hard to hold someone accountable for online bullying. In class we learned that there are laws put into place, this is a quote from the packet we read in class called When Cyberbullying Turns Deadly “The majority of U.S states now have anti-bullying laws. Some have recently added cyberharassment statues to their books (p.2)” I think our schools and government should make it even more of a punishment. Even though most of these individuals are kids I think that our society is moving towards a society that is insensitive and cold. If better morals and values are installed into our youth, then bullying will not be as much of a problem. Nic Sheff is a perfect example of a kid that uses drugs for an outlet, and it is a sad addiction, that once started is near impossible to brake.