Tag Archives: Romance and Revolutions

Human Trafficking: It’s In Our Back Yards: Part II

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Last week, I posted on the who, what, where and when of human trafficking. Today, I will be posting on the why. Why should romance writers care? Why should they consider including it in their novels? We are all tuned into that radio station, WIFM, or “What’s In It For Me?” with good reason. We want to sell books and make money. So, let’s see how you can benefit from this topic as a writer and be a “do-gooder” at the same time.

(By way of reminder, I’m still celebrating KISS OF THE SILVER WOLF’s first birthday by selecting one lucky commenter on my blog each week up to October 31, 2011 to win an e-copy of my werewolves meets X-files novella. So, don’t delay, start commenting!)

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WIFM: Characters Wanted

Looking for some interesting characters? Try some of these:

Victims: children, women, men, families who through no fault of their own become victims of human trafficking.

Perpetrators/Villains: Family members–yes, you read that right. Families who do not value girls can sell them to traffickers to get the other family members through a famine, drought, etc. Fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts are all in the business. In the documentary, Born Into Brothels, one of the young women is told repeatedly by her “Auntie” that she’ll be “working the line” soon, i.e., working as a prostitute. Another little girl worries that she’ll be sold. Unlike drug and gun trafficking where men are in charge, human trafficking is an equal opportunity employer and women can rise through the ranks. Madams trafficking girls into brothels were  often victims of trafficking. Teenaged girls who might not trust a male family member, are more likely to go with a female family member–and then find themselves enslaved. Throw in organized and disorganized crime, corrupt politicians, police, and border guards and you will find no lack of villains.

Need a Hero and Heroine? Look at the list of agencies at the end of this blog for a sampling of the organizations involved in combating human trafficking. In addition to governmental agents (FBI, ICE, DHHS); good police, non-corrupt politicians,  and border guards, there are also Non-Governmental Agencies (NGOs). Some are religious organizations, all are not-for-profits.

Need Secondary Characters? In DESIRE AND DECEPTION, my heroine (Sarah) found out about human trafficking by attending a conference sponsored by a Catholic university. A nun became Sarah’s mentor in the search for the nefarious trafficker.

WIFM: Plots Wanted

How about adapting some old plots to a not-so-new issue? Yes, we know there are a lot of variations on these themes, but look at the tropes and in the parentheses are ideas for tailoring them to a human trafficking story.

1. Secret Baby (Adoption Trafficking)
2. Cinderella (rags to riches) (Madams; Organs)
3. Opposites Attract (FBI agent, Crime boss)
4. Bodyguard (Protecting rich woman, nearly dies)
5. Second chance/First love rekindled (Oryx & Crake; children/teens torn apart)
6. Reunion (Woman/child reunited w/family)
7. Stranded (Lost and Trafficked)
8. Love Triangle (Pimp/Prostitute/John)
9. Marriage of Convenience (Mail-order Brides)
10. Beauty and the Beast (Captor/captive or C/c)

11. Sleeping Beauty/Ugly duckling (Drugged Woman/Awakened by Hero)
12. Amnesia (Head Injury & Trafficked)
13. Fish out of water (Abducted on vacation)
14. Blackmail/Revenge (Unfaithful lover)
15. Forbidden love (“Good”C/c)
16. Mentor/protégé (Boss/Employee)
17. Princess/Pauper; King/Beggar maid (Beggar children)
18. Bad boy/good girl; Bad girl/good boy (C/c)
19. Best Friends (One seeks trafficked friend)
20. The Road to Adventure (Boy soldiers/Captive “brides”)

(Adapted with permission from Jana Richards 20 Classic Romance Plots)

What Can You Do As Citizens?

Here are some simple ways to be involved:

  • Become informed and raise awareness through writing, presentations and workshops;
  • Buy only Fair Trade goods (e.g., flowers, chocolate, clothing, rugs, etc.)
  • Demand that laws against human trafficking be created and enforced (did you know 9 states in the US have weak or NO anti-trafficking laws? (Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, Montana, South Carolina and South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Hawaii and Ohio. (http://bit.ly/ntzjCL)
  • Advocate for reduced demand through:
    • Creation of John’s schools (like a DUI school for first offenders) teach men that prostitution is not a victimless crime if you are forced into it against your will.
    • Call for corporate policies that mandate no purchasing of goods created by slaves.
    • Zero tolerance in tourism, real estate, advertising and related industries who benefit from human trafficking. In Paris, France, authorities boarded up an expensive condominium the owner had rented to sex traffickers. His real estate investment was gone.

