Apr 21 2008
#1 Destination for Americans seeking sex with a child?
The USA.
“The daunting truth today is that wherever drugs are being sold in the United States, children, too, are being sold,” the description of Libby Spears’ new documentary, Playground, says. “American children.”
This weekend, the Latino Social Workers Organization hosted a human trafficking summit at Dominican University in Illinois. The summit, which drew people from social service and governmental organizations across Chicago, premiered the trailer for Spears’ upcoming film.
Watch the Playground trailer (contains disturbing images and content)
Playground ties a thriving domestic sex trade of “throwaways” (ie, children) to the vast superstructure of slavery worldwide. Spears initially set out to investigate international sex trafficking, but found a horrific underbelly much closer to home.
“Trafficking is self-sustainable,” Father Larry Dowling, who is part of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Faith and Justice Committee, told the summit, emphasizing what a huge business it is. “Combating this problem is not. It requires funding.”
Indeed, human traffickers have the incentive of immeasurable profit and general impunity. Overcoming such a sustainable global industry requires us to finally decide that it’s a priority.
The human soul is not for sale: find out more.
I can not even handle how disturbing that video is! What a nasty subject. Thanks for covering it, and helping to make those of us who are ignorant on it aware.