I’m very passionate about educating, equipping, and empowering women to make healthy choices for their wellbeing….this covers mind, body, soul and spirit. However, after watching a movie today, I’m having to stop and reflect about what I do, who I am, and what I believe.
I don’t take a lot of time to watch movies but a free Redbox rental prompted me to stop at a Redbox location to pick a movie. I decided on, Whistleblower. Whistleblower is a movie based on the real-life experience of Kathryn Bolkovac. She was a police officer in Nebraska who served as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia. She uncovered a human trafficking scandal and outed the UN for covering it up. If you have not watched it, I highly recommend it.
I wept as I watched it…and the reality of human trafficking disturbed me to my very core. The very idea that children/teens are sold into slavery in 2012 is incomprehensible. AND, it doesn’t just happen in other countries….it happens here in the United States. We’re supposed to be civilized….slavery ended years ago, right?
I have two beautiful nieces…Eleighna is 17 and Morgan is 11; and all I could think about while watching the movie is that those girls were daughters, nieces, granddaughters, sisters….. Even now as I type, tears are coming to my eyes because I’ve been made more aware that beautiful, innocent girls are being hurt, beat, and raped right now all around the world. (I do realized that boys are sold, too – but girls are more at risk and are a higher percentage of the statistics.) This is NOT something we can pretend doesn’t exist just because we are comfortable and our loved ones are safe. We cannot choose apathy or complacency.
I choose apathy if I do not do something with the information I learned today. I went on Twitter to see if Kathryn was on Twitter…did not find her there. I googled her name and found her official webiste. I then contacted her and informed her that I watched the movie and would purchase the book and then asked her what I could do on a daily basis to help with this human rights issue.
As a woman, I cannot be at rest or at peace if other women are being sold as property. These children/teens do not have a choice in what is happening to them. Many of them are kidnapped/stolen and then sold into a life of sex slavery. They do not have the freedom/privilege to choose health and wellbeing – someone else is choosing for them. Their health and wellbeing is being stolen from them.
I cannot just ignore this. Social injustice…inequality….slavery… My ancestors were fighting against these same issues years ago…..They fought for my freedom…that I would have the same rights as a man…. Now it is my turn to do the same for others. I’m not really sure what that means for me… Maybe I use social media to spread the word…. Maybe I give of my finances ….. Maybe I give of my time….. I will have to explore and discover what are my options.
All I know is if I’m as passionate as I say I am about my purpose, my mission, and my beliefs, then I will act accordingly….and that is a choice I must make for my own wellbeing.
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Angela Prather 
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