The Human, Earth Project
Originally posted by John Bardos on http://wonderfulwanderings.com
A few years ago Ben Randall was a long-term traveler enjoying the splendor of SE Asia. He lived in small rural villages and befriended locals all over the region.
One of those friends, lets call her “M”, a 15-year-old girl from northern Vietnam, a year after Ben left, was kidnapped. It’s thought that she was either sold as a bride or was forced into the sex trade. She hasn’t been heard from in two years.
As an individual traveler exploring the world, what could he possibly do to help? What could anyone do?
Ben Randall decided he needed to find out what happened to his friend M and bring more awareness to human trafficking. He’s filming a feature-length documentary while retracing his previous travels throughout Asia to try to find M and gain a better understanding of the problems and issues that are driving the sale of people.
As Ben searched for more information on what had happened to M, he has realized she was not alone. One report suggests there are as many as 27 million victims of human trafficking right now, with the majority of them in Asia and the Pacific. A third of these victims are said to be children – and, sadly, Thailand is one of the worst offenders in this area. Most victims of human trafficking will have experienced physical or sexual violence during trafficking. And it’s not just in Asia – the UN estimates that 161 countries are involved as a source, transit or destination. 1
Ben has funded his travels and filming largely out of his own savings and now he needs help to finish his journey and bring the documentary to the world.
This short video explains the project in more detail.
