This is another guest post to show the work of Ben Randal, a photographer and traveler working in Vietnam on a documentary.
While this is not the usual post on my blog and I am not much for advertising, I found the project interesting.
Taken - A Real Human Trafficking Story
Being kidnapped, taken against your will to another land and forced into labour, of various kinds, sounds like a thing of the slave trading past. But like many other taboo subjects- rape, war crimes and worker exploitation- human trafficking is still very much alive and thriving under the radar.Trying to bring light to the frightening subject is one man, Ben Randall, photographer, film maker and avid traveler, who is returning to Vietnam to spread the word about his missing friend M and The Human, Earth Project.
The story to be told
Ben first met M while teaching English in Vietnam; he and the fifteen year old Hmong girl became friends but it wasn't until after he had returned home that Ben learnt of her capture; probably to be smuggled across the border into China and sold into forced labour, marriage or prostitution. When Ben delved further into the murky waters of human smuggling he found that she was not alone. An estimated 27million people are thought to be victims of human trafficking today, among those a staggering number women and children; being physically, psychologically or sexually abused again and again.
What Ben wants is to bring this problem to the forefront of discussion. By making a documentary about the experiences and fears of people living in the shadow of human trafficking he hopes to find a way to stop this inhumane practice.
The work to be done
Please listen; this short video will further explain the horror that is human trafficking and shed light on the trade that turns humans into commodities on a daily basis.
Please speak; the best way to stop this crime is to promote understanding. Sharing this video with your friends and followers will spread the word and help raise awareness, the more people who know about this, the fewer will stand for it.
Please support; if you’re able to contribute to Ben’s crowd funding project you’re not only supporting project The Human, Earth Project’s bid to raise awareness; you’re also becoming part of the movement, with the opportunity to receive some of Ben’s exclusive prints from Vietnam and earn a credit in his film.
'The Human, Earth Project' crowdfunding page
This is a project about humans, because we are not a commodity.
