If and when I return I intend to address this oversight.  I will be collecting stories, giving names to the numbers.  It is how I want to live out my days and I am already looking into ways I will be able to do so.  Hopefully I will be able to share with everyone what I have in the works very soon.  Still, there is much work to be done.

The following are a few of the moments in which I should have invested more time.  I wish I could tell you their names.  I wish.

The American dream was at one time all about having a good job, a home, a safe place to raise a family, a decent retirement.  Now, it has simply disolved into abstract concepts like being famous, being rich, having more.  Our society has lost all understanding of the word enough.  It has led to our economic crisis and worse than that it has infected much of the world as well.  So as I walked down the streets in Bangkok I couldn’t help but see how this place was born out of our desires to live this idealized lifestyle.  You can live the extravagant life, you can get the girl, you can feel powerful and important…all for pennies on the dollar. Look at this image for example…

All the men are accompanied by young beautiful girls who are ready to address any desire they may have.  The girls are groomed to play into the fantasy.  This is the new dream…this is the life we’ve been advertised.  But what is the real cost?  Is this really how we should be living?

In my travels all I really saw was the most obvious of the sex trade industry and it was quite disturbing.  What keeps me awake at night is knowing that what I witnessed is the most tame and merely the tip of the iceberg of a multi-billion dollar industry.  The above sign initially struck me as funny.  I appreciated the truth in the advertising.

But the real truth lies in how the young women above got to where they are today.  The story of their journey from their village to standing outside the bar attempting to entice men inside.  Even more, I am curious the life the unborn child will live.

For myself, I want to rediscover the meaning of enough.  I want to go back over these and dig deeper and tell the story more completely.  I want live the kind of dream that does not harm others in the process.  I want to live in a way that helps others rather than distorting our understanding what a successful life looks like.

I don’t really know where I am going with this, just needed to get it off my chest.

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This was the place where Dateline NBC filmed its show about child sex trafficking.  90% of the children in this community have been sold at least once (by sold I mean rented though some have been trafficked away from their homes and families.)  Typically it is the mothers that sell their children because the children are more trusting of their mothers.  In fact, while we were walking around the neighborhood a woman offered us her daughter who was no more than 7 years old for $5 US.  Needless to say I was speechless.  There really are no words for such an experience and that girl’s face continues to both haunt me and motivate me to do my part in addressing this global tragedy.

On a positive note there is a place called Rahabs House.  It is a former child brothel that now operates as a community center working with kids and families to educate them against predators and to offer refuge to those in need.  Little remains of the buildings former use though they have kept one room in tact.

The youngest and the prettiest girls were kept in a room upstairs at the front of the building.  The were occasionally paraded out onto the balcony to entice potential customers.  This is the view from that room.

And finally, here is an image of a bed of a girl rescued out of a similar circumstance as that scene above.  It is the beginning of a life being restored. As bad as this problem is there are some success stories.  It is important to keep that in mind.  Progress is being made.

I also wanted to be sure to give everyone an update on iEmpathize and the progress that has been made since our trip.  At the beginning of this year they were invited to participate in the national Campus Crusade conference which took place in Denver.  In the short notice given they were able to put together an interactive exhibit of sorts which included artifacts, video footage, sound recordings and images from the trip.  The response was incredible to say the least.  They have received invites from groups at close to 20 colleges and univerities to do similar events.  They made strong connections with representatives from the International Justice Mission (IJM).  Most importantly the touched the hearts of many of the students and staff in attendance and inspired a new group of abolitionists.  I can hardl weight until iEmpathize has its official launch in the Spring.

As for my relationship with iEmpathize and the issue of sexual slavery, the trip and my collaboration with Brad, Tim, and Jesse was so successful that we are already discussing plans for the next trip which we are hoping will include India.  Brad has related many positive reactions people have had to the images which has been so encouraging.  Still, I know I can do better and want to go further, dig deeper, and tell more stories of those living beneath the yoke of slavery on a daily basis.  Thank you so much for your investment in me and this dream.  This experience has truly opened me up to a part of myself that has been hidden for much too long.

One thing I feel I should say, there are some images (in my opinion some of the best images) that I cannot in good conscience post on the internet.  In this situation it is important to protect the identities of at risk children and those trapped in the sex trade.  These images can be displayed in controlled environments like the iEmpathize exhibits, but the internet is much too public a forum.  I hope there will come a day when you will be able to see some of them.  Until them I will continue to post those images suitable for online publication.

Having had about a week to myself and trying to come to some sort of resolution so I could post some images with some nice or not so nice stories I realize I can’t do it.  The things I experienced can’t be resolved.  They don’t make sense and they shouldn’t.  There really is no logical explanation how human beings can do this to one another or allow it to continue and I shoulder much of the guilt myself.  It has taken me this long to engage and it has absolutely taken hold of me.  I will go back and I will meet more people and hear their stories.  I will share them with who ever will listen until human trafficking is a distant memory.

So, rather than a story with pictures I will post images and let them be.  I can say that both Thailand and Cambodia are absolutely beautiful places and the people are very kind.  I see my own humanity in them.  I saw my daughter in every little girl and my son in every little boy.  They are not “the other” in need of our pity.  They are our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, in need of our voice and our empathy.

So, here are some of the people whose paths crossed mine.

There is a symbiotic relationship between all transportation professionals and the sextrade.  While in Bangkok, every time we got into a cab or Tuk-tuk we were offered access to “massages” and “pretty ladies.”  Many of these drivers get kickbacks from the bars, brothels and massage parlors when they bring in business.  What that means is a constant barrage of sex marketing from the moment you leave your hotel room.  It is relentless how you are preyed upon by this industry.

