Helen Taylor gave a wonderful passionate lecture about her work at Exodus Cry regarding human trafficking, both locally and internationally
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ReplyDeleteHelen was an incredible speaker and she was very passionate about what she does. She spoke to us about her work with Exodus Cry. Before her lecture, I had no clue of the degree of sex trafficking in the world as well as the country. She told us multiple stories of what she had seen and the things both men and women have told her throughout her ten years of working for Exodus Cry. Some of the most moving moments were when she spoke of the help and opportunities they offered to these women that still allowed these women protection and money from and for their pimps. Something that had never occurred to me, were the types of pimps as she called them. Everyone has heard of the controlling gorilla pimp who steals women off the streets and sells them for sex, but no one ever talks about the ones who the girls fall in love with first to the extent that they are willing to sell themselves to please him. She spoke of the roots of the problem and how sex trafficking is the branches. You can cut one branch off, but many more will continue to grow in its place. If you cut out the roots, you kill the tree, or in this case, you kill the problem. The statistics that she gave were also incredibly shocking. There was a very large amount of great information that she gave to us and I am now anxious to learn more and become a part of the fight.
ReplyDeleteI found Helen’s visit to the class very moving. I think it impacted me so much because of how passionate she is about her field of work. Sex trafficking has always been a big deal but I feel as if it has become more prevalent in today’s society. I understand that people can have a rough childhood growing up, but I think it is sad that they are that vulnerable to get sucked into the sex industry. These girls are so desperate for something stable in their lives that they become brainwashed to the terrible, terrible things that they experience. Majority of times, woman don't want to be involved in this horrific industry. I was most fascinated in the bust that she recently did in Moscow. That is huge, busting one of the biggest brothels that take advantage of so many women. They deserve to break free of their “chains”. It touched me to know that Helen and the group she works with set up men or sex trafficking victims over the phone but when they meet they actually talk to them about how they can get out of their situation and away from their addiction. These activities are so degrading to women that men don’t even realize it because they are too worried about feeding their desires. I am eager to watch the movies on Netflix to learn more about the message Helen and Exodus Cry are spreading to fix this major problem in the world.
ReplyDeleteMatti Morgan
Helen is an amazing person that has a good heart. I enjoyed her coming to our class and talking to us about sex trafficking. I knew that sex trafficking was going on but I didn't know it was as big as it really is. Helen is very passionate about her job and I appreciate people like her. I feel that she has a very hard job to do and has to deal with situations that could be very serious and scary but she doesn't care. She see it as helping others and changing their lives. Helen has achieve a lot of things that I didn't think I could ever do. Having a job that Helen has would be fun and interesting but also scary at the same time. I found the whole talk interesting and I made me want to be more involved with helping others. I had a talk with Helen after class and she actually gave me the book that she brought to class. I haven't had the chance to start reading it yet but I eventually will. She really helped me find more information for my in class presentation. The way that she reacted to showing is the shoes and chains showed me that she really doesn't take her job serious and that she cares of those that she helps. I feel that we need more people like her in the world. I would love to work with Helen and her organization because I feel that the organization has a major impact on our society and that they can eventually save a lot of people.
ReplyDeletePaige Bunn
Helen was a phenomenal speaker and it was so refreshing to hear from a person who is so passionate about what they do. She made many points that were shocking and eye opening. All the stories she told were so moving and incredible. She spent six weeks in Moscow where her she met with women and would help them. It’s heartbreaking that women are lined up like cattle while men decide which woman they want for the night. Women are forced into this and there’s a vulnerability that is involved in sex trafficking because it makes it easier for pimps to get women and that is so sad. She drew a tree and talked about the different elements of sex trafficking involved in that tree. She said that at the root of the tree is the demand. Reducing and getting rid of this demand is key to breaking the tree. What was interesting was hearing Helen talk about the men that get trapped into the world of sex trafficking. The fact that they are helping men and women is amazing. Hearing about the guy who decided to join the organization after talking to one of the members of Exodus Cry. It’s organizations like this that will make our world a better place.
ReplyDeleteAvery Ralston
I had heard about sex trafficking in the movies but I always thought it was just an exaggeration of the facts until I listened to Helen tell us about the amount of sex trafficking that takes place in the country and around the world. Listening to her really changed my perception about the entire issue of sex trafficking. Initially I thought that the girls had regular pimps like the one we watch on television who abuse and bleed them dry. However, Helen opened my eyes to the other pimps who actually trick the girls into falling in love with them, so much so as to readily accept prostitution as a way of showing their love for their pimps. I agree with Helen on every level and I think that Exodus Cry is doing great work trying to get the victims out of the business. The battle is definitely difficult and may take a long time to be won, but by continuing fighting the problem from its source will eventually lead the business to collapse. Helen, through Exodus Cry is trying to create awareness and bring in more people into the fight. After listening to her speak so passionately about what she does, I hope to actively be part of the solution.
