Katie: Jada Pinkett Smith Lends a Voice To Human Trafficking & Slavery

Katie: Jada Pinkett Smith & War On Human Trafficking

On March 21 2013, Katie is talking to advocate and actress Jada Pinkett Smith about the fight against human trafficking and slavery. She talks with women that were sold into slavery by their parents and girls that were taken in by their bosses to survive.

Jada Pinkett Smith: Human Trafficking

Smith told Katie how her family is doing. She said her daughter Willow taught her about human trafficking. She said it was shocking to learn that young girls are being sold into slavery in the U.S. Willow came to her and said that she wanted to lend her voice to the cause, getting Smith to look into the issue as well.

The thing that Smith took away was that kids in the foster care system are often targeted by human traffickers and abused. She also learned that there are a lot of parents that sell their children. Her organization is Don’t Sell Bodies, which is a place where people can go and learn about trafficking in a reliable place. She collaborated with Salma Hayek to work on a project that showed how strong a woman’s body is.

Katie: Young Girls Sold Into Slavery

It’s a horrible thought, but human trafficking is happening in our country. The documentary Not My Life puts a spotlight on young women that survived human trafficking.

Angie ran away from home. In this film, she describes being taken by a man on the road and told what to charge for services. If she and her friend didn’t do what he told them to do, he said he would kill them. Angie recounts her encounters in the documentary and remembers the pain and horror that she endured.

Also on this episode, Katie talks to Asia, another victim of human trafficking. She was told that her boss loved her and she felt like he was the only one. She moved out at 14 and her boss was the man that took care of her. He controlled her, beat her and she was accompanied everywhere she went. Asia gives a voice to women in her situation. She turned her bosses in and the men are now incarcerated.

Asia’s story is moving and a testament to the strength of women. She said the law enforcement that helped her have become her family. She’s working with Fair Girls, a non-profit that helps young women to escape slavery and find a new life.