Sex trafficking isn't what you think it is | Meghan Sobel | TEDxMileHighWomen

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  • Опубликовано: 16 май 2024
  • “When I first started studying sex trafficking in 2008, I thought it mean girls were kidnapped and chained to beds,” explains Professor Meghan Sobel. Soon she realized that was the Hollywood version - not the reality. In order to combat sex trafficking effectively, we must first understand what it is.
    Meghan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Regis University, where she teaches classes on international communication, public relations, and human rights. Meghan's research focuses on the role of mass media in combating human rights abuses and humanitarian crises. She is also a certified cake decorator.
    This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

Комментарии • 1,7 тыс.

  • @brodieowens8307
    @brodieowens8307 6 лет назад +11499

    As a sex trafficking victim who is often told that what I experienced "isn't trafficking" because it happened in my home, thank you for speaking out. Thank you so, so much.

    • @KayMaxoxo
      @KayMaxoxo 6 лет назад +517

      Brodie Owens I'm so sorry that happened to you.

    • @louise-yo7kz
      @louise-yo7kz 6 лет назад +311

      Brodie Owens Sad to hear. I pray for your healing

    • @whitenoise3447
      @whitenoise3447 6 лет назад +240

    • @gracielovesyou1470
      @gracielovesyou1470 6 лет назад +149

      Oh god. I'm so sorry. :(

    • @harpfully
      @harpfully 6 лет назад +158

      *hugs*.. Unfortunately not uncommon.

  • @sugarplumfairy20101
    @sugarplumfairy20101 6 лет назад +4909

    "As long as there is a demand there will be a supply", applies for everything! drugs, sex, pornography, organ trafficking.

    • @madeinhisimage3447
      @madeinhisimage3447 5 лет назад +53

      sugarplumfairy20101 the human heart and condition is what needs to be addressed!

    • @norapeace6526
      @norapeace6526 5 лет назад +24

      Yeah how do you stop the demand for that kind of thing??

    • @madeinhisimage3447
      @madeinhisimage3447 5 лет назад +39

      Nora Peace the human heart would have to undergo a serious change. I don’t see that happening. If anything at all the rise in Narcissism/Sociopathy/Psychopathy/Anti social is in a extreme rise! Depravity runs DNA deep in the human heart.

    • @norapeace6526
      @norapeace6526 5 лет назад +10

      Christina Cataldi I agree 100% .. and that is so sad because narcissism, sociopathy, & psychopathy are no joke!!I’m afraid these things get any worse than they already are

    • @hangukhiphop
      @hangukhiphop 5 лет назад +7

      @@madeinhisimage3447 I think you might be contradicting yourself... Is it a rise of these negative traits or depravity in our DNA. Those two seems like different extremes. Either one paints a pretty pessimistic picture of humanity--even worse if both.

  • @justmeagain7
    @justmeagain7 6 лет назад +3937

    It's incredible that the clients don't go to prison when they are discovered. They are the ones who should go to prison!

    • @user-bj7hq2tw8e
      @user-bj7hq2tw8e 6 лет назад +167

      the clients would typically have a buttload of cash and the people of thailand are sometimes not as well off as people from other countries. the policemen sometimes will accept a bribe to let someone off free and throw the innocent into jail because they are less affluent. this is a sad reality in many parts of the less developed world and will probably continue that way for a long while :(

    • @jennaglitz6045
      @jennaglitz6045 6 лет назад +177

      even in America, cops typically go after the prostitutes rather than the pimps or the customers. They set up stings specifically for prostitutes and no one else involved

    • @canovwrms2684
      @canovwrms2684 5 лет назад +5

      Always wondered about that

    • @clementboutaric3952
      @clementboutaric3952 5 лет назад +10

      Is it illegal in Thailand ? If it isn't, then there is no reason for them to get arrested.

    • @johnseb5856
      @johnseb5856 5 лет назад +1

      Why? Product creates clients not demand! No product, no clients. They got it right

  • @FreakyBo0o
    @FreakyBo0o 6 лет назад +5443

    Wow, this woman went hard! She shook people out of their comfort zone. That was a brave and extremely sharp speech. Truly important.

    • @chickensandwich8808
      @chickensandwich8808 6 лет назад +80

      she spoke about attacking the economic factors that allow this kind of thing to continue rather than charging in like the cavalry in a short sighted attempt at "rescue." I don't see how that was difficult to pick up on. As for leaving out "Husbands" yeah she did, but I also don't think she needed it to drive the point home any further.

    • @tiarezavaleta8850
      @tiarezavaleta8850 5 лет назад +11

      or fathers

    • @KingVargan
      @KingVargan 5 лет назад +48

      Te Fu wanting to make a change isn’t a savior complex.

    • @woswasdenni1914
      @woswasdenni1914 4 года назад +4

      @@KingVargan well its very very close. see hard truth is a healthy human gives not many shits about others he dont know.
      were a selfish species just like any other, the only thing most mamals have in common that were willing to sacrifice our own for our children but thats about it. thats why it took so long to establish what we know today as a modern society, and it takes a lot of force, weapons, institutions and systems to keep it civlised and kind of stable.

    • @Raven_shifter
      @Raven_shifter 4 года назад +5

      Anne Grow We’re living in an interesting time in which more people are waking up. Also, Epstein didn’t kill himself.

  • @michellel.7947
    @michellel.7947 6 лет назад +3901

    This is an important talk. The demand is what's the most sick, the fact that people BUY this stuff.

    • @billyrose100
      @billyrose100 6 лет назад +25

      Yes there are too little views in this. (love seeing a fellow ARMY btw)

    • @mothersandfuckersofthejury
      @mothersandfuckersofthejury 6 лет назад +13

      I agree, this must be discussed more. Also, nice, BTS❤️

    • @mezzykaur1374
      @mezzykaur1374 5 лет назад +22

      Honestly it is really didgusting how people find this as a satisfaction

    • @iceeirony
      @iceeirony 5 лет назад

      Agree 100%

    • @erwinhun
      @erwinhun 5 лет назад +10

      I agree. Yet the issue of demand is also complicated. With fewer customers some would lose another way to feed themselves, forcing them to turn to even worse alternatives, while others now compete for the remaining customers who are more likely to be the worst ones. Having said that, I would still not be friends with someone who I knew had taken advantage of someone else's desperate situation like that. The solution seems to be a preassure for political change, Foreign Direct Investments (not the least in infrastructure), and NGOs providing the right support.

