THE SILENT CHILDREN will be a long-form documentary film with a compelling and original point of view. Drawing upon the unique talents and experience of its filmmaker, it will take the viewer deep into a world that exposes the truths of child sexploitation, and human trafficking. In keeping with the great tradition of hard-hitting investigative film journalism, and through privileged access, the film will follow several never before seen scenarios.
Ranging from shocking exposé to uplifting redemption, our approach will always be fresh and engaging. As we send field teams to film in distant locations, we will deal with subject matter that presents a world-view of this growing humanitarian crisis. At times we will present an overview of the problem, at other times we will follow individual stories of heroism.
Our on-screen presentations will provide both informative material as well as riveting drama that will burn the screen with it’s intensity and impact. Designed for both theatrical and broadcast presentation, it is our intention to present a film that will affect the world we live in, while demanding award-winning attention.
USA:
300,000 children in the U.S. are at risk every year for commercial sexual exploitation. – U.S. Department of Justice 600,000 – 800,000 people are bought and sold across international borders each year; 50% are children, most are female. The majority of these victims are forced into the commercial sex trade. (Source: U.S. Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, Washington, D.C.)
An estimated 14,500 to 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States each year. The number of U.S. citizens trafficked within the country is even higher, with an estimated 200,000 American children at risk for trafficking into the sex industry (Source: U.S Department of Justice Report to Congress from the Attorney General on U.S. Government Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons.)
Investigators and researchers estimate the average predator in the U.S. can make more than $200,000 a year off one young girl. (Source: NBC Report by Teri Williams)
Types of Enslavement:
While we speak primarily about the sexual slavery of children and young women, the full spectrum of slavery/trafficking that we will deal with are:
Sexual Slavery
Sugar daddy relationship, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy. An estimated 2.5 million children, the majority of them girls, are sexually exploited in the multibillion dollar commercial sex industry.
Child Soldiers
Forced conscription into child militias or general military service.
Bonded Labor
Child sweatshops, or generational slavery inherited from parent’s enslavement.
Domestic Servitude
Children purchased to serve family domestic needs.
Regardless of all these categories, the sexual exploitation of these children typically comes into play. For example, female child soldiers are often forced to “be wives” of older soldiers, domestic servants are often raped by their master, sweatshop kids are sexually exploited by facility managers, etc. Basically, once a child becomes any type of slave, their owners believe they can have their way with them sexually also.
Most children, after being tricked, forced or coerced into slavery, are then trafficked away from their point of origin. That could mean being taken from their village and into the city, or from one country to another. Typically, it’s from poorer areas to richer areas (from places of greater need and vulnerability to places of more affluence and opportunity). But the trafficking also occurs to simply remove a child from a place of familiarity to one of confusion and dependence.
Some Problem Areas to Explore:
Moldova to Turkey
Moldova is the poorest country in the former Soviet Bloc in Eastern Europe. Many of its women and children are tricked into “good jobs” overseas. In addition, Moldova is known as the organ trafficking hub for the region: children are trafficked to wealthy countries to then have their organs (typically kidneys) harvested. There currently are prevention/awareness programs in Moldova, also establishing rescue and safe house programs in Turkey, where many of these kids end up.
Nepal to India
Many of the street kids in Kathmandu are grabbed before the age of eight and trucked to brothels in New Delhi and Bombay. Intervention and rescue programs try to get as many of these kids out of the system as possible.
Burma (Myanmar)
Between the military dictatorship and the various rebel factions (both of which use child soldiers), Burma has the largest number of children in forced military service in the world. Our partners have rescue safe houses in both Burma and across the border in Thailand. We are also exploring work with this same partner in Sri Lanka and Mexico (rescue of kids from the drug cartels).
http://thesilentchildren.com/
