6.22.2011

'Prostitution is hardly a career choice.' I'd also like to argue that we focus on men

A few days ago democratandchronicle.com posted an article refuting the idea that prostitution is a career choice, plain and simple. "'There may be some women who chose prostitution for that reason, but the explanation is rarely that simple,' says Mandi Burnette, an assistant professor in the department of clinical and social sciences in psychology at the University of Rochester...whose own research involves violence, prostitution and various other types of criminal behavior..."

I agree with most of the viewpoints in this article, including Burnette's, and would even go so far as to say that women who engage willingly in sexually promiscuous behavior have a host of deeper issues as well. And as much as I believe in building into women and strengthening self-esteem so as to demolish this self-destructive behavior, I also believe men play a large role and we have a responsibility to them as well.

In the case of prostitution, specifically, we can look at it from the business angle: supply and demand. The reason there is a supply of prostitutes and pimps trafficking girls for sale is because there is a demand from men. And while the deep-seated issues are complex, I think it mostly boils down to this:

an unhealthy view of self and of sex/relationships.

Paying someone for your own pleasure is plainly done out of selfish desire and the need to satisfy the self. While we all do that to some degree, when you place yourself and your "needs" that far in front of another human being as to degrade them and cause them physical and emotional harm, I believe you are committing the ultimate selfish act and have a very skewed perspective on what is important in life and how the world works. Of course, media and culture telling you that "it's okay because it's their job" doesn't help the situation either.

I can think of various reasons for men to come to this unhealthy worldview, so let's discuss. What situations, life circumstances, etc. do you think might cause this? How do you think we can change this?

6.16.2011

The most dangerous countries for women

I came across this video on cnn.com this morning, ranking the most dangerous countries for women and the factors taken into account. Afghanistan, Congo, Pakistan, India, and Somalia were rated the most dangerous (respectively) for things like their maternal mortality rate (death during childbirth – a rate that is 1 in 11 in Afghanistan), rape statistics, female infanticide numbers, and female genital mutilation occurrences.

These things are horrifying across the board, no matter what culture you come from.

But as a middle-class American, it is really difficult for me to understand the thinking ingrained in such a culture that would raise men to think of women as less than human. Regardless of your position on the feminism spectrum, I think most of us in first-world countries would agree that a person is a person, and does not deserve death or mutilation because of their gender.

What do you think are some contributing factors to these high rates in "the most dangerous countries for women?" What action do you think will be required to see change in these countries?

6.14.2011

What sparked my return to Digknity

Digknity has been in the back of my mind for years, just waiting for the appropriate motivation or maybe just the realization that I can't put it off any longer. I'm not sure where this will lead, but for now I know that I need to write.

So blogging commences.

And it started with this trailer for a documentary being made possible with Kickstarter. It's about sex trafficking in the United States. What really struck me was the retelling of how a pimp finds underage girls at the mall around the 0:56 mark. Ambassador Swanee Hunt (founder of Demand Abolition) relays:

"An FBI agent was interviewing a pimp, so he said, 'Where do you find your girls?' And he said, 'I go to a shopping mall. And I look around for a girl who's by herself and I say, "You know, you have really pretty eyes."' And if she looks him back in the face and says, 'Well, thanks,' then he said, 'I just keep going.' And if she looks down at her feet and says, 'No, I don't.' He said, 'I know I've got her.'"

As I've been learning more about human trafficking, particularly sex trafficking of young girls, I'm convinced that a significant step that we can take in fighting this atrocity is building confidence and a healthy self-perspective into our young women. I realize that there is SO MUCH MORE to this issue and so many more drastic measures that need to be implemented, but this small aspect is something I'm passionate about and something we can work to change right here and now. I assure you that we will dive deeper into this discussion.

For now, I invite you to support Trade In Hope's film and let me know your thoughts on the trailer.

Have you ever considered that here in the U.S., your child is not protected from being kidnapped and sold into slavery? What measures are you taking or would you take to protect them?

As a girl, can you point to any instances or people who shaped your self esteem and how you view yourself and your worth? How do you consciously interact with your daughter or your sister or your friends to ensure that you're not perpetuating the cycle?