  • @kanokwans7624
    @kanokwans7624 6 лет назад +2805

    What kind of jerk thumbs this down? Probably exactly the people she describes as driving the demand. Thank you for your passion, professor.

    • @bingbong5053
      @bingbong5053 6 лет назад +165

      Some people don't understand what the thumbs down button is for. They probably thumbs down because they thought that if they pressed that button, they thought that sex trafficking is a bad thing and they agree with the speaker.

    • @chloe2258
      @chloe2258 6 лет назад +11

      Once you jimIN you can't jimOUT or you don't want stuff like this in your feed

    • @fruitygarlic3601
      @fruitygarlic3601 5 лет назад +12

      @@chloe2258 I'm not exactly sure when this feature was implemented, but you can choose not to have something pop up in your feed.

    • @colleennewholy9026
      @colleennewholy9026 5 лет назад +16

      @Abradolf Lincler yes you are trafficked if you are physically free. Yes, you have the "choice" of walking. But sometimes people are "marked" or outed by clients or the owners of their establishments.
      Or the income is lost, and things become worse. It truly is a complex issue, as mental chains can be just as strong as physical ones.

    • @joyfuljaj
      @joyfuljaj 4 года назад +13

      @Firecracker CT I am curious more of your perspective. I cannot figure out what I think of her talk. It is a lot of talk and not much conclusion. She also did not address the large amount of trafficking in the U.S., which most of us would be more apt to be able to affect.

  • @danielledorchester9739
    @danielledorchester9739 6 лет назад +299

    A friend of mine was actually kidnapped in Thailand, he was a male model there and a woman on tinder claimed to be a "scout" and then drugged him and drove him out into the middle of Thailand to make a trade/drop. He played along like they were going on vacation together and eventually got a hold of her cell phone to call for help. It's incredible.

    • @nathalia6379
      @nathalia6379 3 года назад +20

      wow, i hope everything is okay!

    • @linaa.608
      @linaa.608 Год назад +1

      That's incredible. Sorry that your friend has experienced this. Is he Thai or a foreigner?

  • @amandap4029
    @amandap4029 7 лет назад +4540

    Question: Why the hell doesn't this video have more views?

    • @jamoecw
      @jamoecw 7 лет назад +8

      doesn't live up to the title.

    • @jamoecw
      @jamoecw 7 лет назад +34

      @Jesus Mind - “When I first started studying sex trafficking in 2008, I thought it mean girls were kidnapped and chained to beds,” this says it all. some person (well a professor) had allusions about the sex industry, assuming that the whole thing was sex trafficking. she did a study on what is supposed to be sex trafficking and found it was sex industry, not trafficking. instead of realizing that their is a lot of mislabeling she instead blamed it on wealth levels. people in poverty have bad options to choose from, which is a tragedy, but when someone has the option of sexwork they tend to jump at it due to the high pay and low risk. there is definitely issues with sex work, which she didn't go into, she didn't go into what would most likely happen if there wasn't sex work, she didn't talk about trafficking, and she didn't say anything that wasn't known to anyone that knows anything about third world poverty.
      that is why it sucked, that is why it doesn't live up to the title. it has nothing to do with our comfort levels, our apathy on the subject, or race.

    • @Pumpkin0_0
      @Pumpkin0_0 6 лет назад +39

      It's funny how a couple comments say that it either doesn't live up to the title or it sucked, but for you to come to that conclusion, you have to actually watch the video. Logic has been thrown out the window...

    • @jamoecw
      @jamoecw 6 лет назад +6

      it has to do with linking the video in future posts/videos. doing so would boost traffic (for more viewers), if you think it sucks then it gets rated down, and people don't come back to it to reference it for any reason (for more watched minutes).
      there might also be weighted ratings so that the thumbs up and down aren't all equal despite the number of them (one's thumb's up is worth more than another due to less thumb's up, or down as the case might be). who rates it up and down might alter the breadth of its appeal (someone who is watching it at random tends to rate it down, while someone who looks for this video rates it up, thus it would be viewed as having a narrow appeal).

    • @Kevorama0205
      @Kevorama0205 6 лет назад +23

      jamoecw "when someone has the option of sexwork" And that's the assumption that this talk is trying to challenge. If there is no other employment opportunity that pays enough to support your family and your family can't leave, the only choice is between sexwork or starvation. I wouldn't consider the sexwork a free choice in that situation.
      "what would most likely happen if there wasn't sex work" She doesn't want to eliminate sex work, she made that clear. Just underage sex work. There's a significant difference there, since its hard to conceive of any bad effects of doing that that negatively affects people besides those engaging in sex with minors, which I would not really consider as "bad".
      I think a lot of people aren't really aware of how NGOs handle "voluntary" sex workers. I certainly wasn't.

  • @kj5246
    @kj5246 6 лет назад +2410

    This really opened my eyes and made me emotional. I'm glad Oi is doing well now, and helping others.

    • @alexia5811
      @alexia5811 6 лет назад +29

      John Narayan
      Who hurt you?

    • @user-pj6fj3wf2l
      @user-pj6fj3wf2l 4 года назад +2

      oi oi

    • @lonelysextourist996
      @lonelysextourist996 4 года назад

      The goal of an awareness campaign like this is to use your emotional response.

    • @julirodas9761
      @julirodas9761 4 года назад +11

      @@lonelysextourist996 and that's... a bad thing...?

  • @kpena21
    @kpena21 6 лет назад +334

    This topic hits you more when you think about what you were doing at there age, ex: when I was 12 years old I finished 6th grade and was excited to start middle school. I was glued to my video games and having sleep overs with friends. Imagine all those happy moments of your life just vanishing into nothing, like it didn't even happen...This and so much more was robbed from them. Thank you for this video and shedding light on the subject.

