Sex Slavery

In my blog post today, I would like to question how officials can expect these children, these minors, to tell the truth, to throw these people under the bus, and say that they were coerced into sex slavery. It is very naive of the Indian officials to just take the word of a 15 year old girl, who for 5 years was essentially brain washed into believing that she owes a debt, that she has never accrued, and that paying it back can only occur through the sacrifice of their body.

Children can be easily coerced and they can be forced to lie. Trying to imagine what these children have been through, why would these officials expect these children to tell the truth? To defy this brainwashing that has become so intrinsic to them - that essentially keep them alive - wouldn't be conducive to their survival (even if it does more good than they can possibly realize). These children know how to act to keep themselves from receiving punishment and the punishment from these pimps is far worse than lying to the authorities.

As for those who would oppose this idea of brainwashing, referencing to the study of Robert Jay Lifton, he was able to determine steps to brainwashing during the late 1950s. These steps are: 

1. Assault on identity
2. Guilt
3. Self-betrayal
4. Breaking point
5. Leniency
6. Compulsion to confess
7. Channeling of guilt
8. Releasing of guilt
9. Progress and harmony
10. Final confession and rebirth

(http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/brainwashing1.htm) 

For those within sex trafficking, just take a step by step walk through this.

1. By throwing these children into sex trafficking, their identity is attacked. They are not young girls who deserve a childhood. 

2. They tell these girls that if they do not participate -  their village suffers, their home benefits from their service, that they have a debt that must be paid.

3. The girls begin to agree and accept this idea that they owe their village or that they have a debt to pay. 

4. These girls reach their breaking point as described as:The target may have lost his grip on reality and have the feeling of being completely lost and alone. When the target reaches his breaking point, his sense of self is pretty much up for grabs -- he has no clear understanding of who he is or what is happening to him. At this point, the agent sets up the temptation to convert to another belief system that will save the target from his misery. - these girls become homesick and attempt to accept this life as a sex slave.

5. The 'house mothers' are kind to the girls when they get homesick and  "who had never forced her to have sex when she was ill" (Kristof). They help them. In this sick and twisted way, they get these girls to believe that they are kind to them in such a grievous state of emergency.

6.As a definition: "The target may feel a desire to reciprocate the kindness offered to him, and at this point, the agent may present the possibility of confession as a means to relieving guilt and pain." The girls may feel this need to return the favor by doing their service without running away or fuss. 

7. "The target's guilt has lost all meaning" - the girls have no meaning in what they do - just that they do it. They continue to do. The discussion between Kristof and one of the sex slaves - she just casually answered questions without much grief, just an odd acceptance. 

8.The girls may find refuge in accepting the ideals of prostitution to escape the shame and guilt they feel being a prostitute. 

9.The pimps then offer the girls a 'good' way to live - that by being lent out to others for nights of sexual acts is good. That they are slowly paying off their debt. 

10. This last step can only be shown when the girl has the ability to leave. Srey Mom stated that she was so frightened to leave because she was afraid that her family and village would not accept her back. She was so afraid that she contemplated staying in the institution that accepted her. The institution that brainwashed her into thinking that what she does is acceptable - while her old belief system (her community) may react unknowingly. 

Just to reiterate my point, these girls become brainwashed, either through an abstract point of view or through actual force. I do not see how the officials( who seek to arrest these pimps) could rely on the victims of this brainwashing trade. They need other means to attack this problem - to arrest these pimps.