My publisher has asked me to write a second edition to Repair Your Life. It will be released in January of 2015. In doing research to update the book I am finding astonishing data and information on some of what is currently happening in the world of child sexual abuse, especially sexual trafficking. I would like to share excerpts from the book.
When I ran away from home at the age of eighteen, I was lucky. I already had a job that my parents had chosen for me, without my permission, so I had an income. I also had a best friend that was going to move in with me, provide a car and bring along another friend of hers. I was a good Catholic girl; I had even wanted to be a nun when I was thirteen but my father said no. He had other plans for me. Every morning on my way to the bus stop an hour away, that would take me to my job in downtown Los Angeles, I stopped to go to mass at a nearby Catholic Church.
That was several decades ago. In today’s world a frightening array of possibilities line up for runaways, especially human trafficking.
The 2012 Report on Global Trafficking in persons says:
“Human Trafficking is a crime that ruthlessly exploits women and children and men for numerous purposes including forced labor and sex. This global crime generates billions of dollars in profits for the traffickers. The International Labor Organization estimates 20.9 million people are victims of forced labor globally. This estimate also includes victims of human trafficking for forced labor and sexual exploitation”.
This is a chilling report especially when you see that the number of child victims increases dramatically every year. In order to obtain control over their victims, traffickers have a wide array of tools to use, especially on runaways. They use drugs, emotional tactics and financial methods. A young runaway who has been sexually abused at home and is hungry as well as vulnerable is a perfect victim. On occasion, the traffickers resort to various forms of violence, such as gang rape and mental and physical abuse. Despite laws in other countries such as the ‘Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Bill, 2011’ passed in the Indian Parliament on May 22, 2012, and becoming legal in November 14, 2012, the Indian Penal Code has not been effective in protecting children due to various loopholes. The heightened awareness of human trafficking and many new laws prohibiting it, even in some states branding it a felony, does little. Convictions are very low, in some countries non-existent.
We hate to think we live in a world where we must watch where we go, what we do and who we spend time with, much less teach our children to do the same; but that is the picture of today’s world. Perpetrators of child sexual abuse like sex traffickers, who have a lack of moral integrity have become more creative in today’s world. They have initiated novel and unhealthy behavior patterns that prey on those who were abused as children.
How to avoid being lured into such obscenities is the problem. We need to stop it at the point of origin. Untreated child sexual victim = unhealthy behavior patterns = vulnerability to sexual traffickers. Keep in mind that healthy people put up an immediate red flag should they run into anyone who even suggests such behavior. When you were sexually abused as a child the world of healthy behavior is alien to you. Predators are not looking for healthy people. They are looking for the weak, the ones who have already been abused. Runaways are a prime target. If you were sexually abused as a child it is vital that you go through an established program of recovery such as REPAIR. If you feel the need for a therapist as well make sure you interview them first to find out if they have any background in treating child sexual abuse or if they were a victim themselves. You must learn how to make healthy choices in your friends, your mate and even where you spend your time. These problems are very real and it is not only imperative that anyone who was sexually abused as a child enters into a recovery program but, the children of an untreated sexual abuse victim stand a five times greater chance of being abused themselves. Do you want your children to be abused as well?
