Some movies tell an alarming story. So alarming that nothing seems the same after leaving the cinema.
Lilya 4-Ever by Lukas Moodyson is such a story. Based primarily on the real life of Lithuanian woman Danguole Rasalaites, the film features 16 year old Lilya who ends up in Sweden forced into prostitution.
Michael Wilmington says: Played by teasing-eyed Russian teen Oksana Akinshina, Lilya is a terrifyingly real character, a lovely, abandoned girl who, while remaining utterly individual, comes to symbolize the millions of ravaged children, adolescents and lost souls leading poisoned lives in many a dead-end city…
Chicago Tribune Movie Critic
After watching the movie on television last year, Peter Moulding, (Preston, UK), took action and produced the textpattern driven site 4-ever.org. A committed step drawing people’s attention to Human Trafficking.
Peter says: Many people do not know that human trafficking is the 3rd largest global crime, close behind weapons and drug trafficking with millions of people being traded as slaves in an estimated 19 billion dollar industry. It is big business but it seems almost as though governments pretend it does not exist because measures to help victims of trafficking (slaves no less) are minimal.
Read some more facts about human traficking here and on Peters site.
How can we help?
First of all we have to understand that poverty is a major factor leading to trafficking, prostitution and slavery. Poverty makes people more vulnerable to exploitation. MakePovertyHistory involves organisations from all around the world campaigning against poverty. A major side effect of their work is to reduce human trafficking, forced prostitution as well as legal and illegal drug abuse and suicide. You can join Make Poverty History and get a simple white band to show your conviction.
And you can sign the Against Human Trafficking Petition on 4-ever.org.
This all will take you just some minutes of time. It doesn’t cost
anything and it will help the uncounted victims, abused children and women.
