I can’t remember the last time I was really angry. Perhaps when I got my clothes stolen in Africa 8 years ago. Experiencing this emotion in Amsterdam this past week has felt odd – like an unfamiliar acquaintance stopping by for a visit, making a home amongst my usually-positive thoughts. Jennifer Tunehag, an incredible woman […]
Cheers! Delta Airlines and Hilton Hotels Join the Fight Against Sex Trafficking
I hesitate to call the airport my second home, because at times it feels like my first home. As the daughter of a humanitarian development worker, I was raised in several countries – which has resulted in a flood of memories rushing at me whenever I find myself walking through the sliding glass doors of […]
Should Pedophiles Get to Keep Their Passports?
Yesterday a Canadian man from Calgary, Alberta was sentenced to 25 years in a U.S. prison. John Wrenshall had already spent time in jail previously for sexually abusing choir boys at a Calgary church, but clearly had not learned his lesson. When he got out, he decided to set up shop in Thailand and invited […]
Vacationers: Watch Out for Pedophiles in Bali
I read an article recently about Bali, Indonesia, which is a popular vacation destination for Australians and other wealthy tourists. Here is why this island paradise is attractive to pedophiles: Living costs and real estate are going up, widening the gap between the rich and the poor There is a cultural acceptance of child sex. […]
Film Review: HOLLY
On my visit to World Vision earlier this month, one of the employees I interviewed gave me a film to watch called HOLLY. To be honest, I always approach movies about sex trafficking with caution and some skepticism, because sometimes the film is either poorly made or demonstrates a very unrealistic and inaccurate picture of […]
In the News: Kenneth Klassen Receives Canada’s Harshest Sentence to Date for Sex Tourism
On the surface British Columbia’s Kenneth Klassen appears to be a pretty average guy. He is a 59 year-old divorced father of three and an international art dealer. But Klassen’s travels were not just for business – which was discovered when customs officers seized a suspicious package from the Philippines that he had sent to […]
Overheard: “Men Are the True Victims of Prostitution”
A few weeks ago my husband Jay had a conversation with the owner of a hotel in San Jose, Costa Rica. The hotel is located in the red light district, and the owner was telling Jay that 1 in 3 of his customers uses prostituted women. The majority of these men range in age between […]
A Brothel Poem
This is a picture of a poem written on the wall of what Brian McConaghy from the Ratanak Foundation calls a ‘rape cubicle.’ Translated into English, this is what it says: There is a happy time, and then it ends There is love, but for a short time and only in front of my face […]
Costa Rica: A Hot Spot for Sexcapades
Since becoming aware of sex trafficking as a global problem, I think about it often when I travel. Currently I am living in Costa Rica in Central America, where prostitution is legal and booming. In fact, it is becoming more and more of a hotspot for sex tourists, who do not want to travel as […]