We are Against Child Sex Trafficking!

April 22, 2019

Yasmin, Marleni, and Estefani

Dear MISSSEY Organization:  

Child sex trafficking has become a worldwide issue that needs to come to an end. In Oakland, approximately 1 in 4 victims of human sex trafficking are children. If the community doesn’t take action and become upstanders for those children being sex trafficked then nothing will change. Based on those reasons, we decided to write to YOU. We are writing to you because your organization mainly focuses on protecting Oakland youth being sex trafficked. We want to help Oakland sex trafficking victims because this is where we live and we care about our community. We want to lend our support to your organization because like us, you believe that child sex trafficking is not beneficial for our community. For example on your website you explain why CSCE (Commercial Sex Exploitation of Children) is not acceptable.

On your website you mention how the children who are victims of CSCE are being effected by the situation they are being put in at a young age. Young victims of sex exploitation are affected not only emotionally but also physically and mentally. Your organization wants to begin a national movement that can build awareness for the issue of CSCE and we would like to help by first creating a smaller movement at our highschool, Life Academy. Not only do they talk about how child sex trafficking is not acceptable but they also talk about how the children get treated. We also decided to write to the MISSEY organization because they organize events and bring a bigger audience to the issue about child sex trafficking. For example they have an upcoming mic called, “S.H.A.D.E. 10th Annual Stop The P.I.M.P. Youth Open Mic – Human Trafficking Awareness”. The event is an open mic where many will be talking about child sex trafficking and how bring awareness to this very important topic. They are allies because the MISSEY organization truly cares about this issue, they hold multiple events and they keep everyone aware of the topic. The fact that the government nor the president have taken action to help the cause, it only empowers US to become the upstanders.

The issue is that children are being taken away from their mothers and fathers, and are abused and forced into prostitution. Beyond this, the issue is complex. For example, MISSEY states that many groups see youth as  “child prostitutes,” and they need to be seen as “ victims instead of criminals” (MISSEY).  This is another issue because they are dehumannizing these children and  not taking in consideration of what these children are going through, the people only judge them based on what they see. What caused this issue is that the sex traffickers want money and in order for the sex trafficker to get money accessible, they use children by kidnapping them. The oppressed group are children because since they are so young it makes a easier target for a sex trafficker. Child sex trafficking makes parent unsafe for their children to even play outside on the street due to being worried if they will see their child when they call them back inside. The people who benefit from this is the sex trafficker because they are the ones getting paid. This is not pleasing that they are using children for prostitution and benefiting from it and being “appreciative” of it. The level of oppression is institutional because the government/president are aware about sex trafficker and are not doing nothing about it. Child sex trafficking is not a “secret” and they still don’t do abundant about this issue because there are still out there, children that are missing and are being sold into prostitution. The allies are child sex trafficking organization and parents because they are the ones who truly care about this topic. Child Sex Trafficking organization are our allies because they support children who have been sex trafficked and donate money to them and want to put an end to this. Parents are also our allies because they don’t want their children or and other children to go through this because as a parent they also suffer/deteriorate because they wake up not able to see their child in the eyes everyday. The opponents are sex trafficker because they are the ones who induce this issue. If it wasn’t for them children would feel safe in their own community and be enlightened with their family.

In the past, there has been multiple movements to create changes in Oakland for the youth community and their safety. An example is a movement that occured in 2016. A article written by Tammerlin Drummond (a reporter covering East Bay culture and a former columnist and editorial writer for the Bay Area News Group) mentions how in 2016 a documentary was created to build awareness for the children and teens in Oakland who have been forced to work the streets at a young age. The article explained, “The film has been shown at locations around the country. It also was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016. But until now, not in the East Oakland community where it takes place. On Jan. 20, Peralta Hacienda will host a screening in the city’s Fruitvale district, followed by a panel discussion” (Drummond). This quote proves that this issue has been happening for many years already. Many people have taken action and built awareness for children being prostituted but it just isn’t enough anymore. The people who began this movement used the tactics of liberation, education and community organizing. They created the documentary to gather the community together and enlighten them on how real the issue of child sex trafficking is. Furthermore, another example of another movement that was created to fight against child sex trafficking is how in 2010, a group of Law students attending The Catholic University Of America, protested towards anti-human sex trafficking. The schools website states, “Approximately 30 members of Catholics University’s Internationals Law Students Association lent their voices and presence to a national protest against human trafficking, and particularly child sexual trafficking, in an effort to raise public awareness about its costs to the victims and to society at large” (CUA). This quote proves how there has always been a fight for stopping child sex trafficking since the early 2000s. There has been many movements done before to keep Oakland youth safe, but there is more that needs to be done. Meaning that child sex trafficking is still a big issue in today’s society.

In order to make this change happen we need to take action and do something for our Oakland community. Our plan is to raise money by selling Mexican and American candy in small bags for $2. Inside the bags we plan to leave the buyers a note on how they didn’t just buy candy but how they are giving money to an organization to help Child sex trafficking. Along with just selling candy bags we will have a jar where they can only donate money if they don’t want to buy candy bags. By selling these candy bags in our school we will collect money and donate it to the organization MISSSEY. As this project is going each day we would be selling during our lunch.

In conclusion, to raise awareness for children who are sex trafficked, we will be helping by raising money and donating it to the organization MISSSEY who also supports victims of child sex traffickers. Hope to hear back from you soon!

Thank you,

Marleni, Yasmin, Estefani.

Annotated Biliography

“Columbus School of Law.” International Students March to Protest Human Trafficking, 25 Oct. 2010, www.law.edu/Oct-International-law-students-march-to-protest-human-trafficking.

This article is about how a group of Law students protested and raised awareness for those being sex trafficked at a young age. This source is credible because it is coming from a University who joined in the fight for anti-human sex trafficking.

“Help End Child Sex Trafficking in Your Community.” Protect Oakland Kids, protectoaklandkids.org/.

   This website is an organization that helps protect Oakland youth. The organization mainly  focuses on keeping the youth in oakland safe and away from being forced into sex trafficking. This source is credible because it is partnered with multiple organizations working to keep Oakland clean from any dangerous sex traffickers. Also, it is credible because they even take action and do things for the community.

“Home.” MISSSEY, MISSSEY, misssey.org/.

This website is an organization that helps child sex trafficking victims in Oakland. MISSSEY organizes events to raise awareness and collect money. This source is credible because this organization has been there since 2007 and is still helping this very important issue and has not given up to put an end to this.

“Inspire and Motivate.” Clear Channel Outdoor – Innovative Out of Home Advertising Solutions, Clear Channel Outdoor, clearchanneloutdoor.com/.

This website is an organization and not just an organization that raises awareness about sex trafficking but they also talk about other important issues. “Clear Channel Outdoor is one of the world’s largest outdoor advertising companies with over 450,000 displays in 31 countries across Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America.” This source is credible because they have a huge advertising company in the U.S

Jacobs, Genice. “Human Trafficking Prevention Toolkit.” Abolitionist Mom, Abolitionist Mom, abolitionistmom.org/.

This website is an organization that wants to raise awareness to interrupt and prevent sex trafficking. They also defend for prevention education in schools and youth serving organization. This source is credible because in 2014 they passed the first human trafficking in the U.S.

“Take Action.” Shared Hope International, sharedhope.org/join-the-cause/#activism.

Shared Hope International is a child sex trafficking organization on their website they have many way on how to take action when noticing child sex trafficking not just one or two but many. This source is credible because there goal is to to “prevent the conditions that foster sex trafficking, restore victims of sex slavery, and bring justice to vulnerable women and children.”