I don’t mean to paint these men as bad people.  They are trying to make a living the only way the know how.  I was surprised a few times by drivers.  We would have really great conversations about our lives and our families, but the moment was completely diminished when they offered to take me to “pretty ladies.”  We just got done talking about our love for our families, our sons, our daughters.  It seemed to be more of a conditioned response.  It is part of their service as a driver.  Still, it made it that much more challenging to love them.  Because I am a westerner, they see me as a sex seeker.  No matter what comes out of my mouth, that is ultimately what guides their thinking.

There was one shining example to the contrary.  While in Phnom Phen we developed a relationship with a driver named Song.  We met him outside of our hotel the day we arrived and he joined us on our very difficult journey navigating through some of the most difficult sights and sounds we encountered.  There was definitely a language barrier, but I think that as he took these Westerners to at risk neighborhoods and the Killing Fields he witnessed our hearts for these children and our desire to help.  He not only drove us from place to place, but also stood watch over our belongings and simply blessed us with his presence.  The second day he drove us he had arrived with a freshly washed and detailed tuk-tuk.  It did not go unnoticed and we were truly honored.  I am thankful for Song and how he broke the pattern of drivers we had had in such a kind and beautiful way.

I was too ambitious to think that I could articulate all that I was going through each day, all I was seeing and hearing and feeling.  The thought that at the end of the day I could put words to that, wrap it up in a nice posting at the end of each day with one or two fitting images was a bit shortsited.  I haven’t yet begun to unpack all that I experienced during the two weeks I was away, but in the coming weeks and months I fully intend to share the journey with you all.

The trip was very dense with very little time to process and decompress.  The team, myself included, had a job to do and we had no time for hand-holding or group therapy.  Our support for each other was tremendous, but primarily unspoken.  We all talked of a time when we had space enough and felt safe enough to come unglued.  I imagine that sometime in the near future I will be reduced to a weaping mound of human flesh.  Thankfully I have a visual record of my entire trip and as I revisit the journey I will find the words to express to the fullness of my ability a valid record of this transformational experience.

Below is some shots of the rest of the team.  First, Jesse and Tim, two extremely gifted and tremendous human beings.  Second, Brad, the guy who pushed us to our limits and encouraged us to be unapologetically ourselves.

AP photo

One of the bi-products of a nation in mourning is that some businesses are asked to close out of respect.  This created a truly amazing opportunity for us that we never would have imagined would happen.

There are actually several red light districts all over Bangkok and often they are associated with or are around night markets.  There is one in particular called Soi Cowboy that is only an alley filled with brothels.  On Friday night, Brad and I decided to go over there because we had heard that one of its claims to fame is that they walk an elephant up and down the alley.  Honestly, who doesn’t want to see an elephat up close.  When we arrived we were surprised to find that it was practically a ghost town.  All the neon was off and the plase was almost entirely deserted.  We soon discovered from several of the people that the brothels were closed because of the funeral of the King’s sister.  We were also encouraged to return on Monday when everything would be back to normal.

While we were here I was able to capture a few images inside these “bars” where typically there would be about 20 girls in matching bikinis with numbers pinned on crowded onto the stage. It is not often that this stage would be empty at 11:00pm on a Saturday night.  It is important to note and next to impossible to believe that prostitution is actually illegal in Thailand.

I expected to need some time to adjust to being here in Bangkok.  The obvious cultural differences and the 12-hour time difference are just a few things to which one must grow accustomed.  The difficulty comes when you have a limited amount of time and a lot to accomplish.  All of that to say that we have had to hit the ground running and already we have come face to face with realities for which we were unprepared.

We slept in on Thursday after a grueling 32 hours of travel.  Once we did emerge we got out to explore the neighborhood to find a restaurant.  The streets are lined with vendors of all kinds selling food, jewelry and the kinds of services you wouldn’t imagine a street vendor offering.  You could have a set of keys cut while another man was tailoring your pants all on the street.

We grabbed a late lunch then returned to the hotel.  About 7:00pm we ventured to the night market which is one of the most amazing things I have seen.  It operates from about 7:30 to midnight and the sell fake versions of just about everything you can imagine.  Bags, purses, watches, sunglasses, clothes are all available and very, very cheap.  The market itself is in the middle of an alley in one of Bangkok’s many Red light districts.  Surrounding the market on both sides are brothels and “bars” where you can pick up women.  The one thing I wasn’t prepared for was the aggressiveness with which the Thai people sell everything.  All you have to do is walked down the street and you are bombarded with salesmen selling sex shows or women trying to persuade you into coming in their bar.  It is truly relentless.  It is a place without limits and it is soul crushing to see how practically nothing is beyond the realm of possibilities if you have the money.

Below I have included the info iEmpathize sent out to its supporters to let them know about the trip. I thought it would be good to share with you a bit of what we are attempting to accomplish.

SE Asia Launch Trip – film, photography, partnership
In November a small team of empathizers will be taking a trip to SE Asia as a part of the launch of iEmpathize. Two CU film students and a photographer will join Brad for nearly two weeks of work in Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines. We will be in red-light districts, visiting neighborhoods and villages where children are at risk as well as in safe-homes where children are being restored. We will be producing four short-films, building our photography archives, and establishing field partnerships and projects. When we return we will be using the media we have gathered for the web, iE events, empathy experiences, and an art tour. We intend to use the media tools created from this trip for education, involvement, and extensive fund raising for work in the field.