  • @tarvoc746
    @tarvoc746 5 лет назад +1189

    She said that Oi is physically free, but not psychologically free - but what she describes isn't psychological unfreedom, it's economic and legal unfreedom. There's a big difference there. In Oi's case, he's stateless, which means he pretty much doesn't have civil rights, and he doesn't have any other way to support his family economically. Give him citizenship and a guaranteed income to support his family and he'll likely stop working in this field. That means he's not psychologically tied to this job. He's economically bound to it.

    • @047Kenny
      @047Kenny 4 года назад +33

      Tarvoc it’s slavery fam

    • @fay6697
      @fay6697 4 года назад +3

      Someone just too good to take responsibility for whole family. I feel sad about this. I have seen some small villages in the northern of Thailand once. People are nice. It has small school. But I don't know that they have Thai citizenship or not. They have family very young like before 20 year olds. They have kids.

    • @TheCyndicate
      @TheCyndicate 4 года назад +13

      She makes amateurish emotional pleas, not logical, fact based ones.

    • @16m49x3
      @16m49x3 4 года назад +10

      Honestly the issue here is that the parents of Oi moved to another country, knowing neither they nor Oi would get citizenship.
      And stayed there even if they couldn't afford to support their child.

    • @dbsk06
      @dbsk06 4 года назад +3

      Tarvoc I 100% agree with this

  • @contrafax
    @contrafax 6 лет назад +2455

    I am impressed and pleased. It is rare in this kind of story for the male gender to be even noticed.

    • @dakotas7643
      @dakotas7643 5 лет назад +96

      Agreed, a lot of people tend to use women as victims for everything even though men can be victims too

    • @TheCharlos69
      @TheCharlos69 5 лет назад +26

      Right, she literally said that.

    • @randomdoublechinwithintern5446
      @randomdoublechinwithintern5446 5 лет назад +23

      Urban Clementine omg yass finally a comment that’s sees both sides like woman aren’t just the victims they can be predators too

    • @jakesmitham8180
      @jakesmitham8180 5 лет назад +23

      @Arwen Luna That's still no reason to ignore what many of us went through. And a high percentage of those who used me were female. My own mother blamed me for being male, and made me pay for what was done to her. I understand. I hate men, too. But, I also treat women good, and look after them, feeling somehow responsible for their troubles. And more than all else, I hate myself. More than anything, I hate myself. That's what this all has done to me!

    • @2Sugarbears
      @2Sugarbears 4 года назад +28

      Because it is usually to the 90 percentile women who are abused.

  • @faithstrachan7299
    @faithstrachan7299 6 лет назад +1919

    I feel like people forget that what a choice looks like in a 1st world country is very different in a 3rd world country. Yes, YOU have a choice. Prostitution is a choice for YOU because YOU can go back to your comfy home but express some empathy and realize that it isn't for others. They are doing it to survive.

    • @opheliabloom8321
      @opheliabloom8321 6 лет назад +103

      What you say is true, but it applies to any form of work that people in the 3rd world do to survive. There is always a difference between a person living in poverty who is kidnapped and forced into sex work (i.e. sexually abused) and a poor person who enters sex work because they need the money, and to ignore this difference is irresponsible.

    • @Butterflybabexoxo
      @Butterflybabexoxo 6 лет назад +176

      That is a real oversimplification and not her point. There are girls that are trafficked in the US who have been coerced, threatened and manipulated. They are psychologically not free.

    • @ziggystardust6418
      @ziggystardust6418 6 лет назад +29

      Faith Strachan She is emphasising the same thing. You are not getting the point, are you?

    • @diamondlove9519
      @diamondlove9519 6 лет назад +12

      butterflybabexoxo not only in the U.S ,it around the world. U.S is not the only country in the world.

    • @LizzyDeeAgape
      @LizzyDeeAgape 6 лет назад +19

      yes it's about forced work and no choice because it's literally the only work they CAN do as far as they know or are able at that point.

  • @MsFreedom2fly
    @MsFreedom2fly 7 лет назад +852

    Many people who work in the sex industry feel they have no other choice. They say they are there by choice but I've spoken with my clients and individuals I have met they are/were groomed and watched so they could be coerced into the sex industry.
    Many don't leave because they feel they have no other choice to but to stay.

    • @tarico4436
      @tarico4436 4 года назад +2

      In 5th grade they started showing us anti-drug films in school. That's ten years old. If you're older than ten, and you trade some of that white powder up your nose for a service, you should know better. Under age ten? Yeah, you're a victim. Older than ten? Take a hike. This term "groomed" is quite misleading. And if you're so worried about child molesters, at least 40% of all child molesters are female; but when it comes time to charge or convict a woman of this crime, most don't get charged, and the few who are convicted receive much more lenient sentences (than men). You're not really trying to lower crime, you're just man haters.

    • @charliechan6892
      @charliechan6892 4 года назад +42

      @@tarico4436 or you should be grateful you were shown that at ten, and quit thinking every ten year old in the world got that same treatment/lesson.

    • @YeshuaKingMessiah
      @YeshuaKingMessiah 4 года назад

      Mandi W
      Oregon!! I lived there. Right in the almost worst part of Albany. ICK

  • @jamesgant2650
    @jamesgant2650 6 лет назад +348

    This woman is so raw. She served up that dish ice cold! Respect!

  • @Sarah-gf8su
    @Sarah-gf8su 6 лет назад +2145

    Amazing. Very intelligent woman who understands her privileges and thereafter goes on to use it for amazing work.

