Campus Engagement #2

Last night I hosted a screening of "The Whistleblower" in my backyard. Six people attended and it was definitely helpful having others around to discuss what was happening during the film.

While the film may have played a bit into the stereotype of who a trafficking victim is, it shed light on what the perpetuators of this type of violence look like. Kathy, working with the U.N. International Police, is sent to Bosnia post-war. In working with a young woman named Raya, she uncovers a deep-rooted human trafficking and sex slavery scandal: her fellow officers are not only paying for prostitutes, they are transporting them, and being paid to keep quiet. The woman working in the shelter tells Kathy, “Half of our men died at war. Who do you think these women are working for?

Raya is reluctant to cooperate with Kathy at first. And despite her efforts to keep Raya safe, she is eventually abducted and brought back “to work.” To set an example of what will happen if you “deal with the devil,” the other girls are forced to watch Raya as she is anally raped with a lead pipe. Afterwards, she is told that she will go to work in 2 hours. When Kathy reappears to help her, Raya refuses. This definitely supported what we read in Girls Like Us, when it is seemingly safer to stay with your abuser than go through the gruel of leaving them.

You are left with a moral knot in your stomach at the close of the film, especially after the last prompt, which states that the U.S. is still doing business with private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite the “based on actual events” prompt at the start of the film, if I hadn’t had prior knowledge of the issue it would have been easy to push away the inconceivable corruption and wickedness presented in the movie as the imaginative work of Hollywood. For that reason, as enlightening as it was, I think it would have been more impactful as a documentary. Hopefully, it persuades most viewers to research the issue.

I plan on reading Kathryn Bolkovac’s book by the same name.

Campus Engagement #1

I attended the Pay Inequity Forum (organized by my wonderful classmates, Nicole E. and Nena B.) on April 11^th. To me, pay inequity is about as mind boggling as currency exchange. While I have experienced my fair share of gender-based discriminations in the work place, I have not yet felt the repercussions of the wage gap. I am currently a manager at a company where 4 out of 6 employees are female in an industry (service/bar/restaurant) where, according to Forbes, women make 111% more than men (the reasons for this, however, are certainly a topic for “unpacking”) (Goudreau).

Panelist Curtis Hiero brought up a few good points concerning the persistence of pay inequity, mainly the construction of masculinity in society and it’s ability to perpetuate the wage gap. Men are often portrayed as the “bread-winners” and thus deserving of heftier compensation. Men with children earn 2% more than men without children (Longley). Conversely, women with children earn 2.5% less than women without children (Longley). There is also a theory that working women from an older generation continue on in positions that are subject to attitudes from the past, having a negative impact on the wage gap equation. In 2005, women under 25 working full-time earned 93.2% of men’s salaries; women 25 and older earned 79.4% of what men made (Brunner). But, as commentator Katha Pullit states: “Young men and women have always had earnings more compatible than those of their elders. Starting salaries are generally low, and do not accurately reflect the advantages that accrue, or fail to accrue, over time as men advance and women stay in place, or as women in mostly female kinds of jobs reach the end of characteristically short career paths (Brunner).” This is definitely something that concerns me as, at 25, I am at a crossroads when it comes to making decisions that will determine what my career/future looks like.

It’s important to recognize the gravity of the situation, but equally important to recognize the progress that has been made in this imperfect world of ours. Albeit slow, the wage gap has narrowed in the past decade (up from 76 cents to 81 cents compared to every dollar earned by a man) (Goudreau). While government action such as the Equal Pay Act and the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act have made an impact, I agree with Curtis’ assertion that empowerment will be our most important tool in continuing progress and influencing larger systematic changes.

Also: Jobs Where Women Earn More Than Men: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2011/03/14/jobs-where-women-earn-more-than-men/

Works Cited

Brunner, Borgna. "InfoPlease." The Wage Gap: A History of Pay Inequity. Women's History, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

Goudreau, Jenna. "Forbes." The 15 Jobs Where Women Earn More Than Men. Forbes Woman, 14 Mar. 2011. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

Longley, Robert. "About." Why Women Still Make Less Than Men. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr 2012.

Activism Log #2

Activism: The trip to the Fellsmere Community Garden on March 31^st was both humbling and inspiring. Because of this experience, I decided to continue a relationship with YAYA. I attended their meeting the following day and volunteered to write the report for the Fellsmere trip to be posted on the site (it will also be used in our Service Learning Presentation). I joined some classmates/YAYA members during a beach trip on Easter Sunday. While for the sole purpose of leisure, it allowed me the opportunity to connect with my peers in an unrestricted setting.

