Call + Response

Title of Event: Call + Response
Location: Tribeca Cinemas (hosted by Stop Child Trafficking Now and Fair Trade Productions)
Time: 12/6 midnight - 2 am

Everyone needs to go see this movie. I had no idea that human slavery still existed today, much less to the extent that it does. There is more slavery today than back in the 1800s before the civil war. Back then, a slave was priced at the equivalent of $40,000 today. Today, you can buy a human for about $300. The biggest difference, however, is that the majority of human trafficking goes on unknown. There could be slave trading going on in the restaurant on your block, and we have absolutely no idea. This is actually one of the themes discussed in the movie- how because of the language we use today(human trafficking as opposed to slavery), or how the media merely glosses over these stories, we remain completely in the dark about the severity of this issue. You really need to see the movie to understand just how bad the conditions are, but it's gotten to the point where entire villages in India are held as slaves, and they never break free because they are so isolated that slavery is all they know. Children are caught and held captive at an early age while they're still easy to manipulate and influence, and they are taught to have pride in performing sexual acts, and that it's the only way they will have food and money. Because of this, when the authorities try to break it up, the children lie and say that they aren't being held captive. Women are physically chained inside brothels, or are held prisoners by their addiction to drugs. Girls as young as three years old are being sold as sex slaves to ensure that the product is aids free. And this is just the beginning.

The film is a project started by Justin Dillion, a recording artist, who found out about human trafficking and was moved to respond. The only way he knew how was through music, so he reached out to other musicians in his area to record some music and film it as a documentary for this cause. The entire theme of this movie fits with the title, "Call + Response." This film is the response of these artists to this issue, but it is also a call to all of us to respond in ways of our own. They even gave us a card at the beginning of the film with 33 ways in which we can respond to the issue. Then, at the end of the show, they ask volunteers to sign up for a walkathon that's part of the Stop Child Trafficking Now Campaign, which will take place next September. Even blogging about the film on the internet, as I'm doing now, is one of the response options on the card!

I think a lot of the images and stories are too graphic and inappropriate for young children, so I wouldn't show this to students in elementary school. However, it's definitely a topic that can be taught in other ways, and the students can respond to this as well. Even just educating their parents about this is a great way to get the movement spread, and it would be a great opportunity to implement something like the Fair Trade Chocolate campaign.