Question 1: I had this story in my NGO paper but feel it belongs on this post as well. When I was in Moldova a few summers ago volunteering at a camp put on for kids who are in social services, we visited the house of a couple girls who got to attend the camp. Their home was made of concrete and had dirt floors. I actually do not remember there being any doors to keep people out of the house. Three young girls lived there with their grandmother. Grandma was never around because she had to work nonstop to keep ownership of the house and provide for the girls.
A couple blocks down from the girls’ house was a giant, ornate building with walls around it. Surrounded by the concrete houses it looked like a palace of sorts. We were told that this was a trafficking house where men, predominately from the Middle East, came to buy women. The girls were one bad night from being abducted and never seen again; it was an awful reality that they had to live with.
The reality was made worse by the fact that they were missing their mother because her sister had sold her into sex slavery. The girls potentially live 100 meters from the men who had purchased and sold their mother. I remember my mom’s despondence as we drove away seeing the young girls walking the street outside their home waving goodbye and completely vulnerable to the blight on humanity that was just down the street.
https://ec.europa.eu/anti-trafficking/member-states-0_en
This website says that Moldova is mostly a source area for sex traffickers. The site states that the number of victims in Eastern Europe has been on a slight decline, but the battle is far from over. Cooperation from the government and local nations have tried to block the trade across borders, and hopefully the decreased numbers means it is working.
2: The Born Free article outlines three of the goals that seek to end trafficking by fighting some form of injustice like employment, equality and inclusivity. Under the fifth goal in the Sustainable Development Goals, the article says that drafters specifically called for an end to human trafficking. As noted in class though, the problem with these lofty goals is that laws are already in place to prevent trafficking. Slavery is already against the law, but this happens anyways. The article states that it is an industry worth over $100 billion.
Some institutions have tried to educate staff to recognize victims, but this is clearly a hit or miss system. Programs have been developed to support girls’ education and awareness about the dangers. Education and economic development could also be important for preventing these girls from using their bodies as a last resort to make a living. People in positions of power have no way to measure some of these things though, so it can be tough to finance. The article noted that social plights like this can often fall prey to public whims. Often one awful thing grips the public’s attention and gets all the private investments until another gripping story pulls viewers away. This cannot end up another story like that. As with the Civil Rights movement, this needs to be a unified societal push for change to make the best difference.
3: AI programming has the potential for dangerous outcomes because they are programmed largely by men. This programming, whether intentional or not, incorporates some natural biases. Men and women often think and react differently in situations. Balancing these reactions to create the best response would make the AI its most helpful self. Unfortunately, the engineering industry is predominately male. Society needs a way to bolster those numbers naturally by promoting those types of programs for girls and encouraging them to pursue those interests without sexist backlash or discrimination.
Globalization 3510W 