By Paul Chesser on 9.17.09 @ 4:32PM
ABC News, like other traditional media organizations, has been
slow to move on the ACORN undercover
video stories (although reporter Jake Tapper has shown signs
that he's interested).
ABC News, like other traditional media organizations, has been
slow to move on the ACORN undercover
video stories (although reporter Jake Tapper has shown signs
that he's interested). But on "Nightline" this week they ran an
excellent undercover report about the types of child
exploiters that the ACORN housing facilitators would have helped
by letting them ply their trade without detection. The focus of
the story is Cambodia, where a NGO called APLE ("Action Pour Les
Enfants") combats sexual exploitation of children by going
undercover to capture and record evidence from predators and
victims, then helping law enforcement conduct sting operations.
Sounds similar to what James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles did.
APLE gave incredible
access to ABC reporter Dan Harris (VIDEO), who confronts a
few American "sex travelers" about their crimes and the evidence
against them. One, Harvey Johnson, was teaching English in Phnom
Penh and therefore had easy access to children. There are several
things spoken on the video report that just make you cringe, and
others that are tremendously heartbreaking. In a couple instances
mothers, unaware they are being recorded, offer up their
early-teen daughters for sale to Harris, where he could name his
price.
Having been with friends on Christian missions to Southeast Asia
(including Cambodia) twice in the last two and a half years, this
rings absolutely true. Children often approach Westerners eagerly
to try out the English they are learning, because they believe it
is a ticket for them out of poverty. We saw a mother on our last
visit a year ago ask my friend to take her son from her -- during
a church service! And seeing silver-haired Westerners walking,
uh, "romantically", with clearly underage girls in Bangkok and
Phnom Penh was not uncommon. The kids are easy to exploit.
Harris notes towards the end of his report (the video is broken
into three pieces, so stick with it) that, because of the loss of
so much of the Cambodian population (1.7 million out of nearly 8
million) during Pol Pot's reign, there is a morality vacuum in
the country. The average age is somewhere around 21. I'm sure
that's part of the reason, but other countries have similar
demographics and it's not because of genocide. Corruption and
failure to punish evil are facts of life in the Third World.
We need more brave ones like James, Hannah and APLE who go beyond
traditional thinking, do their own work, and don't wait or whine
for government or the "mainstream media" to "do something" about
these problems. It is easier than ever now to gather information
on your own, blast it into the public domain, and appeal to those
of us on this earth with a conscience.
This is slavery, continued, with a sickening slant. It has not
been eliminated. Churches, ministries, activists, journalists,
and others need to get off the sidelines. It's tough to watch,
but everyone needs to see the tears of parents and shame of
children who have been victimized by this trade. If that doesn't
motivate you, nothing will.
ABC has helpfully provided
names and links of organizations and ministries in Cambodia
fighting trafficking and helping victims. There are many others
that work on the issue in other countries and globally. Google
searches bring up many of them.
topics:
ACORN, Sex Trafficking
