Very Young Girls…The American Reality. What do we do?
The film Very Young Girls takes you into the reality of sexual exploitation and trafficking of American girls, a true eye opener that is a must see for anyone who wants to see that Americas youth are given their chance at the American dream. Our eyes must be opened to the exploitation of our own youth if we are to be the world leaders in the abolishment of all forms of exploitation and trafficking/modern day slavery. To reinstate this need last week a screening of VeryYoung Girls was supported by the US State Department, and Ambassador Mark Lagon was on hand with Rachel Loyd the founder and Director of New York City based GEMS, to stress the need and reality of this problem.
Rachel Loyd and the GEMS staff don’t beat around the bush, they know the realities of the streets, and they know each day is a battle so they waist no time. The documentary is straight shooting and raw, just like the realities of a childhood as a victim on the streets, the film footage does not give you a rosy view of the life of the girls trying to brake the chains of exploitation. There is no easy fix, no quick way out of years of mental, physical and sexual abuse on the streets. As Rachel says in the film;
“There is no detox, no methadone. You hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”
Rachel Loyd is a true modern day hero, fighting for the young girls all too many have forgotten, she has given her heart, soul and life to these girls. She knows these girls, she has been these girls! A true survivor Loyd used her strength and experiences to establish GEMS (Girls Education & Mentoring Services), the halfway house in New York City she founded after she herself escaped from prostitution.
Loyd stands strong in the face of endless adversity and takes each girls daily struggle onto her own shoulders, giving each girl the true love and attention that they so desperately need and rightfully deserve. I had the opportunity to speak with Rachel after the film and while she is nothing more than personable it is not her heart that captivates you, it is her infectious strength. Rachel is an everyday woman with fighting spirit and endless heart that has inspired so many into action, but more importantly she is the rock for very young girls not only in NYC, but across the globe. There is hope and there is a normal life waiting for so many young girls and this film hopes to inspire those young and old.
Following the screening Mark Lagon asked Rachel Loyd;
“What do you think we should be doing nationally?”
Rachel stressed the need to see the problem for what it really is and punish those who are responsible while helping to heal the victims;
“Recognizing it as something that is done to them…Recognize it as child sexual abuse…Change the dialog and quit putting responsibility on young people and put it on the adults and those who facilitate these crimes.”
Very Young Girls is not a film, it is the reality of some 100,000 and 3 million minors involved in prostitution every year in the United States (Department of Justice estimates). No longer can we look at these girls as criminals, but we must see them for what they are victims and treat them as such, so that they may become survivors. Please see GEMS to learn more about the program, and how you can support Rachel and all the very young girls who have been victimized by sex trafficking in the United States.
July 18th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Good Day Cassandra,
I do not remember the authors name, but there was a book published two years ago based upon the sex trafficking trade in Europe, which had as its main focus how many girls were forecefully taken and prostituted to NATO soldiers in Bosnia-Hers. during the conflict there. The author, who I saw interviewed is a journalist who was working there at the time and actually tried to save a few of these girls using local police and MPs, but only had these girls returned to the brothels by NATO commanders there to be used and abused by many of the soldiers sent there to protect them…do you know anything about this book?? We would do well finding it…
I was also wondering if you had any information about abuses and sex trafficking in Colombia. Colombia is well known globally as one of the places in the world which supplies tonnes of the world’s prostitution and is gaining a reputation such as Cuba and Thailand as a place where anyone can purchase any person they wish. This is a horrible development and I wish to address it fully on the Latin America and migration blogs…can you help guide me perhaps?
Much thanks,
Rich FPA
July 26th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Dear Rich,
I do believe the book you are referring to is “The Natasha’s” by Victor Malarek, it is a great book with incredible incite into the seedy world of human trafficking. You can find this book and many others, on my Human Trafficking Book List page on the sidebar.
Thank you for bringing up the issues of trafficking in Columbia as, yes, it is a huge source country for the trafficking of women and girls, who are trafficked throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, East Asia, the Middle East, and North America for commercial sexual exploitation. Additionally there is some internal labor trafficking. Other forms of trafficking in the country include forced begging and domestic servitude, as well as force into the the illegal drug trade. The country also is a destination for sex tourism, however it is rather limited to the coastal areas.
I will contact you by e-mail to assist you further on the issue, and how I can be of assistance.
Best,
Cassandra