 |
| A commerically sexually exploited youth, CSEC |
MISSSEY is one of a number of non-profit organizations working to educate the public about the tragedy of Commercially sexually exploited youth also known as CSEC, on the streets of Oakland California and beyond. This child sexual enslavement is happening night and day, 24/7, NON-STOP, right here in our American communities. The work of educating people about the issue of childhood sexual enslavement is difficult because many of us have naive notions of what we're looking at when we see young girls "on the track". Generally speaking, we have concluded these exploited and abused children are simply "bad girls" who somehow brought on their own victimization.
We as a community don't view this issue of modern day slavery as a pressing one, and for that reason we aren't in a state of collective outrage and anger when we see frightened little girls walking the streets, identities concealed behind garish makeup, skimpy clothes and stilettos. We don't have a desire to rescue our girls. Truly, we don't claim them as ours. We conclude they're out there by there own accord.
Maybe we are hard-hearted because we are in denial. We Americans want to believe human trafficking only happens in "third world nations". When we are hit with the hard truth, our response is disbelief and denial, and that reaction cuts across race and class. Even in the impacted communities where the children are plainly and visibly being sold on the ghetto streets, there is denial.
In a way, this denial of what's right before our eyes is understandable. After all, who wants to believe that sexual trafficking of our daughters is happening right on our doorsteps? How did we allow it to come to this? How did we drop the ball so completely and so many of our children are CSEC? This is very hard for us to deal with, so we continue in our feigned ignorance. Unfortunately our denial is the currency that the predators of our children bank on. And they clock mad dollars. With the community approval by default, our sons pick up the mantle of brutality, the same ways that the overseers of their great great grandfathers. Our sons hardens their souls and sell the precious bodies of our daughters. And we wonder why are families are torn apart. Our neighborhoods have become auction blocks, and our children are the chattel, to the tune of $50 or more a trick, depending on which auction block. Some slaves cost more than others. White slaves being the most valuable. Twelve year old girls are forced to "service" ten or more sexually and spiritually depraved men a night. The men of suburbia leave their women and come and relieve the sexual demons they picked up from watching internet pornography, into the innocent bodies and souls of our daughters. We briefly peek out our windows, then quickly close the curtains and pretend we saw nothing.
Yes, the pimps and johns are in cahoots. They know the community will do nothing to stop them. The Game is running rampant. Pimps get to work breaking in the girls, the same way their great great grandmothers were broken by slave masters centuries before. The brothers unleash brutal beatings and torture on their young confused sisters, effectively breaking their spirits, minds and bodies for the suburban johns' wicked delight. Those johns then perform various sexually deranged acts on our daughters. Oh! You thought the johns were only interested in having little sexual quickies. No, that's passe. These men don't leave their wives and girlfriends behind in Walnut Creek to come down to East Oakland for gentle sexual pleasures in the hood. They often act out vicious sexual fantasies, domination and abuse they watched in their internet pornos, things that they wouldn't dare ask or even want their own women to do for them. Because we as a community are in denial, by default we are in cahoots with our own genocide.
Yes sadly, we turn our eyes in defeat and shame from the half naked pre-teen girls tottering on mile-high stilettos. Where do these girls come from? Who are they, who are their families? Do we ask? Do we care? The human traffickers, aka pimps, aka enslavers, are literally kidnapping innocent girls off the streets of their home towns. While on their way to school or to the store, they disappear into thin air. It's just like what happened to our people in Africa centuries ago. We watch the news and learn of yet another girl declared missing. At least the white girls are reported missing. Just disappeared into thin air. In a deep state of denial, we refused to put two and two together.
Denial is a strange thing. Deep down in the spirit, it knows the truth. But because the truth hurts, denial turns away and pretends that it doesn't understand or that the issue doesn't exist. This is what's going on in our cities everyday. People are too afraid to face the truth - that they have abandoned their children to the devourers, something they wouldn't even allow to happen to dogs. A huge fuss is always made when we learn that dogs and other animals are being abused.
People, it's time to pull our heads out of the sand and learn about what's actually going on. What is happening in the life of a girl staring out from vacant, deadened eyes. How can we bring life and hope back to her? Learn of the organizations and people who are fighting this genocide and get on board with some of them. Give them your support, donate resources, join in the fight and start working to end sexual slavery of youth in your neighborhood.
Here's a list of a few modern day abolitionists who are hard at work in the Oakland Bay Area.
Love Never Fails Recently organized Walk The Track this past August to bring awareness to the hood and show solidarity with the young victims.
Misssey
Prostitution Research and Education Recently held a Power Brunch this past September to bring further awareness and raise needed funds.
CASE Act Yes on 35 Ongoing battle to pass Proposition 35, which will force johns to pay much higher penalties when caught victimizing CSEC
Victory Outreach Oakland
United Roots
BAWAR
Re-Generation Church Oakland
