Call + Response.

On Monday, I got the chance to go see Call + Response, a documentary dedicated to exposing the truth about human trafficking. On the Web site, the following is written about the film:

:: Call + Response is a first of its kind feature documentary film that reveals the world's 27 million dirtiest secrets: there are more slaves today than ever before in human history. Call + Response goes deep undercover to where slavery is thriving from the child brothels of Cambodia to the slave brick kilns of rural India to reveal that in 2007, Slave Traders made more money than Google, Nike and Starbucks combined.

Luminaries on the issue such as Cornel West, Madeleine Albright, Daryl Hannah, Julia Ormond, Ashley Judd, Nicholas Kristof, and many other prominent political and cultural figures offer first hand accounts of this 21st century trade. Performances from Grammy-winning and critically acclaimed artists including Moby, Natasha Bedingfield, Cold War Kids, Matisyahu, Imogen Heap, Talib Kweli, Five For Fighting, Switchfoot, members of Nickel Creek and Tom Petty's Heartbreakers and Rocco Deluca move this chilling information into inspiration for stopping it.

Music is part of the movement against human slavery. Dr. Cornel West connects the music of the American slave fields to the popular music we listen to today, and offers this connection as a rallying cry for the modern abolitionist movement currently brewing. ::

The film is also known as a "rockumentary" because it focuses on the use of music to convey the issues to viewers. Clips of interviews and footage were interspersed with musical performances.

The proceeds from DVD sales, movie tickets and iTunes purchases, amongst other methods of sales, go to projects to eradicate the world of human slavery. The creators of the film want to involve the community in order to not only spread the word of this problem but also to allow viewers to know that they have become part of the solution.

The film touched my heart for a number of reasons. Unrelated to the movie was the fact that my darling best friend, Karli Megan King, had been tirelessly serving the C+R staff as an intern in their Oakland office for the past few months. It is so cool that she got to be a part of something this life-changing. As far as the film goes, it was obviously moving because the images of children and innocent men and women being trafficked to make some wealthy, lazy businessman a profit are horrifying. But I was most struck by the scene that focused on the slave trade that occurs on Lake Volta in northern Ghana. Pam, Randy and the other volunteers for Touch a Life Foundation (who I went to Ghana with) rescue children off of this man-made lake and take them to the Village of Hope Orphanage for rehabilitation, education and proper health care. Because the body of water is man-made, there are trees rooted at the bottom of the lake, and fishing nets frequently get stuck on the branches hidden underwater. Slave children (who were most likely sold to their masters by their parents) are forced to dive into the freezing water without wet suits to untangle the nets. One of the boys I met at the the Village of Hope, Famous, was forced to go underwater and when he reached the net, he accidentally touched an electric eel and was shocked. When he resurfaced, he was terrified, in pain and had forgotten the net. His master told him, bluntly, to shut up and go back under the water, that he couldn't come up for air until he had untangled the net and allowed for the fishing to proceed. Famous was five years old.

The film was undeniably difficult to watch but it was also incredibly inspiring. One of the interviewees made a really great point: Initially, society is in a state of obliviousness, not knowing about the problems that exist in the world. When society is informed of certain problems, including human trafficking, most people fall into a world of despair, feeling that the issue is too big for them to eradicate.

I know for a fact that the latter is not true. No matter how significant and overwhelming a problem may appear, we have the power to change the world. The C+R Web site lists a variety of ways that you can get involved in improving the world we live in:

1. Tell others. Expose the truth about modern-day slavery. Make sure everyone knows the 27 million dirtiest secrets.
   
2. Invest in change. Support those on the front lines and enable them to make a difference. Help fund the most effective projects to reduce slavery and care for its victims.
3. Join the network. Connect with other abolitionists in your area and with organizations addressing the issue.
   
4. Consume wisely. Hold businesses accountable and ask corporations to join the fight. Email companies to ensure that their products are slave-free.
   
5. Volunteer. Volunteer with a local anti-trafficking organization.
   
6. Watch. Keep an eye out and don’t turn away. If you suspect slavery or exploitation, call the national trafficking hotline: 888-3737-888.
7. Text. Text RESPOND to 90999 to donate $5 to a project.
8. Write. Submit an op-ed. Encourage newspapers, magazines and television stations to publish or to write stories about modern-day slavery, and how to stop it.
9. Map it. Document slavery in your area.
10. Tourism matters. Visit the Trafficking In Persons Report from the State Department. Find out which countries are the worst trafficking offenders. Write a letter to their travel bureau and tell them you won’t visit the country until they address the issue.
11. Purchase. Buying products made by survivors helps ensure their self-sufficiency.
12. Make help available. Place coasters at bars and sleeves for coffee cups to promote the hotline (888-3737-888). In public places, disseminate posters, brochures and other materials about trafficking.
    
13. Organize. Organize your community to address the issue in your area.
14. Advocate for change. Call or write your elected officials. Tell them that you care about the issue of human trafficking and want stronger laws to protect victims. Keep telling them.
15. Give healthcare. Help collect and pack medical supplies and equipment to be sent to shelters for survivors.
16. Walk. Global March has freed over 60,000 slaves in India. Their marches promote education for children instead of forced labor and exploitation.
17. Cybervention. Make sure trafficking does not happen on the internet. Keep an eye on Craigslist and advertising spaces.
18. Fight sex tourism. Ask travel agencies, hotels and tour operators to sign the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children in Travel and Tourism.
19. Learn more. Continually update yourself on the issues at hand.
    
20. Prepare caretakers. Encourage healthcare providers and law enforcement officials to be aware of the signs of human trafficking.
21. Rescue victims. Pressure for raids of forced labor and slavery situations.
22. Do good business. Consult for anti-trafficking non-profits. Hire survivors of slavery. Ensure fair labor.
    
23. Go. Volunteer with organizations caring for survivors. Help build shelters. Teach English. Provide skills training. Ask the organization how you can help.
24. Assist victims. Volunteer at a local shelter for survivors. Help survivors access medical care and counseling, legal services, housing, a new job and companionship. Do a drive for supplies and donations to care for child victims of slavery.
25. Slave-free campuses. Start a group at your school or university, and make sure your campus is free of products made with slave labor.
26. Safeguard transportation. Ask airlines to provide training manuals to all their flight attendants on how to watch for victims being trafficked.
27. Motivate others. Post the Call+Response trailer on your Facebook pages. Join the cause. Join the causes of other organizations. Encourage your friends to do the same.
28. Love freedom. Give all you would spend on Valentine’s Day to buy freedom for slaves and to care for its victims.Tell those you love that you want them do the same.
29. Remember the facts. Memorize the statistics about child and sex slavery. Tell people.
30. Faith, schools and freedom. Help your faith community or school become an Abolitionist Organization.
31. Spread the word. Download posters from the C+R website and hang them in town and at school. Email to all your friends, family & coworkers the website link.
32. Get insights from the UN. Research the UN's discussions regarding human trafficking.
    
33. Do what you love. Use your talents to fight slavery. Do an art project and display it in a public place. Use a sports event to raise awareness and funds for the issue. Talk about the issue at a concert, or make it a benefit for survivors. Film a movie on the state of modern-day slavery. Write about the issue and post it on blogs.

The final suggestion is my favorite on the list. Use your passions, talents and gifts to support a cause. For me, Call + Response, Touch a Life and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are three causes that I am devoted to supporting. My life changed by getting involved with these causes, and I want to use my skills and talents to better the world in these specific areas. For you, other causes might tug on your heartstrings. It doesn't matter what you support; just stand for something.