this one is heavy. (PG13)

As some of you may know, I have a dream.

It's been brewing in my mind and filling up my heart for several years now, and very soon (as in, the next step after I leave Taiwan) it will be time to roll my sleeves up and get to it.

My dream is to do yoga and dance therapy with women and girls who have been rescued from human trafficking. My theory is that people who have been abused and tortured and raped--especially as children--have had to completely "leave" their bodies. There is no way you could endure repeated trauma like that without somehow separating your mind and spirit from your body, a body that is bought and sold, a body where horrific things happen. A body that is constantly in a state of fear, shock, and pain.

For the ones who are lucky enough to get away, to get out, to attempt "recovery" and a "normal life," there are places to go. There are organizations that teach these women useful skills and help them get an education and a job. There are therapists who work with them to try to rebuild their trust, piece together their humanity, and assure them of their worth.

And I am so thankful for the work that these organizations do. But I see something missing from many of the rehabilitation programs. The body. What are these girls supposed to do with the container that holds their soul? They can't escape the place where all of their nightmares came true... they inhabit the reminder of their pain. I don't see how they can begin a journey of healing without acknowledging their body. My hope is that through yoga, a practice that makes your body strong and calm, and through dance, which is a language that expresses something words can't, people who have been separated from their physical selves post-traumatically can "move back in" to their bodies with peace and acceptance.

We are meant to live this life in our bodies. If they were of no importance, we would all just be spirits floating around. But we were given bodies to experience this world, to feel pleasure and pain, to taste, see, hear, and smell. We are entrusted with them, but we are given the choice. We can nourish, strengthen, and tend to them--or we can pollute, destroy, and abandon them. For victims of child prostitution and human trafficking, that gift of choice is taken away.

My dream is to give it back.

Last night I was talking with a co-worker whom I'll call "Andrew." Andrew's girlfriend, who I'll call "Vivian," is an Indonesian immigrant in Taiwan. There are many Indonesian and Vietnamese immigrants here in Taiwan--some legal and some not; the situation is somewhat similar to Mexican immigrants in the States. Vivian is a nanny for two small children and a caregiver for an elderly woman in a wealthy Taiwanese family. She works around the clock--her day beginning at around 7 AM when the children get up, and she gets to bed at around 2 AM, after helping the elderly woman. Vivian gets one day off per month. She earns a monthly salary approximately equal to $400 USD. Her employer pressures her to sleep with him almost every night--but as of yet, has not forced her. He does, however, hit and verbally abuse his wife in the privacy of their home. Andrew has spoken with several of Vivian's friends (other Indonesians here) who have been repeatedly raped and abused by their Taiwanese employers.

I am sick. Vivian and I are both young women who have come to this country with an expectation. For me--adventure and experience; for her--the chance to earn more money than she can at home. We are both foreigners here. We are both adjusting to the language, the culture, the food and the customs. We are both outsiders. We are both treated differently because we are not Taiwanese. But.

But I am, for the most part, respected. She is degraded. I am pointed at and giggled at and photographed as though I'm a celebrity. She is most likely ignored. I expect to be treated fairly at my job and I make more per hour than most Taiwanese people. She isn't allowed to request fair working conditions, and she makes far less than most Taiwanese. I have it easy. She has fear and injustice. My Taiwan and Vivian's Taiwan are worlds apart. And that haunts me.

These evils know no borders. This isn't just a problem in Southeast Asia or war-torn Africa. Please know that humans--children are trafficked, bought, sold, and raped in the United States every day. I've read about places in the remote deserts of New Mexico full of young abducted Mexican girls that would rival Thailand's red-light districts. Girls are smuggled into the U.S. from Tijuana into San Diego, hidden under the floorboards of buses. They end up at brothels across the nation, especially in the south. But it's not just the immigrants. Drug-addicted parents sell their own daughters for cash to support their habits. Please follow this link for more information on trafficking in the US: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/01-15-2009/0004955354&EDATE= Another great blog with relevant articles and updates is http://love146.blogspot.com/, and it's corresponding website is www.love146.org.

I want to encourage you to be aware. Please don't say, "oh, it's just too awful--I can't bear to know about it" and then go about your life. Nelson Mandela said "education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Start there... simply allow yourself to know. Even though it's uncomfortable and scary and might just make your blood boil.

If it's really too much for you, it might be time to stop reading my blog. Because I've only just begun.