The reason for the this riff is that I am saddened and yet hopeful. I am saddened because there is very little research in my chosen field of study. On the flip side, that also means I am hopeful because the the field is wide open for research. Of the 173 articles that I currently have in my human trafficking research pool, only three are counseling related and there are currently no articles in our “flagship” journals The Counseling Psychologist or The Journal of Counseling Psychology. The three articles below are all that I have been able to find related specifically to counseling. Thank you to the scholars who published them!

My personal movement forward has begun and I am awaiting news about my first poster presentation. In addition to that, I am currently working on a grant just for the experience points and preparing a talk for submission. Think about what you are doing and create some personal momentum. You can do it.

The post Mental Health and Human Trafficking Victims appeared first on Brian Bruijn.

One of my classmates told me a personal story of abuse that happened simply because of a sexual orientation difference. I am being deliberately vague because the details are not mine to share.

From my personal background this causes some internal conflict. On the one hand, I have very firmly held spiritual beliefs that do not appear congruent with what is being asked from those who live advocacy. On the other hand, one of the most important precepts of that belief system is to love others as I would love myself. So I have had to do some soul searching.

Now I find myself in an interesting quandary. One, do I dogmatically believe what I have been taught my whole life? Which, by the way, is not all based in love. Let’s face it, our worldview is partially shaped by those closest to us as we develop. Or two, do I forge a newer path that is sure to make a lot of people (especially people who have been close to me during my development) unhappy and worried about me?

Evil abounds when good people do nothing. It seems I have heard this somewhere before. I guess doing something and not just talking is the heart of advocacy. If one ascribes to my personal belief system (and let me be clear, I believe in the teachings of Jesus), then loving my neighbor as myself is essential. So, instead of looking through a lens of doctrine, how about we try an experiment and look through the lens of Jesus and see what we come up with. In other words, try doing what Jesus would do.

There are four words in the Greek language for love. So, for those who try to justify “righteous anger” or “just preaching the word” as an excuse for judging others, I looked up the word love used in the verse “love your neighbor”. In this case it was the same word that Jesus used when talking about His love for us. We say that Jesus loves everyone no matter what. If that is the case, then we need to follow His lead and love others no matter what.

When you make a judgment about another person are you only reading the cover, or have you explored the novel of his/her life? Because, no matter how much you think you know about people, there are always things that they are working through and those details are none of your business and you certainly do not have a right to judge.

The post Judging books by covers appeared first on Brian Bruijn.

This morning was fun though, I went to play disc golf for the first time. My wife had to work and I had the morning to spend with my daughter. I found out that she loves to run in wide open spaces. She also makes an excellent caddy for a two-year-old.

So, here I am again. Back to a personal blog about the life of Brian.

The post Life is starting to get full appeared first on Brian Bruijn.

I think this is the best way to describe what I feel about human trafficking and the fight for those who do not have a champion. My studies are in counseling psychology. My research interest is in helping survivors of trafficking recover from the atrocities afflicted on them. I know I am not alone. There are others who hear this cry. There are others who feel as if they have to do something. If each one of us would listen to the still, quiet, whisper and then act upon it, I believe that we could make a change that would forever make an effective difference in the lives of those suffering.

The post The cry is getting louder appeared first on Brian Bruijn.

What are appropriate levels of protest when one organization disagrees with another? In Oakland, California  a conference was being held to help end child sex slavery. H.E.A.T. (Human Exploitation and Trafficking) Watch is an organization that works with local NGO’s and government organizations to “increase the capacity of all child-serving professionals and communities to effectively respond to and combat commercial sexual exploitation of children.” Okay, they are trying to help save children from a life of sexual slavery.

The organization protesting the conference is called Oakland Occupy Patriarchy (OOP). An organization that is dedicated to “fighting the capitalist white supremacist Patriarchy in the oakland and the bay area.” Okay, a political agenda that means a lot to those who participate in rallies, protests, and other events organized by OOP.

What good comes from violence and aggression? The question may seem rhetorical, but it has a solid basis for query. Violence only serves to elicit fear and produce more violence. As a matter of fact, it is a tactic that is often used by slave owners and pimps to keep slaves “inline.” Utilizing this type of aggression to accomplish political means can also be defined as terrorism. Can it be said that if a group is fighting for rights, freedom, or liberation, then are they not really freedom fighters? Absolutely, this must be a consideration as one person’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter. However, when a system is in place that allows for non-violent protest and a means of accomplishing one’s objectives peacefully, that system can and should be utilized before resorting to violence and aggression.

What should organizations with fundamentally different agendas do to further similar causes?

First: Find points of agreement.
In the instance mentioned above, it could be assumed (at least hoped) that both groups agree that children forced into slavery (sexual or otherwise) is a bad thing. There may be no other common ground between the groups, but at least agreeing that children forced into prostitution is wrong would be a good start.

Secondly: Dialog about ways the organizations may be able to work together.
There is no need to be adversarial in every interaction. Aggressive responses make it difficult for cooler heads to prevail. Seek common ground instead of differences.

