Making the Invisible, Visible: The First Step to Stoping Human Trafficking

In 1948, the declaration of human rights were created and it consists of 30 universal rights that all human beings have. It doesn't matter where you're from, if you're rich or poor; the human rights applies to everyone. Despite this fact, millions of people around the world are deprived of these rights and some don't even know they have any. In humanities, we had to choose a human right to focus on and we decided on human trafficking. Human trafficking is currently the fastest growing criminal activity and it is a worldwide issue. It is the illegal trade of humans, often known as the modern day slavery. Our goal is to inform others about this crisis, attempt to reduce trafficking, and help victims. 

Being a global issue, human trafficking impacts everyone and no one is completely safe from this horrifying criminal activity. In fact, almost every thirty seconds, one person is trafficked. The victims are forced to endure harsh labour and sexual exploitation while living in appalling conditions and usually not earning any wage. However, the trafficked are not the only people suffering from this crime. Family members will be stricken with worry, the government and police have to take measures to enforce extra security and investigate the issue, people who hear the news will be concerned about safety, and the list goes on and on. Therefore, I believe that it is crucial for us to learn more about human trafficking so we are able to inform others and aid the victims.

Though I was already aware of the severity of this topic, I have still encountered many surprising and shocking facts. I was particularly disturbed by that the police often fail or refuse to investigate some complaints or casses of trafficking, especially those relating to domestic workers. I feel that this is unacceptable and that it could even promote more crime if the traffickers know that they won't be arrested and convicted.

While researching this issue, I was shocked and saddened by the pain and suffering that victims are forced to endure. I've read numerous stories and reports on human trafficking yet I am continuously appalled by this crime. I struggle to understand how and why anyone would ever do this to another human being, even if they were desperate for money. It just seems to highlight how fortunate I am to be living in a safe environment with plenty of security.



Sources:
http://www.ukrainebusiness.com.ua/modules/news/images/topics/4e1bbcd8-6157-0057.png
http://facts.randomhistory.com/human-trafficking-facts.html
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml

Looking Beyond Appearances

"No arms, no legs, no limits" ~Nick Vujicic

In this century, we are all pressured to by the media and stereotypes around us to be a perfect person. Perfect, however, is not always defined as being intelligent or kind, but rather physically attractive. Many starve themselves to be skinny and apply make up to hide their natural features. Nicholas James Vujicic was born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disease that left him with no arms or legs. He struggled with his disability and was endlessly bullied by other children all throughout his childhood. Nick had always questioned why he was different from the other children and if he was ever meant to be born, but eventually realised that it was his unique appearance that made him special. He is now a worldwide inspirational and motivational speaker and author.

“I don’t care if you are a good mathematician, or a good athletic, or not good at anything- that you think. But I’m gonna come and tell you that you’re awesome the way you are.”

These words were said by Nick Vujicic and it has inspired many people around the world. In this quote, he tells everyone to just be yourself and that people will love you for you, not your abilities or looks. He tells all of us to look deeper, pass appearances. I too believe that we should all be who we are because if we don't, all we are doing is restraining our happiness, lowering self-esteems and limiting our life.

As international students, we are often told we are privileged because we get a fantastic education. But beyond that, we also have the ability of being economically secure. With the amount of money we have and the freedom with which we can spend it, we often forget that we can find happiness beyond getting a new cell phone or a new fancy sweater. Nick Vujicic says that "You could surround yourself with all that money can buy, and you'd still be as miserable as a human can be…You'll find contentment when your talents and passion are completely engaged, in full force". I think that this is an extremely true fact and one what many people do not put an emphasis on, despite its importance. For Nick, he found his passion through inspiring other people and this, I believe, makes him happy. He didn't let his imperfections prevent him from finding happiness but instead, accepted himself for who he is and moved on.  Nick also once said "I know people with perfect bodies who don't have half the happiness I've found. On my journeys I've seen more joy in the slums of Mumbai and the orphanages of Africa than in wealthy gated communities and on sprawling estates worth millions." What he is trying to say is that happiness isn't about the outside appearance or how wealthy you are, but if you have accepted yourself. Nick often uses himself as an example of this in his speeches. He is definitely not what you would call 'perfect', due to missing his four limbs, but Nick never lets this flaw get in his way. Instead, he embraces his imperfection and according to him, that is what makes him smile and laugh everyday, that he managed to overcome this challenge and is able to inspire others. Nick's happiness comes from doing what he loves, not his appearances and I think that this is something we should all learn from.

