There are three ways that the discussion around Human Rights can play an important component in the fight against trafficking...One of the things we hear a lot, in larger discussions of trafficking and prostitution, is “girls choose this life.” Working with survivors over and over again the thing that you hear is that they had no choice, they had to “feed their kids, protect their family…” they had no control...

Regardless of the things that make us different such as ethnicity or gender, human rights are given freely to every person. The complexity of this topic does not go unnoticed and it cannot be understated. However, there is a simple truth that always remains, life matters.

Rhea* was born in a red-light district to a trafficking victim. Statistically speaking, Rhea was supposed to spend her whole life in a red-light district, only ever knowing captivity, and die at an early age. But Rhea’s story is different. Rhea’s story is one touched by hope.

Sex tourism is a global phenomenon, and Latin America is a trending destination for tourists looking to exploit young girls. Is this your first-time hearing about sex tourism? If so, buckle up. It’s evil and tearing its way through vulnerable lives. Sex tourism is exactly what it sounds like.

With this definition and shared understanding of Social Oppression, we want to look at ways that water, or rather the lack of water is used to oppress people. If you are reading this from the US, or another nation with wide-scale water infrastructure, public utilities and around-the-clock access to water, the thought of water being used as a tool of oppression may be a new one. However, if you live in a country with water scarcity, the reality of water oppression is a very real thing. As with any limited resource that is vital to life, when there is a scarcity, it becomes political, it becomes divisive and it becomes a fight.

We went as far as the jeep could take us on our rural trek. We were out documenting water projects, and this location was especially remote. As we walked up the narrow, dusty lanes, the heat radiated around us. After a ½ kilometer trek up the road, the little village emerged before us...