ReplyDeleteI knew about the sex trafficking problem that Kansas city had from classes in Criminal Justice however this was a new experience because it was not a book or a statistic that I was reading. No it was a first hand account, in person, about the issue. Not only about Kansas City either, we got to learn about Brazil, Russia, Places in Africa and Europe. This showed the large system that their organization works in and how it can be such a big impact to really go after this problem in a way of changing culture instead of the arrest and investigations like the typical justice system in these various places. I was very impressed with the work that they had done over in Russia during the world cup because it is not everyday that someone's life is changed just by talking to someone in a hour. The Organization in my mind has a better approach to this issue then some on the authorities or other groups that I have read and learned about over the years. It also gives me a little peace of mind that we have a program like that in the place I grew up at because it shows my home is under good watch and care.
ReplyDeleteHelen is social activist against sex trafficking. Before this I heard about sex trafficking and got knowledge from media but not knowing that how much it is in the real life. After listening to Helen I got more knowledge about this and got know that there is too much sex trafficking all over the world. She made many points about this that opened my eyes that there is too much sex abuse, women are treated like animals and also are forced in sex trafficking. She explains the issue very well by drawing tree diagram which make it easy to understand. She told that the main issue are roots not branches, if you cut one branch their will grow many other branches. So we have to cut the roots. It was interesting to know that men are also victims of sex trafficking. It was good to know that Helen and her organization is helping peoples and young generation. So it is goo that more and more people are joining their organization. Her lecture was very helpful for me and I also met her after class. She give me a book about issue and tells about her organization. I will try to help young generation and will play role for the betterment of society.
ReplyDeleteSilmin Alghamdi
Helen’s talk really gave me a deep insight into what goes on in the world. While most of us might be existing very well some other people are really suffering because of the torture that they receive in a very dirty underworld activity called sex trafficking. Most people will frown upon such immoral actions but most people involved in this evil business descend into it slowly and cannot go back because by the time they realize what is going on it is already too late for them and they cannot get out.
ReplyDeleteHer exodus cry initiative has helped to restore the dignity of many women especially on the bust she did in Russia in which she mentioned how she managed to save a lot of women from Russian brothels where men go to satisfy their desires without a care of the girls that they are violating. Being involved in such an operation is dangerous but Helen's passion and determination to save these poor souls who have succumbed to prostitution is really something to be appreciated.
Helen revealed to us shocking truths and opened our eyes to realities we did not know existed. The organization strives to help victims of this business in any means possible. She explains to one of her clever plans where they set up a fake trafficking channel just to be able to help and help those already in by telling them about ways that they can escape their situation and even help them do so. She revealed to us statistical data that was very shocking and saddening and explained to us that some girls will sell themselves voluntarily just to please their handlers or as they are commonly known as pimps.
The world is a very evil place but with more people like Helen maybe we can be apple to cut the roots of the problem and not the branches as she said this is the only way to end sex trafficking and I believe her because after ten years of working for her organization and doing what she has done she can be commended for her very humanitarian work and the passion which she shows in her work. The talk was more than good, informative and provocative. It has made me want to know more about what goes on in the world and how I can help in any way in the fight against sex trafficking because every human has rights and deserves a decent and a dignified life.
Saud Alotaibi
Scott Bower
ReplyDeleteHelen Taylor’s presentation to the class was insightful, moving, and eye opening. I enjoyed every minute of it and I am glad that she has the initiative to stand up against deviances that have become our social norms. A very brave stance to take in a time of opinion bullying, refusal to hear logical reasoning, and lack of a moral backbone. Something that I think was maybe overlooked in her presentation was how dangerous her job can be; being present during a major sex trafficking ring gets busted is not unicorns and rainbows. Ms. Taylor is doing brave work. Furthermore on her presentation, the breakdown of myths in the sex industry was terrific. She perfectly executed logical reasoning to expose the fallacies in each asinine statement that too many men and even woman have bought into. I thought her reference to Swedish prostitution laws was useful and potentially a debate point to use in the U.S.; perhaps one of the few Nordic country comparisons that I can say that would make sense to implement here. After class, I contacted Ms. Taylor through email to discuss a Kansas City specific issues in regard to a local radio station. We had positive discourse about it and I have joined their activist Facebook group called “The Wilberforce Initiative”. I am really glad that this class has introduced us to this organization and I look forward to interacting with them in the future to express moral concerns with trafficking problems and sex industries.