    • @djkb125
      @djkb125 6 лет назад +75

      Sumaya s absolutely this. the whole "check your privilege" thing bugs me because I think it delegitimizes the problems of the more privileged person. however, we have to acknowledge that the lives of most Americans are far more privileged (we simply have more choices) than those who feel compelled into this type of sex work.
      no one choses what life they will get born into but as members of this same human race, I love seeing this girl present this issue to us catering to our perspective so that we can better understand. each culture has a way of looking at the world that is just as subjective as the next and to solve complex problems like this, it's important to see the world for what it really is

    • @AuroraLalune
      @AuroraLalune 6 лет назад +9

      Danielle Baldridge If that were true this wouldn't be a problem in our country as well but it is.
      Not everyone has those choices. people take from one another.

    • @dahulius
      @dahulius 5 лет назад +22

      The overuse of the word "privilege'" by SJWs trained me to cringe a bit everytime I hear/read the word, but it really is appropriate here.

    • @1234kalmar
      @1234kalmar 5 лет назад +2

      @@dahulius your ignorance and unwillingness to admit you have it better than others is what trained that in to you palie.

    • @dahulius
      @dahulius 5 лет назад +22

      @1234kalmar
      Oh, I see, so you did not understand what I said, jumped to conclusions and labelled me something in your head so you could easily dismiss me, well done there.

  • @satyajitsinhkosamiya6822
    @satyajitsinhkosamiya6822 7 лет назад +562

    this harshest ,most brutal form of reality that she had addressed in so many poor people of the free world and domestic world.

    • @meirsolomon5626
      @meirsolomon5626 6 лет назад +19

      It's modern slavery. It happens in Western countries too.

  • @Madison-vx1ws
    @Madison-vx1ws 6 лет назад +1924

    I really like how she brought the aspect of privilege into her discussion

    • @welchmapper2726
      @welchmapper2726 6 лет назад +32

      privilege isn't real

    • @alexaguido851
      @alexaguido851 6 лет назад +123

      Welch Mapper privilege is real, the problem is, when you have it, you can see it. Privilege is not bad, being blind about our privilege and not help people with it, its the problem

    • @kjtamf
      @kjtamf 5 лет назад

      👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

    • @reizayin
      @reizayin 5 лет назад +26

      It ruined the talk for me. Rip.

    • @robertwilber1909
      @robertwilber1909 5 лет назад +7

      how many has she adopted or sponsored?

  • @elsagrace3893
    @elsagrace3893 6 лет назад +1012

    Thanks lady! Same with child labor. The choice in many countries is child labor or starvation. Nobody in America understands that.

    • @lindabergman3127
      @lindabergman3127 6 лет назад +11

      elsa Grace because many in America r selfish n very judgemental or believe it could never happen to them!!

    • @madell8552
      @madell8552 6 лет назад +15

      I understand that your views may differ than others but there is no need to attack another unrelated group of people.

    • @MeAVE243
      @MeAVE243 6 лет назад +16

      elsa Grace unfortunately there doesn't seem to be an easy solution. Even if the demand could be erraticated, then the child would just be starving and jobless instead of hungry and working. We need to fix more than the demand. How do we do that?

    • @evandouglas8329
      @evandouglas8329 5 лет назад +21

      pet play Can we not use autistic,or any mental issue as an insult? Its sooo extremely rude! Thanks.

    • @evandouglas8329
      @evandouglas8329 5 лет назад +8

      Alvin Hill nope but i work and am friends with many autistic children.

  • @gahyeonlvr7501
    @gahyeonlvr7501 6 лет назад +460

    This breaks my heart, it really does. Someone finally tells a male victims story.

    • @user-bj7hq2tw8e
      @user-bj7hq2tw8e 6 лет назад +10

      Emo At The Phandom these stories are out there for those who look and they're all over the place. it's just that there is poor distribution and access to the masses that make it seem like they're non-existent. the speakers don't deny the existence of such stories; they want to spread the news and educate. more often it's people with biases that discourage the spreading of such content because of fears and/or disgust of similar ideas. i get the feeling your words carry some weight so if there's anything, please hang on and know that things are only going to get better, especially with the right education and mindsets :)

    • @allisoncastle
      @allisoncastle 6 лет назад +8

      Right. They are so ridiculously underrepresented. That includes in America too.

    • @diamond_0613
      @diamond_0613 3 года назад

      I've pretty much read 'exploitations' like whats portrayed in here but I just cant keep being emotional whenever I stumbled on another one.

    • @673497
      @673497 3 года назад

      @@user-bj7hq2tw8elove this comment!

  • @allisoncastle
    @allisoncastle 6 лет назад +124

    I’m only a minute in and something I just have to say right away is I am soooo glad you brought up boys. They are soo underrepresented as victims. While they are more of a minority, they matter just as much, and I feel that often people tend to forget about them.

    • @fruitygarlic3601
      @fruitygarlic3601 5 лет назад +11

      Agreed. The only time people want to bring male victims into the picture is to contradict those that talk about female victims. Demographics or not, they still need to be mentioned in a respectful way -- and not just in an offhand manner to silence others and be forgotten afterwards.

    • @SiobhanS1868
      @SiobhanS1868 4 года назад +1

      fruity garlic that’s a good point :)

    • @eeveemaster8902
      @eeveemaster8902 3 года назад

      I personally I don't think there as much of a minority as people care to believe

  • @vlove562
    @vlove562 6 лет назад +569

    Brilliant talk. Brilliant woman.

  • @mariannejohnson405
    @mariannejohnson405 5 лет назад +113

    this wouldn’t be happening if there was no demand. some people are just sick.

    • @aforgottenfriend2987
      @aforgottenfriend2987 4 года назад

      the issue is not with the people buying tho, it’s difficult for a buyer to tell the difference between some who is trafficked and a willing worker

    • @sharpequeen
      @sharpequeen 3 года назад +17

      @@aforgottenfriend2987 um... kids can't consent, yo.

    • @mcplumpkin6191
      @mcplumpkin6191 3 года назад +4

      @@aforgottenfriend2987 it's a bit easier than you think

  • @filmshc1134
    @filmshc1134 7 лет назад +2273

    Judging by the comments, there are a lot of men very resistant to this message. As long as that continues, the problem will also continue. Stop being defensive.

