DEFINING HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Organized criminal activity in which human beings are treated as possessions to be controlled and exploited (as by being forced into prostitution or involuntary labor).
Although the legal definition of human trafficking is complex, its simple meaning is not. It is the act of buying or selling people or making money from work they are forced to do, such as sex work. The fight against human trafficking has three components: the prosecution of traffickers, the protection of trafficked persons, and the prevention of trafficking.
Almost every country in the world is affected by trafficking in some way, whether as a country of origin, transit, or destination for victims.
Survivor Stories
"We worked 24 hours a day because the sessions were timed; if the customer exceeded the time limit, they would knock on the door, and the client would leave, but another client who had been waiting for his turn would come in." It didn't matter if you were on your period or not; nothing mattered."
Fatima Pena'
Undercover Special Agent
"a person with a female voice was heard telling a man that she doesn't care if girls eat or don't eat if they are sick or healthy, but that women have to fulfill the service.."
Agent P
Survivor Stories
"I was physically and emotionally abused every day, and I was afraid to escape because I had no idea where I was or how to get home. I was trapped in a cycle of abuse and trauma, and I felt like there was no way out."
Survivor of Sex Trafficking.
Human Trafficking in the Martial Arts Movies
In the last couple of years, human trafficking has been spotlighted by Hollywood and Martial arts films, for example, the film Merantau (2009), starring Iko Uwais, the film Six Bullets (2012), starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, which is about an ex-mercenary that is hired by a famous mixed martial arts fighter to find his kidnapped daughter, and the movie Skin Trade (2015) starring Tony Jaa just to name a few.
You don't have to be a martial arts action movie star to do your part in the fight against trafficking. As a martial arts professional, it is important to notice the signs of trafficking in order to take action. This is why MAAT was created.