Helen was a phenomenal speaker. Throughout her talk I could feel the energy and passion that she held about helping the people that she helps. She has really opened my eyes about just how cruel and twisted that the world can be. I found it shocking at some of the things that she shared with the class. For example how prostitution is legal in some part of that state. When she informed me of this it took me so far back. Here we are to believe that America is supposed to be this great nation yet we allow the states to allow prostitution. I understand it is outlawed in most states but there is still that grey area that makes it despicable. I also found her stories of the shoes she collects to be inspiring. Especially the story about the guy who had the sex addiction and asked for prayer and gave her his shoes as well. I found that to be such a beautiful story about how she can help him to feel forgiven and to even be forgiven for all of the terrible things he had done. Helen is a fantastic role model for standing up for something you believe in and striving to fight to make the world a better place.
ReplyDelete-Myron DeBerry
Helen grabbed my attention from the jump as she expressed how horrible sex trafficking is! Knowing that it is something a lot of people dont get themselves into is saddening because society shapes it to where everyone who is apart of sex trafficking got into it because they wanted to. The shoe part of the story really touched me because along with each pair of of shoes follows a story along with them. To hear these people's stories is something that touches me, I really felt connected and like i knew the people she was talking about because I know some people back home who went down that rode or may of fell into it. Sex trafficking and sex addiction are things that fall under the radar in the US and it makes me happy to know that there are people out there that will do whatever they have to in order for it to stop.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHelen inspired me in so many ways in Her speech that it was indescribable. Seeing her facial expressions and her emotions while giving her presentation and talking about all the pornography situations in this world and how she's so passionate for her job puts me in a place to where I want to find a job exactly how she feels about hers. Also, her speech help me understand the points of pornography in the what is going on in the world with this issue. I myself did not realize that it was a huge problem as she described in Kansas City or in let alone in the United States. I was truly grateful that she came that day and gave a very inspirational and amazing presentation to the class and I will remember the presentation for the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteHelen speech shocked me when she talked about Sex trafficking and what she does, how passionate she is about her field of work. when Helen start talking about sex trafficking I was imagining how she deals with this people and how she helps them. People like Helen they have a goal they want to get, they are trying to help all this girls to leave what they do and start new life. After her speech I started seeing things that I never saw before, I start seeing this people from the way she see them as why they doing it and how they get into this kind of work. When she start telling the story about the shoes when that girls from Africa and how she left her shoes to her and started new life, and that guy in the hotel who left his shoes. I did not know and it was interested to know that men can be victim of sex trafficking too. I see what she does is hard and it need strong people like her I believe this is a fight and she needs people to get her back, After her speech and the way she talked I believe that there is good people in this life.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU HELEN FOR WHAT YOU DO.
Ahmed Aljohani
Gabriela Shalabi Fierro
ReplyDeleteListening to the accounts that Helen described were incredibly moving to me. There were three particular parts that truly touched me:
First, when she pulled out the shackles that once belonged to a slave being trafficked on a ship from Africa to Great Britain. The shackles still had the engravement of the master's name on them! Then she pulled out the shackles that represent the slaves of today: some black stilettos. This was shocking in that I never really thought of shoes as shackles, but their symbolism was so powerful!
Second, I was so moved to hear the story about the young man in Russia who was there for the Fifa World Cup and who was trying to 'order' a call girl for the first time ever. I was in awe in regards to how Exodus Cry handled the situation with complete humility and kindness. As I imagined that young man, I wondered how his life may have been affected because Exodus Cry intervened so early on in what could have been a vicious cycle that could have potentially ruined his life. I sat there wondering, did they save him from a horrible addiction? Did they save his future relationships with women and maybe even with his future daughters? Did they save him from facing a horrible loneliness down the line? We can never know the extent of the impact, just that it was a good one.
Finally, I was blown away by the employment of regulations in the Nordic countries that criminalize prostitution for the buyer but not for the worker. Helen pointed out that after these regulations were placed, sex trafficking has decreased dramatically in these countries. I also thought that this gives the workers a better opportunity to be able to report assaults because they know they won't face any sort of prosecution. It gave me hope for the future and made me realize that lowering the number of damaged families and cultures is possible through the use of these measures (plus other methods).