What Can You Do As A Romance Writer?

Romance writers have long tackled difficult women’s issues, such as domestic violence and addiction. Romance writers can tell a fictional story that is less threatening to readers to expose them to the world of human trafficking. Romance writers can show readers what individuals can do. Romance writers can make a difference.

References and Resources

Films  & Documentaries

  • Taken
  • Frozen River
  • Revenge
  • Human Trafficking
  • Slum Dog Millionaire
  • Trade
  • Sin Nombre (Without a Name)
  • Born into Brothels
  • Lilya 4-Ever
  • Selling of Innocents
  • National Geographic BORDER WARS (Cable)

A Small Sampling of Nonfiction Books

  • Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy by Kevin Bales
  • Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective by Louise Shelley
  • The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today by Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter
  • Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade–and How We Can Fight It by David Batstone
  • Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery by Siddarth Kara
  • The Whistleblower: Sex Trafficking, Military Contractors, and One Woman’s Fight for Justice by Kathryn Bolkovac

A Small Sampling of Fiction Books

  • Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
  • The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
  • Wiser Than Serpents (Mission: Russia #3) by Susan May Warren
  • Blood Ransom (Mission Hope Series) by Lisa Harris
  • Stolen Woman (Stolen Series) by Kimberly Rae

Online Resources

PS: Stop by and enter to win more spooktacular prizes from October 26-31 at http://theromancestudio.com/party.

Writing Romance as a Revolutionary Act

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It has become apparent of late that there are those who wish to suppress our fellow-writers. Yes, I am talking about Judy Mays, the teacher who dared to write erotic romance. Whether you like that genre or not, to paraphrase Voltaire, I may not want to write or read erotica, but I will fight to the death your right to write it.  No one should have to choose between their livelihood and their art. No one should be denied their constitutional rights.

In 1933, in order to purge the country of impure, oppositional thoughts, Nazi Germany hosted a bonfire of books. “Un-German authors” were identified by right thinking Nazis. The Aryan nation had no room for dissenters. So on May 10, 1933 over 25,000 books were burned. The thinly veiled symbolism of this Nazi orchestrated act was the prelude to the growing persecution of those who were not “perfect”: Jews, Blacks, Gypsies, Gays, and People with Disabilities, to name but a few million.

Hitler rose to his powers because the economy in Germany was dismal. You could not buy a loaf of bread for a wheel barrow full of money. The unemployed painter convinced an entire nation that it was the fault of the Jews and the other “unmentionables” that the country was in the toilet. Hitler was broke, full of self-loathing, petty envy and jealousy of those who were successful. I have to wonder if those factors might be playing into the current witch hunt in Pennsylvania. The rust belt has been hard hit by our recession. Perhaps these people have nothing better to do with their time than meddle in other people’s business and hunt for someone to target because they themselves are miserable. Hitler found a lot of scapegoats, too. Who’s next? Nora Roberts?  You? Me? After all, I have a PhD and I’m a former university professor and department chair–and I write <gasp> EROTIC ROMANCE. In honor of May 10, 1933, will our books be burned, too?

Journalists have an obligation to report on newsworthy events. A teacher writing romance is newsworthy? Or was it because she writes about sex? Would they have pilloried say, a horror writer? After all, that teacher/horror writer could be fantasizing about using a chain saw on the students in his class. What? That story wasn’t on WNEP’s news desk? This was a case of lazy reporting. I can picture the reporter facing a deadline, no news at hand. “No cats up in a tree today. What will I report on? Hmmm. Why don’t I follow up on this gossip that just came in from a mean-spirited person? I’ll get to use a big word today: ‘erotica.’” Shame on the lazy reporter and shame on her bosses at WNEP for going after easy targets with cheap shots.

We are not in Nazi Germany. We are in the United States in 2011. As romance writers, we have the audacity to write about love, relationships and sex. We dare to embrace our sexuality and to say it is an important part of who we are and how we interact with others. We are bold as brass when we say love matters. We are defiant. We are smart, hard-working, multi-talented people who believe that what we have to say is protected by the United States Constitution and the First Amendment. We are revolutionaries.

For more information on Nazi Germany and book burning go to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005852