Finally: Find opportunities to share resources.
The fight against child sexual slavery should be a case of and/also (e.x. let’s work together and also help rescue people) instead of either/or (e.x. either we get the job done or you do, but not both). The fight against trafficking is not a zero-sum endeavor that caters to some and precludes others. It takes all types of services to help those who are enslaved and have been rescued.

Resources may be limited, but the fight to save kids from the child sex slavery industry is best fought together. Alienating one group or another only defeats the purpose of trying to rescue as many children as possible. Organizing and cooperating will accomplish more than creating division and strife.

References

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/are-occupy-oakland-members-in-favor-of-child-sex-trafficking-wait-until-you-read-what-theyre-saying/

http://pjmedia.com/zombie/2012/06/18/occupy-oakland-protests-in-favor-of-child-sex-trafficking/?singlepage=true

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=8700407

http://www.heat-watch.org/

http://www.facebook.com/events/114828361990337/

http://oaklandoccupypatriarchy.wordpress.com

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Below is a list of the psychological services that need to be established to effectively reintegrated victims back into society. Helping professionals have a duty to serve. How can one serve if one does not know what needs to be done? The list below is provided by the 2012 Trafficking in Persons Report from the US State Department.

Take a moment to familiarize yourself with some of what is necessary to reinstate psychological well being for trafficking survivors.

First a survivor needs a dependable safety network that she/he can gain access to ensure that all of her/his basic needs are met.

They need the assurance of privacy and confidentiality for self-protection and for the protection their families.

A supportive team of medical experts, social workers, and psychologists who are trained in human trafficking and can provide trauma-specific therapy is essential.

The need could also be physical and that needs to be considered in addition to psychological trauma.

There is a need to establish a collaborative therapeutic environment that is culturally sensitive.

Service providers need to foster an empowering environment in which victims can be active participants and consumers of therapy and other services.

Survivors need to be assessed for suicidal and self-injurious behavior.

Reliable and valid screenings need to be developed that measure post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse/dependence, depression, and anxiety.

Provide unconditional support, especially amidst victims’ potential denial, distrust, reticence, shame, or anger.

Working towards social and familial reintegration. Rebuilding identity and reestablishing skill-sets, self-esteem, and personal interests.

The list may be long, but through collaboration and dedication the helping professional community can come together and make a difference in lives of those rescued each year. Globally, of the millions of slaves, only a small percentage is identified as victims. For example, in 2011 42,291 victims of slavery were identified, 7,909 sought prosecution of the slave owner, and 3,969 slave owners were convicted. There is a lot of work to do and the time to start building the infrastructure to help is now.

The post A Call For Psychological Services for Slavery Survivors appeared first on Brian Bruijn.

Where does your region place?

• African Continent: 3.7 million
• Mexico and South America: 1.8 million
• Baltic States and Northern Asia: 1.6 million
• North America, Europe, Japan, and Australia: 1.5 million
• Middle East: 600,000

Some Additional Facts

The majority of the forced labor is in the sex industry and just under 25% of those enslaved in the sex industry are children. Of the total amount of slaves in the world, just over 25% are children. The worst offender against children are governments who force the child into slavery.

More women are enslaved than men and women account for over half of all enslaved persons in the world. Women also account for 98% of those in the sex slave industry.

9.1 million victims of slavery have either been moved from their homes or transported across international borders. That constitutes 44% of all people who are trapped in slavery. The biggest reason to move someone across the border is for sexual slavery.

Reference Link

http://www.ilo.org/washington/WCMS_181961/lang–en/index.htm

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The post The ILO’s Stance on Child Labor appeared first on Brian Bruijn.

In 2010, a 15-year-old was preparing to go to high school in the little town of Hilo, Hawaii. Her father was a pastor and her mother worked for a local non-profit. By all accounts, the girl was your average teen. However, when she arrived at school she made “friends” with some girls who were nothing more than “scouts” for a drug and prostitution operation. They got her addicted to meth and eventually stole her away from her family. When she was finally found her life was a mess and she had to go through an 18-month trauma recovery program.

I mention all of this to remind parents and communities that human trafficking is real and that there are people who prey on the innocent to accomplish their destructive and horrible ends. The video reminded me of how we should be aware of what is happening around us. One of the biggest tools that traffickers wield is anonymity. If we take that away, we can begin to shed some light on what really happens behind closed doors.

Reference Links

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c2#/video/crime/2012/06/11/dnt-teen-girls-charged-with-sex-trafficking.cbc
http://damontucker.com/2010/02/25/commentary-teen-drug-human-trafficking-concerns-in-hilo/

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I haven’t heard much lately about the case and it caused me to ponder. Come to think of it, I never found out how the case turned out. Then I started to think, “wow this is something that I care about and I just lost track.” We live in a media snippet saturated country (United States). If it isn’t current and on any of the big networks, we are not paying attention to it. While this may not be true for abolitionist who is in the thick of things every day, it is certainly true for the layperson who cares, but also has a life outside of abolition work.

It leaves me to wonder, how do we get the word out there on a more regular basis and keep modern day slavery fresh in the minds of people? It has to be done. With estimates of 14,000 people trafficked into the US each year and over 10-30 million trapped in slavery at any given time, it is a travesty that needs to be dealt with.

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