2010.new year.what next?

We’re only 66 days into the Freedom For Alice project and this ‘make a difference & help abolish modern day slavery’ mountain is looking bigger than ever. The purpose of this blog is to inform others about Human Trafficking, (especially within Australia) and to document my journey to see if one person can REALLY make a difference. Honestly to say it’s been an overwhelming 66 days would be a huge understatement.

There are an estimated 27 million people in slavery right now. Today. All around the world. Including our own backyards. 27 million people... there are 22 million people living in Australia. Imagine our entire nation enslaved...& add 5million! It’s a mind bending concept. So I wanted 27 million victims to be more than a number to me. I wanted to hear their stories, see their faces and somehow connect to the reality of their lives. I began to watch movies about Human Trafficking...needless to say these films alter you.

I started ‘light’ and watched the movie ‘Taken’. It’s an action movie really focused around Sex Trafficking. There was one absolutely heart wrenching scene where they auction the girls like cattle...all I could think was we MUST not give up fighting for them...

Next I watched ‘Human Trafficking’...it’s a TV mini drama and 3 hours later, felt pretty overwhelmed! It was by far the most confronting film I watched, I’m not sure if I could sit through it again...however I had to play & pause the speech at the end so I could write it all down, a highlight to say the least:

"No sensible person believes that slavery could happen in the 21st century far less on our shores. We couldn’t be more wrong... slave traffickers around the world have rediscovered how profitable is it to buy and sell people. Human Trafficking has emerged as a tragic whiplash at the economic transition that has occurred over the past several years in Eastern Europe and perhaps most importantly we must face the fact that none of this horror would be possible if our culture didn't create a demand for it. We need to realise that modern day slavery is only occurring because we choose to ignore it."

- Human Trafficking Film

My third film was ‘The Jammed' focusing on Trafficking in Australia. Watching scenes shot on streets I’ve walked down was like watching a disturbing evil arrive on my doorstep.

Finally I watched the ‘Not For Sale’ documentary which was very encouraging because it highlighted people around the world who through innovation, passion and dedication and truly making a difference rescuing lives and restoring futures.

I’ve got two more films to go but I might wait a while to watch them...these kind of viewings are intense, emotional and difficult to deal with. In saying that I highly recommend them, especially if you also want to peel back the statistics and encounter the reality of this horrific injustice.

Currently I’m reading Stop The Traffik by Steve Chalke & Cherie Blair...it’s such incredibly useful and insightful book I plan to rant and rave about it in another blog...in the meantime find yourself a copy!

There is much to be done. Many books to read, things to say and actions to take. For the Freedom For Alice project there’d drawings to be done and MONEY to raise...I’m going to give it all I’ve got because:

2010...sounds like a year to be a VOICE for those who have none
2010...sounds like a year for EVERYDAY ordinary people to change the world.
2010...sounds like a year for FREEDOM!

(still convinced we ordinary people can do extraordinary things.)

faith.hope.love.
Fyona