    • @megag52
      @megag52 6 лет назад +83

      yes, so many men are listening to this and saying "nar im gonna keep fucking little boys". you are an idiot. whats of more concern is you believe there are pedophiles watching this that are gonna keep fucking kids and all you say is "stop being defensive, pls change" Really?! your that mild when trying to stop little kids being sexually abused? you just gently ask people to stop doing it? thats it? most people are more forceful when ordering a big mac. you think just asking "stop fucking there kids if you feel like it" is ok? what the fucks wrong with you? if you have kids they should be taken away from you

    • @dutchkid-co3dh
      @dutchkid-co3dh 6 лет назад +45

      FilmSHC 11 it's not just men, it's everyone

    • @ewqdsacxz765
      @ewqdsacxz765 6 лет назад +156

      +dutchkid2000, the demand for sex trafficking comes overwhelmingly from men.

    • @megag52
      @megag52 6 лет назад +37

      demand for sex trafficking comes from criminals. Demand for little boys to rape comes from pedophiles

    • @lyricbot8513
      @lyricbot8513 6 лет назад +29

      Sam Dawkins the murder rate also comes from criminals. However, if you bring gender into it...

  • @laurenXocean
    @laurenXocean 6 лет назад +317

    really interesting to hear, as someone who has lived in Thailand now for about 3 years its become very normalised for me to see sex workers in certain cities and red light districts. Children not to openly advertised or shown. Prostitutes are fined when found working but at the end of the day they make more money doing this than working in say - 7/11 for minimum wage of 9,000 baht. I am friends with a girl who was forced into the sex industry at 14 with her sister being 12, with fake passports saying they were 10 years older than they were. To take care of their family who live in a village in myammar surving on 1 tomato and rice a day - shared by a whole village. She is fluent in Thai and English in less than 3 years living in Thailand. She left the bar, to find foreign boyfriends who can look after her instead, and if they break up - she will go back to the cities for work. Its a cycle thats hard to break, when the money is so "easy".

    • @face-in-the-crowd
      @face-in-the-crowd 6 лет назад +12

      lauren X ocean humm so sad....I don't think this will change though. ...this is the oldest industry

    • @laurenXocean
      @laurenXocean 6 лет назад +11

      Ali Pali it's true. I think until the minimum wage is brought up, the number of girls who are on the streets will decrease tbh

    • @melgibsonfan9082
      @melgibsonfan9082 6 лет назад +7

      "surving on 1 tomato and rice a day - shared by a whole village" Why do you need to make things up?

    • @laurenXocean
      @laurenXocean 6 лет назад +26

      Fawkin Lyle Chipperson I don’t need to. Why do you need to be so dismissive. Burma is a horribly poor country. A village isn’t a city. Mostly family members. If I said Africa you’d believe me right? But Burma “doesn’t matter enough” to be in the public eye for the lay people to know how poor they are. Fake passports, fake ages, fake everything for a better life somewhere else in SEA. You can’t imagine that? Well you are a lucky person

    • @melgibsonfan9082
      @melgibsonfan9082 6 лет назад +13

      I believe they are very poor but any reasonable person will know a village isn't sharing 1 whole tomato.

  • @EmeraldMara85
    @EmeraldMara85 6 лет назад +104

    Yep, tried to tell poverty contributes to sex trafficking, some people really have no idea how crippling and how easy it is to be manipulated because you're so poor. And they just keep justifying to purchase these forced services...

  • @ppl2luv
    @ppl2luv 6 лет назад +516

    i really give her much respect for bringing up men, thank you!

    • @freshgreenjello6431
      @freshgreenjello6431 6 лет назад +27

      lindsey cassano I know right! Unfortunately men don't tend to be brought up much when considering these issues.

    • @SpinningSage
      @SpinningSage 4 года назад +6

      Fresh Green Jello we dont often get male victims speaking out!

    • @mikipav1064
      @mikipav1064 4 года назад +6

      SpinningSage Yes and that is because almost nobody talks about male victims and therefore they feel like nobody will take them seriously if they open up.

    • @emmamlis927
      @emmamlis927 4 года назад +4

      Agreed I think it was 100% the right choice

    • @mcplumpkin6191
      @mcplumpkin6191 3 года назад +4

      Exactly. It's unnoticed that men are in these situations aswell!

  • @bougiepeaches5497
    @bougiepeaches5497 5 лет назад +259

    It's always the victims getting called a criminal!

    • @BlackCover95
      @BlackCover95 4 года назад +8

      The masterminds know how to play the game.

    • @mcplumpkin6191
      @mcplumpkin6191 3 года назад

      It's society nowadays. No specific group is to blame but group that victim shames is.

  • @trishawhitehouse4226
    @trishawhitehouse4226 6 лет назад +280

    Great talk! This issue is so multi -layered and complex , so tackling it in ten minutes is just impossible. I applaud anyone who speaks up for children's right not to be sold and raped! What we need to do is realize that there are sexual perversions that create lots of problems for other people. In this day and age we are so afraid to call any sexual desire , or preference , "immoral or deviant." The fact is that some people enjoy this behavior. We must make it very difficult for them to get at children, with laws and education and talking about it. Looking the other way keeps people trapped. She is right that ignoring the socio-economics that create lots of vulnerable people is a piece of the problem, but not all. We must as a World decide that there is such a thing as evil, even immoral sexual practices, and we can not allow them. It's not just an individuals choice, it always will involve and harm someone else. We have an obligation to protect children from those people who think it's natural and fun to have sex with them. We can't let evil win.

  • @perrinfan
    @perrinfan 6 лет назад +400

    And then there are the women who pimp out their own child to a new spouse. So sick. Makes me extremely angry.

    • @silg7262
      @silg7262 5 лет назад +107

      @Sarah Krueger uh... You're saying that like it's the norm. Most women do not do that

    • @shuepsx652
      @shuepsx652 4 года назад +51

      @Sarah Krueger They must be psychopaths to care that little about their children. The mayority of women would choose their children safety and well-being over basically anything else in the world

    • @alphach1mp
      @alphach1mp 4 года назад +4

      Sarah Krueger Do you speak from experience?

