“The desire to perceive kindness where there is none, or to magnify small, inconsequential acts of simple human decency to proportions worthy of gratitude and love, can also be seen in other victims” (Lloyd 145).
This quote to me is both intriguing and perplexing at the same time. The fact that any victim can take the act of a boyfriend or girlfriend handing you a towel to wipe your face after they just busted it as some gesture of their true love within makes me troubled. These victims’ perceptions hold them more captive than their actual perpetrators. I don’t believe that the biggest battle is leaving; I believe that the biggest battle is believing you can and having the courage to actually do so. I think that this is the idea that Lloyd tried to relay to her readers by exhibiting other victim situations where the victimized had formed sentimental bonds with those that held them captive or carried out wrongs against them. This is what keeps these individuals imprisoned mentally and unable to better their situations. Once I realized that the formal name for this was Stockholm syndrome, I quickly got flash backs of the Elizabeth Smart case, which was also described in Girls Like Us, where Elizabeth defended her captors even after she had been rescued and tried to expunge them of guilt time and time again to officials (Lloyd 137). It showed me that these feelings are psychological, and transcend various traumatic experiences. In the article I read from Ms. Magazine it discusses how law enforcement uses Stockholm Syndrome, and the feelings that victims have for their captors as ways to further victimize and criminalize them, and how these officials falsely label cases of trafficking as prostitution, thereby othering these women and casting a negative light on their experiences (Heldman 1). This further perpetuates the system where the public looks at those individuals as “those people over there” and “they deserved it.” Just as the public looks at victims of abuses like trafficking, kidnapping, and physically violent relationships as guilty because they could’ve escaped sooner but didn’t (Heldman 2). Instead of perpetuating this crippling and damaging ideal we need to overhaul how we think of sex work and what is trafficking vs. prostitution so that we can help rather than further hurt these people.
Word count: 348
Works Cited:
Heldman, Caroline. “When the missing are prostitutes, police let trails run cold.” Ms Magazine. (2011):Web.1-2 9 April 2012.
Lloyd, Rachel. Girls like Us: Fighting for a World Where Girls Are Not for Sale, an Activist Finds Her Calling and Heals Herself. New York: HarperCollins, 2011. Print.
The interesting part about traffickers is the knowledge they have to manipulate. They have a complete understanding of the way the child’s mind works and what triggers them emotionally. The victims of human trafficking frequently come from broken homes, neighborhoods in low economic standing, or multiple foster homes. This often leads them, in many cases but not all, to seek love or validation in other places. “Traffickers lure victims into exploitative situations often by preying on their hopes to improve their lives and the lives of their families. They often promise a chance for a better life – a good job, a loving relationship, or new and exciting opportunities.” (The Traffickers) According to the website that the traffickers often share the same nationality as their victims so that they can relate better and make it easier to exploit them. When you said that you didn’t believe that the hardest part was leaving, but instead finding the courage to do so I completely agree. I also think that it is important to mention that finally coming under the realization that you need to leave is an issue as well. Operating under certain assumptions I think that girls find themselves so in love with their captors/pimps/traffickers that they may not understand or realize the full depth of what is happening. In no means is that meant to discredit the intelligence of these women, but often the thoughts may be “but he wouldn’t do this unless he loves me”. Often Lloyd mentioned in her writing that the girls justify giving their earnings to their Pimps because they probably wouldn’t know how to handle their money anyways. Even now I find that outside of sex work relationships emotional ties can affect conventional relationships. I agree as well that we need to overhaul this idea of choice and the idea of a woman/girl can leave whenever she wants.
ReplyDelete"The Traffickers | Polaris Project | Combating Human Trafficking and Modern-day Slavery." Polaris Project. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. .