Exploited Women and Children

Last Sunday's gospel told the story of a woman caught in adultery. The Jewish elders were going to stone her according to their religious custom, but Jesus said, "Let the one among you without sin cast the first stone," and began writing in the sand. We don't know what he wrote, but one by one the elders walked away. "Did no one condemn you?" Jesus asked the woman. She shook her head. "Neither do I," he said.

This was written over 2,000 years ago, but women are still being exploited today. In Bhutan (Asia), women who are raped must either marry the rapist or commit suicide. Other countries in Asia and Africa have similar laws. It is usually only the women who are considered guilty of adultery or sexual misconduct, not the men.

Human trafficking also abuses women's rights. Young girls are often sold to traffickers by their poor parents to acquire money or because the young women are promised good jobs in another country. They have no alternative  when they get where they are taken because they have no means of support. So they are enslaved for years and then cast off. Slavery includes forced laborers, sex workers, child soldiers and indentured servitude for debt.

It is hard to believe that this kind of exploitation still continues in the 21st century. We like to think most people are civilized and that laws protect women and children. Yet it is estimated that today more than 45 million children, women and men are held as slaves. Nearly 2 million children are exploited in the commercial sex industry.

There are organizations like Hope for Justice, Truckers Against Trafficking, and Stop the Traffik that are trying to end human trafficking, but a lot depends on ordinary people reporting suspicious behavior in motels, hotels, and neighborhoods. Unless people are observant and willing to report what looks deviant, many women and children will continue to be exploited. Stricter laws need to be enforced worldwide to end human slavery and abuse. Men need to be held accountable for their role in the slave industry.