Two children are sold every minute. I saw this statistic on a banner today while working at my internship at Love146. It wasn’t a new statistic to me but it was like I saw it with new eyes today. I just kept going back to that sign. Over the course of this summer I have seen an overwhelming share of horrendous statistics but that one seemed to really hit me hard today. It was the first time I looked at the sign and did the math…
UNICEF says that some estimates go as high as to say that 1.2 million children annually are trafficked. Then I thought about the Rent song “525,600 minutes” to help me figure out how many minutes there are in a year (yes, that’s the only way I can remember that number).
1,200,000 children / 525,600 minutes = 2.283 children trafficked per minute
I had never done the math before in my head; I saw the statistic and knew it was bad. But really, think about it. In the time I write this blog a few children will have been sold. They could be sold to be sex slaves, mail order brides, carpet weavers, organ harvesters, domestic servants or anything else.
Don’t close the blog and think, oh but that’s in another country. Let’s break it down statistically for the United States. According to Estes and Weiner (2002) there are approximately 100,000 children who are exploited sexually for commercial purposes annually in the United States and another up to 300,000 at risk of it. Using the conservative estimate, that means a child in the United States (who can come from any socio-economic background) will be commercially sexually exploited every 5.5 minutes. That is almost 2 in the amount of time it takes you to watch the new Lady Gaga video.
I don’t say all of this to overwhelm you, to bring you down or anything else. I say it because people have to know. When apathy grows, evil wins and I’m tired of watching that happen. Do what I did today, after years and years of seeing it, really look at the statistic, think about what that means and challenge yourself to see what you can do to help stop that.
- Nicole
2 cases 4 kids
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 08/07/2010 - 11:13am.
This morning I got to work and I look at the case I have to assign to my workers. 2 cases and moms want to sell their kids for money. 4 kids = 2 minutes which means out of the 2880 kids that will be trafficked today only 4 that I know of have been reported. I've been here almost two years and today is the first time we have had this kind of case. TEXAS CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE 1-800-252-5400 don't be afraid to report.
Thanks...
Submitted by KatieC (not verified) on Sun, 08/08/2010 - 7:03pm.
Thank you for reminding us to simply ponder the statistic, because that one statistic alone should be a call to action on our part. It's fuel. It's power. It is all fresh on my mind again today, and I think the main reason why I keep checking these blogs and continuing research is just so it will stay fresh for me, that I will not grow cold to the facts. I have asked myself today, "what does it truly look like to wear someone's suffering as my own?" I mean, is it really possible to take on their sorrows as our sorrows, their joys as ours? I know that is what we are all aiming for. I think that we are one step closer to this when we are unafraid to take a good, hard look at the statistics, let it sink in deep and shock the apathy out of our souls.
Thanks...
Submitted by KatieC (not verified) on Sun, 08/08/2010 - 7:04pm.
Thank you for reminding us to simply ponder the statistic, because that one statistic alone should be a call to action on our part. It's fuel. It's power. It is all fresh on my mind again today, and I think the main reason why I keep checking these blogs and continuing research is just so it will stay fresh for me, that I will not grow cold to the facts. I have asked myself today, "what does it truly look like to wear someone's suffering as my own?" I mean, is it really possible to take on their sorrows as our sorrows, their joys as ours? I know that is what we are all aiming for. I think that we are one step closer to this when we are unafraid to take a good, hard look at the statistics, let it sink in deep and shock the apathy out of our system.
The very thought of this
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 08/09/2010 - 3:13am.
The very thought of this terrifies me. I never imagined how many children are sexually abused, and until today, i had no idea this was even happening. I was at a Paramore Concert tonight and i saw the Ad in the Paramore Pamphlet, and when i saw the picture of the little girl with the 146 on her dress, i was startled and horrified and i started to cry. I'm only a teenager, so this is a scary possiblity to think about.
Wow.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/24/2010 - 3:58pm.
I was watching the DVD that Paramore put out, The Final Riot. And Hayley Williams was talking about Love146, and today I was on a website about Hayley, and I saw a link to this site, so I clicked on it. I hope to actually engage in fighting against sex trafficing and slavery. All of this, the whole site moved me in a way that nothing else ever has. My name is Aimee, and I'm 14 years old.
Hi, Thanks for your post and
Submitted by ALIX (not verified) on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 5:23am.
Hi, Thanks for your post and for every article you write! I get real pleasure while looking and reading through your resource. Can you pleasee provide more information on this subject? BTW your site is amazing. Have a nice day!! sajoo.
The numbers show that
Submitted by BrandStar Entertainment (not verified) on Fri, 02/10/2012 - 6:13pm.
The numbers show that trafficking is very rampant. It sickens me to know that more than two thousand children gets theirl life into hell every minute. Every minute?!!People should do something with this. - BrandStar Entertainment
I hope to actually engage in
Submitted by Edgy (not verified) on Sat, 06/02/2012 - 1:59am.
I hope to actually engage in fighting against sex trafficing and slavery. Totally agree with your point here. best mt4 broker
Very cool thank you
Submitted by sophie (not verified) on Thu, 06/21/2012 - 11:19pm.
Very cool thank you !!!
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I had never done the math
Submitted by jafyesor (not verified) on Wed, 07/11/2012 - 12:56am.
I had never done the math before in my head; I saw the statistic and knew it was bad. But really, think about it. In the time I write this blog a few children will have been sold. They could be sold to be sex slaves, mail order brides, carpet weavers, organ harvesters, domestic servants or anything else. wishes
I had never done the math
Submitted by jafyesor (not verified) on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 7:53pm.
I had never done the math before in my head; I saw the statistic and knew it was bad. But really, think about it. In the time I write this blog a few children will have been sold. They could be sold to be sex slaves, mail order brides, carpet weavers, organ harvesters, domestic servants or anything else. Bellevue family dentist
This is the example of cruel
Submitted by Tushar Ghosh (not verified) on Sun, 07/15/2012 - 1:06am.
This is the example of cruel inhumanity. Now, it is a common matter all over the world. Is this is the humanity of great humans? I have not any word to say anything to the seller who are selling the children as a object and the buyers who are buying these helpless chidren and make them sexslaves and so on. Just can give a snub to these beast........
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