    • @SN00PICUS
      @SN00PICUS 4 года назад +9

      @@shuepsx652 Your naive, women do this every single day. Do you honestly believe the father's sell the kids? The women sell the kids and pimp them out also because it gives the illusion of " unspoiled goods" its sick but true look it up.

    • @icedwhitechocolatemochafra9851
      @icedwhitechocolatemochafra9851 4 года назад +28

      @@SN00PICUS women do it but so do men. Kappa.

  • @rashmiraghavan2632
    @rashmiraghavan2632 6 лет назад +36

    This is precisely what I learnt working for an NGO in India.
    A much needed narrative.

    • @criskp6861
      @criskp6861 6 лет назад

      Rashmi Raghavan what NGO did you work for ?

  • @George_K1
    @George_K1 6 лет назад +11

    I wish everyone who explores any issue seeks first hand information as you - Very Insightful, educating, and truthful,

  • @raphaelwang3826
    @raphaelwang3826 6 лет назад +48

    This is bigger than trafficking, no matter how you define it. What we should learn from this talk is really how the privileged should understand the whole picture before they conclude that their "help" is necessary or effective. Any social issue's root cause can be very complex and cultural, and certainly not what media portraits on the surface. Great talk

    • @kjtamf
      @kjtamf 5 лет назад

      Raphael Wang
      🙏🏻👍🏻👍🏻

    • @GadisBaliLivesAbroad
      @GadisBaliLivesAbroad 3 года назад +1

      yes, and drug trade and addiction has become a big part of it...

  • @KeptForJesus
    @KeptForJesus 4 года назад +30

    Please don’t forget that, this doesn’t exclude your favorite celebrities and politicians. All those people that are loved and worshipped, but you don’t know a real thing about.

  • @TsetsiStoyanova
    @TsetsiStoyanova 6 лет назад +121

    thanks for bringing this to our attention

  • @Rachelohplzz
    @Rachelohplzz 6 лет назад +85

    What a well articulated human

    • @fluffysheap
      @fluffysheap 2 года назад

      Her joints are so lifelike

  • @deborahgonzalez842
    @deborahgonzalez842 4 года назад +5

    I truly wish this had more views. It’s immensely important for everyone to see this!

    • @3thalluing339
      @3thalluing339 4 года назад

      31.2k likes to 1k dislikes. I’m curious why people disliked this video. 😬

  • @sasquatchsoldrboi8052
    @sasquatchsoldrboi8052 5 лет назад +15

    This brave woman went overseas, fought the good fight first hand in a place that truly needs help. I wish with all my heart that our hooligan "activists" would follow her brave and amazing example.

  • @dannyjackson3879
    @dannyjackson3879 4 года назад +45

    Your privilege isnt free. It is paid for by those who defend freedom and a system of laws. Trafficking is a pandemic and funded by the rich and elite. World wide. Those criminals that are in the “elite” class must not be afforded a two tier justice system. I support all those people that are exposing the predators. We all should.

    • @zarac3521
      @zarac3521 3 года назад +1

      E.g. Jeffrey Epstein. I agree with you Danny - trafficking is a pandemic.

    • @rrwa7052
      @rrwa7052 3 года назад +1

      Danny Jackson Quick note. You cannot have freedom with a system of laws because laws are the elite’s way of stealing your freedom. Freedom only exists under Common Law. Under Common Law you have the right to do whatever you want as long as you do not infringe upon the rights, property or livelihood of another. If you do, you pay an eye for an eye.

    • @dannyjackson3879
      @dannyjackson3879 3 года назад +1

      RR WA somewhat agree but we choose our government and they have power only thru the consent of the governed. ANYONE can lose their freedom regardless of system if they let it be taken and do nothing.

  • @ashknoecklein
    @ashknoecklein 6 лет назад +1338

    9:55 ...and husbands.

    • @virces6563
      @virces6563 6 лет назад +6

      eh... no

    • @potterhead665
      @potterhead665 6 лет назад +233

      Eh... Yes

    • @univers66
      @univers66 6 лет назад +278

      and fathers

    • @dfrost3417
      @dfrost3417 6 лет назад +109

      And girls with green hair who have a parrot

    • @leasharene2601
      @leasharene2601 6 лет назад +9

      BOGIE watching this right now, December 2017, this couldn’t be more relevant! Everything she said is tying into what’s going on now!

  • @VyvienneEaux
    @VyvienneEaux 4 года назад +9

    How is this a TEDx talk? She deserves the TED stage.

  • @sarvin4471
    @sarvin4471 6 лет назад +19

    She is SUCH a great speaker!

  • @FirstLadyJoy
    @FirstLadyJoy 6 лет назад +170

    I'm a Survivor!!

  • @geekfreak2000
    @geekfreak2000 6 лет назад +99

    This is why I love Ted Talks. So informative and insightful.

  • @hannahsquire2527
    @hannahsquire2527 4 года назад +6

    An excellent public speaker. Thank you to this woman for carry the narrative forward. Important work.

  • @sarahpfeuffer1396
    @sarahpfeuffer1396 5 лет назад +3

    Thank you for bringing this to light!

  • @emmyweisenberg7841
    @emmyweisenberg7841 3 года назад +1

    I am going to come out and say this went a very different direction that I was expecting. As someone who has experiences this first-hand, THANK YOU!

  • @glenn06
    @glenn06 3 года назад +1

    A real eye-opener and very helpful in understanding this problem. Thank you for sharing 🙏🏼

  • @benlong9431
    @benlong9431 6 лет назад +3

    This video really opened my eyes omg I'm so glad I watched this it is very informative everyone needs to watch this

  • @thedestroller5921
    @thedestroller5921 6 лет назад +32

    Wow, that poor boy, this is so sad

  • @blooeygamer71
    @blooeygamer71 4 года назад +2

    After this came into my recommended, I was highly intrigued. This video, her speech and ingenuity really exerts some force into me, as if I am being fueled to do good for others without expecting a return. I wanna do good, and this is what gives me so much happiness.