A core group of classmates has met a few times in the past week in an attempt to wrap things up with this Service Learning project, and it once again seems that we are not truly coming together to “make things happen” until it gets “down to the wire.” Yes, communication has been spotty; yes, there have been personality conflicts; yes, this should be expected. While there is definite room for improvement in these areas, I think for a team of 20-somethings with varying obligations, we should have some pride when it comes to what we’ve accomplished individually and as a group.

Reflection: As I noted in my previous activism log, we were facing issues involving how we addressed things and struggling to agree upon a way in which to reach our goals. Since then, the importance of opening up dialogue and acknowledging perspectives has generally been accepted and has had a positive impact on our ability to communicate, mobilize, and empower each other. I feel like this semester, this project, and the issues we discuss in class have seemed overwhelming to the majority of my peers. It’s important to recognize evidence of the changed a group can make in order to remain motivated rather than become discouraged. Hilkka Pietila writes about the impact of a woman’s movement in Finland: “By empowering women around the country as national political actors, the women’s movement made a remarkable contribution to the eradication of poverty in Finland (166). Making general progress in any country requires all possible contributions, of women, too, and thus the empowerment of women benefits the whole nation (167). This directly relates to our Service Learning project, as many families in the farmworker community are forced to live in poverty and, as Yolanda discussed with us in Fellsmere, the women are often restricted to household chores and childcare. By working within these communities and empowering these members, we are making progress towards positive social change.

Reciprocity: I have gained a lot from this project and class, most notably a change in perception and the opportunity to become involved with YAYA. I am inspired by the organizers in this community and feel that the impact this has had on me will be reciprocated whether while working in solidarity within a movement or voicing what I’ve learned/experienced within my circle of friends. I am excited to continue a relationship with YAYA and look forward to the personal growth that will come along with that. At the meeting yesterday, we discussed fundraising events and “YAYA Jr.” at Glenridge Middle School, both of which I plan on being involved with.

Works Cited

Pietila, Hilkka. "Women as Agents for Development.” Global Feminism: Transnational Women's Activism, Organizing, and Human Rights. New York: New York University Press, 2006. 166-167. Print.

Word count: 524

TAL: Three Women and the Sex Industry

It was interesting to listen to this after our discussion about the national vs. global discourses of sexual exploitation, human trafficking, the importance of age, race, and class, and the "sex positive" theory, so I thought I'd share:

Girls Like Us Assignment

Pg. 81: “I understand why she feels that being in the life is the only thing that she’s capable of doing. It’s hard to imagine a life of possibilities when she can’t even read a book, fill out a job application, or decipher a street sign.”

This quote summarizes the hopelessness that can control someone in a situation of this nature. While we wish there was an easy answer: “go to a shelter, go to the police, go to a family member, go to a “safe place,” the harsh reality is that these options often don’t offer the rehabilitation, support, and protection that is needed to escape the cycle of abuse, manipulation, fear, hope/helplessness that human trafficking fosters. One of the main things that Rachel Lloyd stresses in her memoir is the absence of choice for the women and girls that are caught up in the commercial sex industry. In order for a choice to be of legitimate construct, you’ve got to believe that you actually have possible alternatives…(Lloyd, 78).

Lloyd writes to expose the disconnect that exists in our society when it comes to our perception of victims of sex trafficking—-to break down the idea that the women and girl citizens involved in these acts are “morally corrupt” for “choosing” this lifestyle when the reality is that they are often just as scared, vulnerable, and disadvantaged as the immigrants that we have such sympathy for. Police are the most likely officials to come in contact with these victims. Unfortunately, most victims of trafficking are treated as criminals on the local level (Hughes, 9). Tactics of force and coercion that often cause the victim to fear telling the truth in the face of certain threats, or for loyalty to shift to the abuser further perpetuates this (Hughes, 4-7). Girls are encouraged to lie about their age and the prevalence of fraudulent documents makes it difficult to determine a person’s true age, hindering the authorities ability to treat them as victims of sexual exploitation instead of criminals (Hughes, 9). Paired with the overall insensitivity of law enforcement, as Lloyd has described in her book, the cycle continues.

The antithesis of “choice” would be “force.” The article cited above mentions “force” 22 times.

Works Cited

Hughes, Donna. "Hiding in Plain Sight." (2003): 3-11. Web. 9 Apr. 2012.

Lloyd, Rachel. Girls Like Us. 1st. New York City: HarperCollins Publishers, 2011.78-81. Print.

Word count: 343