Photo: Shana a.k.a Shelley Money (http://apathappears.org/film/)
The NGC staff started the Documentary/Book Club to review resources we utilize in our programs and to find new ways to learn more about global issues. Feel free to email the reviewer (contact info below) if you have any follow-up questions!
“If that (prostitution) is your choice, then what are your options?”
Who should watch: High school students (with parental consent) and adults
Why it’s important: The first installment of the A Path Appears series explains the landscape of sex trafficking in the United States by sharing stories of survivors, government officials, and nonprofit organizations.
What Maggie thought: A Path Appears: Sex Trafficking in the USA is a must-see and worthy follow-up to WuDunn and Kristof’s Half the Sky (documentary and film). As in the previous documentary, A Path Appears highlights gender equality issues around the world, but in this episode, Kristof and WuDunn shed light on a prevalent problem in many viewers’ backyards: sex trafficking in the United States.
As discussed in the film, Westerners often assume that this crime is not committed in their own country. Nevertheless, Sex Trafficking in the USA shares facts that directly disprove that belief. For example, it is stated that an estimated 300,000 individuals are trafficked within the United States every year. An interviewee and survivor, Shana (formerly “Shelley Money”), is the ideal person to teach viewers. She succinctly explains the complexity of the problem by describing how her experience was connected to child abuse, addiction, and poverty. Through these personal accounts, it is easier to identify with the survivors rather than view them as part of a large problem that cannot and/or should not be solved.
The facts and stories shared in this film can be overwhelming, but watching Sex Trafficking in the USA is the first step in understanding the issue and identifying how each person can support its eradication.
Did you get the chance to see this episode? If so, what did you think?
Maggie Broderick, NGC Development & Operations Manager, reviewed A Path Appears to learn more about her click here.
New Global Citizens 