Lucy Liu's film #Meena continues the #childtrafficking conversation

Lucy Liu, UNICEF Ambassador and documentarian has produced multiple films about child sex trafficking. The latest, Meena, is about a young girl who was kidnapped and sold by her uncle when she was only eight years old. Meena Hasina’s story was detailed in Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Meena, when she escaped from the brothel her uncle sold her to, sought the help of Apne Aap, a nonprofit self-empowerment group. Just before Meena debuted, Liu wrote:

“The expression ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ is so true, particularly when it comes to violence against children. It takes an entire international community to create lasting change. Don’t get me wrong, there is real change happening in the world on the part of governments, individuals and non-governmental organizations, but we need to do more.”

Though many organizations provide services for those who had been trafficked, Liu suggests more action needs to be taken to prevent child trafficking. Ensuring children are in safe, nurturing schools for longer makes it less likely they will be susceptible to exploitation. Liu concludes: “None of this is inevitable. It is preventable. Period.” 

What do you think can be done to prevent trafficking? What are the roots of the “wicked problem” of child sex trafficking? Are awareness publications having the impact filmmakers like Lucy Liu hope they will? Who should be responsible for making these changes? Weigh in on this complicated issue in the comments section.