Sex Trafficking in the Upstate - Not Such A Beautiful Question

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 Why are we not teaching our students about the dangers of human trafficking?

  • What, if any, education is being provided to adolescents about this issue?

  • How prevalent is human/sex trafficking in the Upstate?

  • At what age are victims targeted?

  • How can we start this conversation in the classroom?

  • How can we (students and adults) work to mitigate/combat this phenomenon?

  • Do victims of human trafficking having any commonalities in their backgrounds?

  • What are “age appropriate” terms for discussing rape and forced prostitution with children as young as 10?

  • What, if any, ethnicities are at the greatest risk of being victimized?

  • How can I justify teaching such a controversial subject to the parents of my students?

  • How does Sold relate to what we’re dealing with at “home”?

  • Are there more “age appropriate” texts out there that I can use? Are there any texts that make the issue more relevant to our immediate area?


I know next to nothing about this topic which is a big part of the reason I selected it. Prior to reading Sold it was an issue that was on my radar but that did not occupy a sufficient space in my “social justice” mentality. I did happen to catch the tail end of a news story about sex trafficking being on the rise in the Greenville area awhile back. And that’s about all I know about it.


I have chosen this topic for two reasons. The first is that I intend to teach in the Upstate (specifically Greenville) area where, supposedly, instances of sex trafficking are on the rise. I want to know what demographics are targeted so that I know which of my students are at the greatest risk of becoming victims. This way, I can create a thematic unit that explores dangers, warning signs, prevalence, etc. that acts as a preventative. Or, at the very least, a heads up. The second reason is that I am a mother of two little girls (six and nine, respectively) and I feel like I need to know more about this issue. I’m not just going to teach here, I’m going to raise my family here. I need to increase my own awareness of the issue to keep both my students and children safe.


Obviously, Sold will be the book I use as my primary title. But Absolutely True Diary could also be a candidate. That particular novel has some prime instances of the sexualization and demented “worship” of females. I will have to wait until I have done more research before I can fully incorporate this element into my thesis. Wintergirls could be a source for exploring the role psychology (created by social pressures) plays in the creation of mentalities vulnerable to predation. Again, I will have to do more research before I can properly work this assessment into a final thesis.


I intend to use the aforementioned texts from the class syllabus in conjunction with local news reports, national/international sex trafficking statistics, and articles from the databases about the psychological vulnerabilities of, and ramifications for, sex trafficking victims.


My preliminary claim is simple, we need to require that sex trafficking education be incorporated into the local curriculum because it poses a direct threat to adolescent females that live in the Upstate area (and beyond). I foresee no issues with my research. It is a relatively straightforward proposal. Where I do anticipate encountering a challenge is in justifying such education be included in a public school curriculum. This is NOT the sort of subject parents want their children learning in school, but that attitude (one of many) needs to change. This information is important in ways that I can’t even articulate yet, so stay tuned for the presentation!

Comments

  1. Chelsea KNovember 4, 2020 at 10:42 AM

    One final challenge - keeping this paper under seven pages.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Callum CarrNovember 9, 2020 at 10:32 AM

    I think this is an excellent topic, Chelsea! I love how you tie this topic to a local issue. I've seen some of the articles about an uptick in the number of sex traffickers in the Upstate and I am looking forward to learning more about that in your presentation. I also liked how you tied this topic to you on a personal level. Not only did you mention the fact that you will be teaching in this area, but you also talk about your own children, and how you need to know more about this issue so you can keep them safe.

    One of the things I am very glad to see you talk about is how teachers will broach this subject with their administrators, as they attempt to teach this book in school, but also how they will talk about it with their students in the classroom. I think this is one of the more important issues we need to talk about, and while students need to be aware, and understand the danger, I don't think they need to become overwhelmed by fear. I think researching the best ways to discuss rape and forces prostitution will be a great addition to your presentation and will hopefully help you teach 'Sold,' or a similar text later in your career.

    ReplyDelete

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