Helen's speech and passion was incredible! Before hearing her speak, I had almost no knowledge of the lives prostitutes and those who are sex trafficked and the horrible things that were being done to the victims. I was really into what she was saying and the examples she gave us. I was really shocked of the girls and how they were forced to do things they did not want to do but just to live. I was really shocked about and amazed about the bust she did this summer in Moscow. It was really something she could be proud of, when she busted one of the biggest brothels that uses a lot of women. I was really shocked in how they were treated and I though that was just in movies when girls be chained and used. When she talked about the Swedish prostitution laws, I remembered what I saw this summer on my trip when I was in Amsterdam. It was one of the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in my life and how the prostitution was easy in there. It was just the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Helen was fascinating and I hope she send her message worldwide.
ReplyDeleteI was really blown away by Helen’s presentation about sex trafficking when she came and visited our class the other day. It was one of the most intensely passionate speeches I’ve ever heard in person and I found it absolutely riveting. I had heard about the company she works for, Exodus Cry, before and I knew they were an anti-trafficking group but I didn’t know the full extent of what it is they do. For starters, I think it’s so cool that we have an organization like this based in Kansas City. I can’t wait to watch their documentaries to learn more about the world of human trafficking and hopefully learn more about how I can help with the effort to end it on a more personal level.
ReplyDeleteHelen had a lot of really heartbreaking stories from her time with Exodus Cry to share along with some victories. She drove her presentation home with the shoes and the shackles she showed us at the end of class. It’s one thing to hear stories but seeing an article of clothing that some of these exploited women have worn, not to mention the shackles that were part of something as insidious as slavery, really broke down the imaginary wall that made them “just stories.” It felt like there was a tension in the room when she pulled those items out, almost like none of us wanted to breathe. I know that I feel very fortunate to have listened to this presentation given by such a fiercely passionate and badass woman.
Alyssa Winters
Helen really touched me with her speech about sex trafficking and prostitution. The reason being is because some females in my family have been apart of prostitution. I totally disagree with prostitution. I feel it should be abolished in every state its legal in and every country. I know first hand how rigorous the prostitution and sex trafficking life is so I really admire risking her life to protect people who's involved with those kinds of things.
ReplyDeleteByron Cooke
I was very fascinated by Helen's presentation, she was very passionate and energetic in everything she said. Her presentation was incredible and the organization she works for is one that helps women involved in sexual trafficking whether from the United States or not. The name of the organization was Exodus Cry, and is aimed at helping women that have been or are currently victims to the sexual trafficking around the world or even in local places. I thought it was very horrifying to hear about the numerous stories in which women are kidnapped or sold into sex trafficking. However when I realized the sad truth, which was that essentially everyday, sex trafficking is a huge problem but no one is talking about it. When Helen was talking about several different stories and began pulling out shoes, and shackles; that was a very horrific moment just to think that someone would make another wear shackles. Then when she pulled out a mans pair of shoes and exlained they were the shoes of a man who has been on the purchasing end and after certain events took place, he did not like who he was and changed up; he wanted to leave his shoes with Helen to leave behind that past he did not like. I found that story quite powerful. The entire organization Exodus Cry is very powerful and essential for what they do to help those in need, and its great that they are located in Kansas City. I really enjoyed Helen's presentation.
ReplyDeleteTristan Askan
DeleteHelen’s presentation gave me a different view on sex trafficking. From not hearing a lot about it and just seeing things on television versus someone actually giving real stories and input gave me a new perspective. The different stories she talked about when she showed the shoes really caught my attention. Actually knowing that they are people out there that feel like sex trafficking is their only choice is sad. But knowing how her organization helps these people is great. Giving them clothes and someone to stay and also helping them find jobs just to show them they don’t have to do this to get by. Another story that caught my attention was when she talked about the shackles. Seeing those actually shackles and knowing they were on slaves helped paint a picture of how horrible and what they had to go through.
ReplyDeleteEre’Shay W.
Hernán Pulido
ReplyDeleteExodus cry
Helen Taylor did a wonderful job at explaining her topic with sentiment and inspiration. It was a fact that most of the audience knew what sex trafficking was and that it was an issue in the country. But most of us where not aware at what really had behind it. Haley completely caught out attention and explained to us that prostitution was way far away of what we thought. That there is organizations and people always looking out for those in danger and being imprisoned and damaged by sex trafficking. We learned how the pimps work, the classes of pimps and more so how the sex trafficking industry works in a digital area as today.
In my opinion, the most important thing she said and what I will always remember is that without we acknowledging the real issue, we are the main cause of it. We are the ones that create the incredibly hard demand as well as we are the ones that watch pornography and make the business incredibly profitable. After hearing Helen, I promised myself to not promote, assist, watch or have any further relation or interaction with any kind of (paid-online) sexual related activity. As well as I will be telling my friends and family to do so as well. Every voice is the change.