Responsible semantics should not be underrated.
The words we use when we communicate, especially when talking about Christian ministries when we’re raising funds to support them, are extremely important.
Take, for example, the overuse {and misuse} of the term “human trafficking.” Honestly, two years ago, I was fairly confused about it, too. I painted most of the global sex industry with general “trafficking/slavery” terminology, especially, I’m afraid, in those first support-raising newsletters we hammered our unsuspecting friends with. But, two years and a couple months into life and work in SouthEast Asia, I am beginning to understand a little more.
Human Trafficking. The social injustice of modern day slavery is quickly becoming a buzzword– an issue stars like Lucy Lu are tackling and a leading focus of politicians like Hillary Clinton. MTV and CNN {The Freedom Project} have campaigns committed to keeping the issue on a global stage, and there are new movies, like Nefarious and the MTVExit videos, that highlight the realities of the 20-some million people who are forcibly held against their will, either in labor camps or in sexual slavery today. {You can read here some recent words Clinton shared with the international community on the issue.}
It is true that as I type this, there are young girls and women {and some boys} who are physically locked behind closed doors, who are threatened with their family’s safety, and who are paying off debts by servicing men in brothels. Estimates are, in fact, that there are about 4.5 million women and children forced, by coercion or abuse, into the sex industry today.
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Prostitution. Another heartbreaking reality for many women globally is that of prostitution, involving around 40 million women in this, the “oldest profession in the world.” In this part of SouthEast Asia, as is the case in much of the world, many women turn to prostitution because there are very little economic opportunities elsewhere, particularly for those born in impoverished areas. Couple the fast money even an uneducated woman can make with the pressure to provide for her family, and add that to the widespread cultural acceptance of the sex industry, and prostitution quickly becomes a viable option– sometimes seemingly the only one.
But, here’s the thing we are learning in our {very meager} two years working in the counter-trafficking community of NGO’s here in Asia– fighting human trafficking and reaching out to prostitutes is not the same thing.
And while obviously there is a fuzzy margin of gray between the two, we often see “ministry to bar girls” pegged under the “fighting human trafficking” banner– an example of unintentionally irresponsible communication, in my opinion. Because there are 40 million prostitutes, working mostly by choice, compared to the {much smaller} 4.5 million trafficked victims, trapped in the sex industry by force. And while you could make valid arguments that poor women don’t have much of a choice to begin with, economically-speaking, most prostitutes come to bars, and then stay in bars, not by outright force or coercion {as is the case with trafficked victims}.
Both situations for women {and some men} are heartbreaking, nonetheless. Heartbreaking.
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And, so, who really cares what we call what? Why do the semantics really matter anyway? It’s all ministry helping women who are poor, undervalued and often abused, right? What does it matter what we call it in our newsletters and ministry-pitches?
Well, it does matter. Greatly. Because we have seen firsthand the subtle damage that can be done by Westerners who barge into red light districts assuming they are fighting modern day slavery and who raise funds under that belief, but then teach English to prostitutes who are working in the industry by choice. And while it is good that awareness is being raised for the issue of slavery, and while it is absolutely a loving thing to reach out to those working in the sex industry {especially by providing them with other work opportunities}, it is not the same thing as rescuing victims of trafficking or slowing down the economic machine that makes the sale of flesh so lucrative.
And I wonder if the funds, efforts and organizations that do effectively fight modern day slavery become diluted by the myriad of well-inentioned people that jump on the bandwagon under its name.
And as we write blogs and post Facebook pictures, as we give talks in churches and raise money for trips under the tagline of “fighting human trafficking,” we can unintentionally promote false assumptions about the issue– that lots of people are working on the problem and that it’s generally an easy one to fight. Both of which, we are finding, are grossly inaccurate.
And while we do need to paint with grace-strokes any kind of ministry begun with pure hearts, we also need to hold each other to a standard of honest, responsible communication in the Christian missionary / humanitarian arena. We need to be sure that we are not ourselves becoming salespeople with a thirst for the Hollywood-dramatic. We need to do better about researching our statistics before we include them as facts in our newsletters, and we need to be more committed to honestly assessing the purpose and scope of the ministries we are involved with {and give financially to}.
And just because we’re Christians in ministry with hearts to do good like Jesus doesn’t mean we have some kind of Get Out of Jail Free card for false advertising or sloppy communication.
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Disclaimer One. We have only worked in this specific arena for nearly two years. We will be the first to admit there are many amazing people who have sacrificed more and who know so. much. more than we do about the issues of sexual slavery and prostitution. Absolutely.
Disclaimer Two. I am not a perfect communicator. My facts oftentimes could be more researched– Google only goes so far, I know. I have no doubt at times I’ve written in ways that someone else smarter, or purer, than me would say is irresponsible. I’ll accept this, too.
Disclaimer Three. Reaching out in love to those working in the sex industry– prostitutes, pimps, bar owners – is a beautifully loving thing. Some of the most inspirational people we met last year are doing just that in Bangkok. You can see a video interview of them here. And, not to speak out of both sides of my mouth, but it is true that there are freedom and exploitation issues surrounding the vast majority of prostitutes. In the words of Daniel Walker, an undercover investigator into the sex industry,
“I would be doing them {prostitutes} a gross disservice to pretend that there are not degrees of freedom and more subtle forms of exploitation involved in every case. What broke my heart on many occasions was hearing the stories of women who were equally enslaved by poverty, sexism, gender inequality or addiction. While they fell outside the narrow legal definition of ”forced” or “trafficked” and were therefore beyond our ability to assist, they longed for an alternative means of survival and for the opportunity to escape the invisible chains that held them.” – God in a Brothel
and a Teaser: Later this week, I’ll hopefully {as I have time– my sister is visiting!} talk about if this same principle of reserving certain terms for certain things applies to the using the label of ”missionary” or not.
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Thoughts? Do semantics matter? Am I being too cynical? Other examples of the misuse of drama to raise money for a cause or people’s opinions of ourselves? Lemme have it.
LauraParkerBlog.com.