  • @magnolialang5217
    @magnolialang5217 4 года назад +263

    6:14 everyone looks exactly the same its like a feild of karens

  • @whiterabit09
    @whiterabit09 6 лет назад +215

    This starts with economic slavery.

  • @birna6048
    @birna6048 6 лет назад +9

    She did a great job presenting. A really inspiring story.

  • @Gabriel-ev6qg
    @Gabriel-ev6qg 3 года назад +1

    That was so eye-opening and powerful. Thank you.

  • @GambitXM
    @GambitXM 4 года назад +1

    I have never thought of it this way. Very enlightening! Thank you.

  • @lexilynncox
    @lexilynncox 6 лет назад +13

    “Images like this” didn’t pop into my head until you showed me

  • @maramarie17
    @maramarie17 6 лет назад +5

    very informational and thought-provoking. i had the same hollywood perception, but it turns out it's closer to home than you think. thank you for this ted talk!

  • @matreshka1988
    @matreshka1988 5 лет назад +2

    Wonderful Ted Talk, one of the best speakers I’ve ever watched! Thank you for enlightening us, I learned a lot!

  • @nafsikaeuripi7
    @nafsikaeuripi7 6 лет назад +1

    What I like the most of her speech is her constantly pointing out the need to take care of the foundation of the issue and then the outcomes of it. I'm also glad that the boy is getting better in his life.

  • @LivingDead53
    @LivingDead53 6 лет назад +20

    I have a special relative whom I love dearly that had to survive doing this. She doesn't have psychological issues, and she grew up in true poverty. She likes nice things, but she isn't entitled, letting it flow to her. It's on Thailand though. She's very smart and a wonderful person. She could have helped the economy, but only has the education of an eighth grader.

  • @rkvidekar
    @rkvidekar 7 лет назад +72

    a lot of insight. Thanks.

  • @MkMartin18
    @MkMartin18 4 года назад +2

    One of the best speakers and delivery of a speech I’ve ever seen

  • @lovejademonet
    @lovejademonet 4 года назад +1

    This is so important. Thank you for sharing!

  • @MuseCatherine
    @MuseCatherine 6 лет назад +32

    Absolutely eloquent and beautifully delivered speech. Very informative and helpful.

  • @monesma6950
    @monesma6950 6 лет назад +259

    You don't have to go so far, the very same thing happens in the borders of Mexico and the US or Mexico and Guatemala. The exact same thing. The same type of discrimination that Mexicans and other Central Americans suffer in the U.S, by the way.

    • @La.Criminaleria
      @La.Criminaleria 6 лет назад +30

      But in México is no like Oi's story. Here women from México and Central America gets abducted against their will and get traffic by narcos.

    • @piusminj4533
      @piusminj4533 6 лет назад +3

      Mon only illegal should be discriminated

    • @nicolee2360
      @nicolee2360 6 лет назад

      Cece Peterson are you being serious?

    • @colleennewholy9026
      @colleennewholy9026 5 лет назад +6

      And native women too. Then people wonder why MMIW was created

    • @Aragon1500
      @Aragon1500 4 года назад +1

      She wanted to talk about how men could be trafficked too to upend the hollywood stereo type

  • @mariedoremus8440
    @mariedoremus8440 4 года назад

    Thank you for speaking out! Makes you change the way you look at things! What we have been told is help, my not be help at all! If you plan to help, it is important to know what help really looks like and that takes time and invested energy!

  • @ellamyntr3acha348
    @ellamyntr3acha348 3 года назад +1

    I’m a teen living in the U.S and this information is surprising and eye opening to me that other kids my age right now are in a totally different setting than me and are struggling to earn money, working, doing things that they don’t want to do but have to do to get by, in short, doing the things that were mentioned in the video, and I feel so lucky that I’m living like how I am right now. I have allowance (money), I have clothes, education, food, all sorts of things right in front me that I don’t have to work for. I’m not forced to do anything. All I’m doing is sitting here with my phone in hand not doing anything important at all while things like this is happening. I feel so... I don’t know the right word, but this makes me really sad and I want to help somehow. Thank you for this video. I’m going to educate myself more.

    • @marissamccomis1595
      @marissamccomis1595 3 года назад +1

      Don't ever take what you have for granted. 😊 You're on the right path, and keep up your research 👍join the fight!

  • @molly7761
    @molly7761 4 года назад +3

    this needs to be heard by soooo many ppl. watching this was like ripping off a bandaid.

  • @debdub9077
    @debdub9077 6 лет назад +26

    My daughter was drugged and kidnapped in a Vegas casino in Feb 2017. Mexican cartel held her at gunpoint for three days before she was able to contact me. I called Vegas Police and drove from Kansas to go pick her up. I didn't care if they killed me... I was getting my daughter BACK!! I had no help from police because my daughter was afraid of being killed. I'm glad she was intelligent enough to change hotel room number they forced her to get in her name. She hid in that room afraid for her life. I tried to pay another day for the room so she didn't have to go outside. They would've surely grabbed her. She called Uber to take her to a LG casino away from the Tropicana area... and hid in the restroom til I could drive there. We thank GOD for His protection and mine. DONT GO TO VEGAS!!

    • @speak2theresafox
      @speak2theresafox 5 лет назад

      Thanks for the warning De b. Thank God you got her back safe.

  • @tamirule4216
    @tamirule4216 3 года назад +1

    Thank you for putting this out there 😞

  • @iamlight1
    @iamlight1 6 лет назад

    What an excellent, outstanding presenter! Perfect flow, excellent way to end the presentation, empathic/caring, conveyed pathos, and respect. I wish more speakers could be this good.

  • @sanjayatimilsina5799
    @sanjayatimilsina5799 4 года назад +4

    Excellent thoughts.

  • @samanthabonavia
    @samanthabonavia 6 лет назад +4

    brilliant. thank you.

  • @Randa959
    @Randa959 5 лет назад

    Hands down the best discussion of this issue that I have seen so far.