Statistics show that 50% of teens inflict self-harm upon themselves due to low self-esteem and self-image issues. Nick was no exception to this and suffered depression when he was eight years old and by the time he was ten, had tried to drown himself but couldn't go trough with it as he loved his parents too much. As he grew up, he realised that it was about how he perceived himself and no one else's opinion mattered. What Nick had come to realised not only helped him to be a happier person but changed his entire life as well. He finally understood that just because he wasn't physically perfect didn't mean that he couldn't achieve his dreams. With that thought in mind, Nick fought through his depression and self-image issues and is now a man of high self-esteem and appreciation. Learning from his experience, Nick said "There's no point in being complete on the outside when you're broken in the inside." I strongly believe in this statement that being attractive isn't worth your self-esteem and life. No one should think that they aren't good enough based on their looks. Nick's own experiences clearly prove that there is much more beyond appearances and that being unique isn't always bad.

Nowadays, many people are also limiting themselves due to believing that they aren't good enough. "At first I was not willing to confront that what was really wrong with me wasn't my body, it was the limits I put on myself and my limited vision of the possibilities for my life." These were the words of Nick Vujicic when recounting his struggle to 'figure himself out'. Before this, Nick was suicidal and lost about who he was and what he was going to do with his life. He continuously judged himself based on other people and was convinced that he was useless. But when Nick's mother showed him an article about a man also dealing with a severe disability, Nick realised that he wasn't the only one going through this and that if that man managed to live his dream and accept himself at the same time, so could he. After Nick stopped limiting and doubting himself, he said to others in one of his many inspirational speeches “In life you have a choice: Bitter or Better? Choose better, forget bitter.” In this quote, Nick tries to tell others that criticizing and self deprecation only creates bitter thoughts that limit you. He believes that we always have an option of simply acknowledging that not everything can be 'perfect' and move on. This is exactly what Nick did with his life and now, he makes the best out of his unique situation to inspire others.

Nick is an inspiration to all of us. Whether we are tall or short, skinny or fat, looking beautiful or having a bad day, Nick tells us to appreciate life and to be positive and happy. He shows us that by believing in ourselves, we can achieve more than we think we can, and even surprise ourselves with abilities we didn’t know we had. Most importantly, however, Nick teaches us that the fact that we are here, on this planet, sharing our lives with people we love and doing the things we enjoy, is enough of a miracle to keep living.  

Citations:

http://quotecorner.com/index.html

http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org

http://www.attitudeisaltitude.com/

http://www.self-esteem-school.com/self-esteem-statistics.html

http://justmotivated.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/nick-vujicic-i-love-living-life.jpg

Spreading Hope Through Education

Gaining access to education is a major problem in today’s society. About 121 million children around the world cannot go to school due to poverty, registration issues and lack of schools (global issues). In Batey Cuchilla, Dominican Republic, most of the children do not go to school because they are not officially registered or do not have a birth certificate. Francia Simon used to be one of these children, but when she finally succeeded in obtaining official registration, nationality, and a birth certificate, she decided to help others around her gain birth certificates too, so that they can have access to education and health care.

Francia became motivated and inspired to help others when she almost lost the chance to attend school because she didn’t have a birth certificate. She was constantly pressured by the teachers as she needed a birth certificate to continue in school. But Francia didn't give up, instead she spent hours researching and gathering as much information as she could about official registration and how to get a birth certificate. "Then when she had her own, she saw that other boys and girls within the community don't have their own birth certificate and couldn't go to school." (empower news) Through this experience, Francia discovered the importance of education and how fortunate she is to be able to attend school as there are many children who cannot get education. She also realized that she has the power to help others like her to gain official registration and access to education and health care. Francia had no one to assist and guide her when she was going through this situation and doesn't want the other children to face the same thing she did. Francia hopes to spread her story around the world and help other children to receive birth certificates, "so that they can achieve their goals of becoming engineers, architects, etc" (children’s peace prize). She aims to inspire others to get their basic rights of education and health care and to give them hope of a better and brighter future. Francia is determined obtain access for all of the children to go to school and notifies parents on their child’s right to be registered. By doing this, Francia provides others with a chance for a more promising future.

