Transitioning Times

We have been posting a lot lately about human trafficking, and as more people understand what it is, there is more media coverage.  When you learn more about human trafficking, a byproduct is that you learn more about sex work.  And whether talking about sex work, sexual abuse of children, or human trafficking, pimps come up. I am appalled that people still use this word in a positive way when bragging about their own, or another man's sexual prowess.  Pimps force, that's right, FORCE people, sometimes children, into working for them, through manipulation or fear.  Consider the words you are using: That man sleeps with so many women, he is a criminal who forces children into prostitution!  Not that sexy anymore, is it?

Working for a sexual assault center can be trying.  We have a prevention education department, a statewide coalition against rape, mandated child abuse reporting laws, Sexual Assault Response Teams, an awareness month, and still, people are victimized.   There are small movements of victory in this battle, and today, I stumbled upon one on the internet .   Two young women, students at Syracuse University, were discussing their experiences as sexual assault survivors and in an effort to combat sexual violence on theirs and other college campuses, they started an organization aimed at creating a movement where women  “become active operatives to stop a rape from happening.”  And The Girl Code Movement was born. What does this mean?  They want women to watch out for other women.  There have been other calls to action along these same lines, but this is done in such a way not to blame victims, but to encourage onlookers and bystanders to get involve...