  • @WilliamHunterII
    @WilliamHunterII 5 лет назад +1

    Reactive vs Proactive. Your talk on this problem is the most to-the-point message I've heard, Ms. Sobel. Many times I've seen reactive measures taken by well-meaning people doing their best to do their best, but it isn't enough nor even the correct avenue to take to remedy the problem. You get to the heart of the issue in under fifteen minutes. It's the difference between treating the symptoms and treating the disease.

  • @Marco_Onyxheart
    @Marco_Onyxheart 4 года назад +24

    I definitely thought it involved actual traffic. If not cross-border, at least cross-state or cross-province. Or at least kidnapping.

  • @alexmartino9127
    @alexmartino9127 6 лет назад +4

    this is powerful

  • @johnroddy8756
    @johnroddy8756 6 лет назад +2

    Well said Very Intelligent young woman to address such a crowd no notes very impressive ,admire your goodness the world needs more people like you .

  • @steffnic13
    @steffnic13 3 года назад +1

    Beautifully done, especially for such a hard topic. 💗🙏🏻🌈✨✊🏻🧿🌀

  • @dougmoore5252
    @dougmoore5252 4 года назад +5

    Wow, she really told us the truth of this dark subject.

  • @zacnhannahpatke8705
    @zacnhannahpatke8705 6 лет назад +7

    Thank you for your presentation.

  • @TOM-op2cp
    @TOM-op2cp 6 лет назад

    Oh my, I didn't understand this issue at all until I saw this talk. Thanks professor.

  • @livingwaterutube
    @livingwaterutube 4 года назад +1

    Great lady!! Very clear presentation and glad urban light is there to offer a way out. Those centers should be all over the place. No wonder this isn't solved, it's so deeply rooted.

  • @Jesus-wh4sm
    @Jesus-wh4sm 3 года назад +5

    Thank you so much for making me learn something, I never knew that Americans can do these types of things and get poorly punished. I always watched TV shows and they never mentioned anything you spoke of, I think it's important to fix this issue fast.

  • @DeepSingh-xb6hj
    @DeepSingh-xb6hj 4 года назад +5

    That is why I love Ted talk...great thoughts

  • @rhiannonpearsall3891
    @rhiannonpearsall3891 5 лет назад

    This was powerful & informative. Oi's story is inspiring!

  • @AndreasJohanns
    @AndreasJohanns 4 года назад

    Meghan, thanks for your honesty...an honesty that also acknowledges what happens to boys in many places and cultures. So refreshing for some of us men--with stories of our own--to hear!

  • @michaellusk2856
    @michaellusk2856 4 года назад +4

    Wow. Outstanding. Thank you so much. The subject was treated in a direct, unbiased manner. Too back most journalists can't do that.

  • @gregorygrace5722
    @gregorygrace5722 4 года назад +3

    It is really great to hear these problems put into their proper perspective without the hyperbole. And it is great to hear someone actually talk about the fact that boys are often the victims and that women are often the perpetrators. It is great to listen to someone that thinks of everyone as a human being that should be treated with dignity and respect. All these categories of people are just ways to split people and prevent solutions.

  • @tabbymay6714
    @tabbymay6714 3 года назад +1

    Wow I learned so much today... thank you for this

  • @4thirty2Hertz
    @4thirty2Hertz 4 года назад

    So well presented... excellent. thank you for sharing.

  • @dutchkid-co3dh
    @dutchkid-co3dh 6 лет назад +94

    Watching this video, I have decided to help stop human sex trafficking.

  • @jojoyogi
    @jojoyogi 6 лет назад +6

    thanks for speaking the truth

  • @valjoy1507
    @valjoy1507 5 лет назад +2

    So thankful that this knowledge is becoming more prevalent. Also that there is so much being done slowly but surely. My landlord has sheltered trafficking victims at great risk to themselves and connected them with programs to help rehabilitate them. My roommate went to Costa Rica this summer to volunteer at a center rehabilitating trafficking victims. My Bible study/coffee shop has worked at finding people like she described who have been convinced that they have to do it to survive or provide for family members or have been programmed by a pimp and again connect them with resources to hide them from their pimp and help their situation so they don’t feel like they have to go back. One of my favorite bands, Remedy Drive is working to spread this message that trafficking is not what Hollywood makes it seem like. Change is everywhere, and there is hope.

    • @talesfromthecamside.5837
      @talesfromthecamside.5837 Год назад

      Would you possibly be willing to talk about this, ask those that you know who have had experience in this to come forward?

  • @thaovythai7067
    @thaovythai7067 3 года назад +1

    Thank you for this insightful informative speech. I learned so much

  • @Suguri
    @Suguri 6 лет назад +77

    Growing up in SE Asia, it was my experience that the vast, vast, VAST majority of men procuring young boys were German. I'm curious how she arrived at the American conclusion?

    • @nailgunammo
      @nailgunammo 5 лет назад +10

      confirmation bias?

    • @debatingaftershock6816
      @debatingaftershock6816 5 лет назад +39

      Suguri Each area has a specific group of “customers”, and it can change every few years.

    • @MarkProffitt
      @MarkProffitt 5 лет назад +15

      The vast majority of foreigners in SE Asia are not Americans. It's half way around the world. Europeans, Middle Easterners, & other Asian Nationals are the overwhelming foreigners in SE Asia.

    • @lamsrojo
      @lamsrojo 5 лет назад

      Thanks for that insight info

    • @shirleytatha8189
      @shirleytatha8189 4 года назад +19

      She said they didn't official statistics but IN THE CASES SHE HAS DEALT WITH she found most of them were Americans.

  • @ashtenchambliss284
    @ashtenchambliss284 4 года назад +10

    Thank you for using your privilege as a white western woman to give this issue a real platform. You are what's going right in the world. Great work.

  • @zahraabatoulouchen5281
    @zahraabatoulouchen5281 6 лет назад

    One of the best TED talks out there, thank you

  • @reyhanyilmaz417
    @reyhanyilmaz417 6 лет назад

    My heart is aching, I just started the video...