Francia is a source of hope and a chance to have a brighter future to many poverty stricken refugees and migrants by helping others gain access to education and health care. Many of the children living in the bateyes of the Dominican Republic are without birth certificates, official names or nationalities. Without these essential things, the children cannot have access to education or health care (kid’s rights). Francia not only acknowledged this situation as a major problem but strived to fix it as well. Though Francia has no control over the law that children cannot go to school if they don't have birth certificates, she can help others to be officially recognized. Since she herself has gone through the process of gaining official registration, Francia guides other families through the procedure and teaches them about the rights to get education and health care. Francia believes that it is important to have official registration, name and nationality as it “increases the children’s own self-esteem and gives them the chance to lead a more secure and fulfilling life” (kid’s rights). She knows that education can help to get the children better jobs and more money to support their families when they get older, eventually breaking them out of poverty. Furthermore, Francia believes education will raise the children's self esteem as it will give them hope for a better future beyond poverty and scavenging for food.

Francia's dedication, compassion, and efforts has allowed the Batey children of the Dominican Republic to have an opportunity to live a more fulfilling life. By helping the children gain official registration, nationality and a birth certificate, she not only provided them with access to education and health care but hope as well. Francia gave the children hope for a better future, access to a healthier lifestyle, and a chance to learn. She is an amazing and inspirational person who fully deserved to win the International Children’s Peace Prize in 2010.

Graphic Citation:
http://childrenspeaceprize.org/files/2011/01/30-sept-10-238-300x241.jpg

Home

I am from the garden city,

from grass, flowers, mud & dirt.

I’m from riding bikes and climbing trees,

sandcastles, parasailing, & the deep blue sea.

I am from teddy bears & unicorns,

Waking at 6 to watch dora & boots.

Sponge bob, teletubbies,

Powerpuff girls and Tom & Jerry.

I am from “Make your bed” & “Go practice clarinet,”

Getting grounded because I ‘read too much.’

I’m from staying up till 12 “working,”

In reality just listening to music & relaxing.

I am from wishing on stars,

And wanting the unattainable.

From “nothing is impossible”

And “Never give up.”

                                           

Where am I from?

I’m from the memories of my childhood,

The actions I take today,

And from my hopes and dreams for the future.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne is a novel about two young boys who are living during the holocaust. The two boys are opposites, Bruno being a child of a Nazi commandant, and Shmuel, a Jew. Though they are supposed to be enemies, because of their youth, ignorance and freedom from prejudice, they befriend one another.

The gates to a concentration camp

The prejudice in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas were mostly caused by fear, anger and humiliation. When the Germans lost the war and were forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles, they were humiliated and lost a lot of their wealth and power. Because of their anger, they wanted someone to blame and be responsible for the disgrace of Germany. The Germans decided that the Jews were responsible, even when they had no support or evidence on how the Jews were to blame. The majority of the people thought that they were doing the right thing but the few who disagreed were too fearful to speak up.


This novel has taught and shown me many things about prejudice and biases. In The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Bruno and Shmuel meet each other when they were both still unaware of the holocaust. They befriend one another despite the fact that they are on the opposite sides of the fence. This shows that not all prejudices are correct as Bruno and Shmuel were meant to be enemies but, because of their lack of knowledge, they were willing to get to know and understand each other. 


Prejudice and biases not only affect yourself but others too. Gretel was deeply influenced by her parents and Lieutenant Kotler to believe that all Jews were responsible for Germany losing the war. When Gretel talked to her parents or Lieutenant Kotler about the current situation with Jews, they would tell her information based on their points of view, some of which are not accurate or correct. Gretel chose to trust her parents and in result, became a supporter of the Nazis. She tried to influence and educate Bruno about the Jews but Bruno, who is ignorant and naive, did not listen to Gretel and carried on to be friends with Shmuel. This proves that it is possible to ignore what others say and just do what you believe in.


"Prejudice is a burden which confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible." - Maya Angelou 


Reference:
http://www.krakow-poland.com/i/cms/krakow_auschwitz.jpg