拐卖和传到好消息

In the span of this semester, one of the major forms of trafficking that we have discussed is sex trafficking. Sex trafficking is one of the most heinous forms of trafficking, and at the same time, it is connected to the controversial topic of whether sex work should be legalized. Either way, sex trafficking occurs worldwide and also takes place in the small city of New Orleans. If a person ventures into certain places, he or she would be able to find a certain number of, specifically, Chinese sex workers. This last comment begs for two questions to be answered: 1) Why are they here in New Orleans? 2) What can I, a mere college student, do to help these women?

First, according to Ko-Lin Chin and James O. Finckenauer, “Chinese women in prostitution in the United States beganas soon as the first wave of Chinese immigrants arrived in the 1850s” (105). So really, then, it is no surprise that there could be Chinese sex workers in a small city like New Orleans, which also happens to be a major port city. Chinese women come to the U.S. just like any other immigrant, to make a better life for themselves and their families. Some have worked as sex workers in China before coming as a sex worker because there is a different kind of market, like with any business. The way to grow is to expand and diversify the market. Of course, there are those who, after weighing their viable options, felt that the only way make enough money is through sex work or because in Asian societies, it is the “responsibility of daughters to sacrifice themselves as a means ofsupporting their families,” and it provides “many uneducated and unskilledwomen with an income that far exceeds what they would earn in any otheroccupation” (Liu 40). Others though, have a different story that leads to the connection to this blog and class. They were forced to become sex workers in China and then were moved to the United States. Others, like the experiences of other trafficking survivors, came to the United States thinking they were going to be restaurant workers and were forced to become prostitutes. These women sometimes work in the ‘house,’ which serves as a front for the brothel, or morecommonly in hair salons, massage parlors, and karaoke bars (Chin 66). Lack of education and cultural practices lead are often underlying reasons for Chinese women to be trafficked, and that do not forget the consequences of the one-child policy, the many abandoned baby girls and the sacrifices they maymake growing up for a son (65). After considering the prior information, please consider the second question: what can this college student do to help?

I also, at first, did not believe that there was something I can do to help besides let others know that this issue is here in New Orleans. But it was not until this past summer when I first stopped at a brothel and then came into this class that I saw maybe I could help. To explain, I was not there for services. I am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and I speak Mandarin Chinese. Jehovah’s Witnesses are a religious group who believe that God’s name is Jehovah and they base the way they live their lives on Bible principles. In the Bible, at Matthew 28: 19, 20 Jesus gives the commission to go preach, and so we preach. We believe that the best way for people to learn the bible is through their native tongue. But it can be hard to read something and understand without a teacher, which is why everyone goes to school and why teachers are so valuable in society. Hence, Jehovah’s Witnesses offer to teach and study the Bible with others, and in order to help others learn in their native tongue, some Witnesses will learn another language to help them. Learning Chinese to help teach the Bible in my ministry is how I ended up at a brothel one summer day. I was not aware of what it was until after we talked to one of the ladies. This semester the question was posed to me: how can we help? Jehovah’s Witnesses strive to speak to everyone about the Bible because we believe everyone should have the chance to know Jehovah and His wondrous Word. Even when it takes us to “suspicious” places, we preach. We talk to many people, and if they choose to study the Bible with us, then we are more than happy to be of assistance. Other times, people may ask for help, after they realize we are not from the government, that is. Because we talk to so many people, if we know what to look for or if we are approached for help, we can help these women. Of course, this does not just apply to those who are sex trafficking victims or survivors, but to all forms of trafficking victims. If we know who to look for, or how to direct those we meet, we can, will,  help trafficking victims we meet in our ministry.